Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,48

through me. I feel it deep down, like a siren song, and I’m helpless to stop my body reacting to it.

Adri weaves his arms around my neck and we start moving to the rhythm. The sensual notes of ‘All the Time’ guide our bodies, and soon, I relax into the familiar embrace.

“Wes is here,” Adri says in my ear, his hands gliding up and down my back. “I saw him earlier.”

“Okay?” I say, playing dumb as if not sure where he’s going with this.

Wesley’s a friend of Adri's from college and occasional fuck buddy. Back in the day, I joined them for a night or two, filled with alcohol, sex, and, sometimes, recreational drugs. It was fun, but it seems like a lifetime ago. The thought of a threesome with Adri and Wes once made my dick hard in record time. For some reason, it does nothing for me tonight.

“We could invite him back to mine. Have some fun.” His tone’s light, but he’s studying me with his hazel eyes, as if seeing every thought that passes through my mind.

I shrug. “Feel free. But I won’t be joining this time.”

Adri pulls me closer, nuzzling my neck. “Okay,” he says softly, his breath making goosebumps erupt on my skin.

I’m surprised he agrees that easily. Usually, Adri’s like a dog with a bone when he wants something. I’m not sure what he wants exactly, but I know there’s some sort of a plan he’s committed to.

Leaning back to look at him, I see his pupils are blown, and his skin’s flushed. He’s sexy as hell, one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen, and yet I don’t feel a stirring in my belly. I feel a deep-rooted affection for my best friend and a sudden urge to protect him. There has been something off about Adri since he came back, but I can’t pinpoint exactly what.

Before I can react, he cuts the inches between us, and his mouth’s on mine. He’s kissing me like a starving man desperate for a meal. At first, my instinct is to reciprocate. We’ve done this so many times that my body doesn’t know any better. But then reality kicks in, and I freeze, turning my face away.

My heart’s pounding louder than the bass.

“We can’t do this. Not now. Not here,” I say, angling my body away from Adri.

“Because of him?”

I swallow, then nod.

Adri huffs, but doesn’t argue. He brings me closer, and we start swaying again.

“His face is thunderous,” he whispers in my ear, his lips very intentionally brushing my skin. “He’s clutching the glass so hard I expect it’ll explode any second.”

I pull back to look at him. “Wait. Did you do this on purpose? To rile him up?”

Adri's smile is as wolfish as I’ve ever seen it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He blinks innocently. His big hazel eyes may fool someone who doesn’t know him well, but I’m not that person.

“You’re wasting your time,” I say. “He’s not interested in me. Or jealous. He’s just annoyed that we came to this party at all. His face always looks like that,” I add when I manage a glance at Alec.

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” Adri says in a tone that suggests he doesn’t agree at all.

I sigh, pull him closer, and we dance.

Chapter twenty

Wes finds us a little while later. He wiggles between us, making his intentions clear. And while Adri welcomes him with a seductive smile and swaying hips, I make an excuse and step away. Adri gives me a long, assessing look over Wes’s shoulder, but his eyes flutter closed when Wes’s mouth finds the sensitive spot on his jaw.

I make my way back to the bar, plopping on a stool next to Alec, and signaling the bartender for a drink. A flute of champagne lands in front of me moments later.

I take a sip, and then another, all too aware of Alec’s presence next to me. He hasn’t said a word since I sat down, nor has he spared me a single glance. His posture is unnaturally rigid, and I can practically feel him vibrating with frustration.

“A drink would do wonders for your mood,” I say, turning toward him and raising my glass at him.

“I’m working,” he grinds out.

I shrug and take a long sip, my eyes locked on his. He follows the movement of my throat as it bobs, and then his eyes fall on my lips as I lick them. His gaze is molten, as if he