Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,40
wretched place.
I glare at him as if I’d claw his eyes out if he even tries.
Jamie breaks our stand-off.
“There you are!” he says cheerfully, handing me my cocktail and a bottle of water for Alec.
“You need to keep hydrated, big guy,” Jamie says with a wink.
“Thanks.” We clink glasses, and I take the first blissful sip of the sweet cocktail. The cold liquid feels so good that I instantly take a few more sips, halving the glass.
“Easy,” Jamie says with a smile, then takes the glass away from me and hands both our cocktails to Alec.
He weaves his arms around my neck and plasters his body to mine, moving in time with the beat. I respond in a similar way until we’re dancing without a care in the world. Sweat slicks my body under my clothes, but I don’t give a damn. I want to let go and lose myself in the rhythm.
I don’t notice when Alec slinks away. But at some point, through the thick crowd, I see him standing next to our booth, bottle in his hand, hip leaning against the table. His eyes track me like a tiger following his prey.
A shiver runs through me. I can’t help it. My attraction to Alec is a force with a life of its own; I can’t control it.
Jamie chuckles in my ear, shimmying closer. “You’re looking at him as if you want to unzip those tight jeans with your teeth.” He pulls back to look at me with a smirk.
I bite my lip. “I’m not.”
He laughs, pulling me in again, his lithe body moving against mine. “Mhm. Keep telling yourself that. But you know what?” He steps back, hands on my shoulders, honey-colored eyes sparkling. “I’ve been told I’m a bit of a psychic—”
“By whom?”
He waves a hand dismissively, ignoring my question. “And,” he says pointedly with the same annoying smirk. “I can see hot, sweaty sex in your future.”
I roll my eyes again, but I can feel my cheeks heating, images of said activity flooding my mind.
“And you know what else?” Jamie pauses for effect, then steps closer, his mouth to my ear. “I saw the same in Alec’s future.”
He laughs softly at my groan.
“You’re impossible,” I say, laughter mixing with my words.
A strong arm comes around my waist, making the laughter die on my lips as unexpectantly as it came. I’m crushed against a solid body. A body I know all too well.
Startled, Jamie takes a step back, aiming a disgruntled scowl at Alec. Before he can say anything, Alec growls in my ear.
“We have to go. Now. You can either pretend you want to leave with me on your own accord, or I’ll drag you out. Your choice. But we are leaving.”
There’s something in his voice. Something so intense and so urgent that I can’t resist the shiver that runs down my spine.
I turn in his arms. He lets me, but his hold on me doesn’t falter. I put my hands on his chest, barely resisting fluttering my eyes closed like a goddamn damsel in distress.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice shaking.
Alec nods, then looks at Jamie over my head. I half-turn to give Jamie a one-armed hug, still nestled against Alec.
“I’m sorry,” I say in his ear. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I’ll be in New York for the next couple of months. I’ll call you.”
He kisses my cheek before shooing us away.
We leave through a side door I didn’t even know existed. Outside, the fresh air and the silence of the night feel like a soft blanket over my overstimulated senses.
“What’s going on?” I ask, as calmly as I can.
Alec types furiously on his phone, then puts it away and turns toward me. His eyes keep shifting in all directions, never missing a thing. The dark alley behind the club is deserted and quiet, the soft glow from a lonely street lamp the only light.
“Alec,” I urge him when he doesn’t speak. “Is it Evie?” My voice rises involuntarily.
His eyes widen a fraction. “No,” he hurries to reassure me. “Nothing like that.”
“Then why the fuck did you drag me out? I was having fun…” For the first time in ages. I clamp my mouth shut before I can finish the sentence.
“I could see that.” His voice is a low rumble that makes my insides melt.
I raise my eyebrow, still waiting for an answer to my question.
Alec runs a hand through his hair. “Someone posted a picture of you on Twitter.”