Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,31
to some hole-in-the-wall, fabulous burger joint for a late dinner and stuffed our faces before Mel got us to the right portal close to the club. It was then that Izzy realized she didn’t have an ID to get in, but Mel simply snorted and handed her the fake one we’d long since set up for her.
Of course, we had a bailout ready for her as well. Silly woman.
The moment I felt the bass thumping after we paid cover, tension and stress I didn’t even realize were there started melting away. Mel and I dragged Izzy right out onto the floor. We put her in the middle and turned on just about every straight guy there, grinding on her and having fun.
A finger tapped me on the shoulder, and a guy asked me to dance. After checking Mel and Izzy were fine, I accepted.
The music was great, and I had fun dancing, but he wouldn’t keep his hands to himself, way over the line, so after the third time shoving him off of me, I ditched him. There was another guy waiting to take his place, which was the best part of clubs. This one was respectful, but didn’t have much of a beat or any clue what he was doing.
I liked adorably clueless though, so I helped him out until he needed a break. I saw Izzy and Mel wanting to take one too, so we went to the bar and got water. They wanted more time, but I chugged mine and went right back in, finding someone else to dance with.
But four guys who wanted more than to dance found me as well.
I spun around and moved my back to my partner’s chest and locked gazes with Darby… Then Lucca, Hudson, and finally, Craftsman. What was with them being together again? Were they a new boy band?
That thought amused me and I snorted. It also amused me that they looked pissed that I was dancing with a guy and having fun. Fuck them.
I smirked at them and looped my arms back around the guy’s neck, letting him pull me closer.
“You’re getting friendly,” he chuckled in my ear.
I turned my head and pressed my lips against his ear. “Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re not getting anything but dancing from me, but I’ve got some exes over there who aren’t happy. I’m just reminding them that I’m not theirs, but mine and I do what I want.”
“We should make sure the message is clear,” he kindly offered, moving his hand from my hip and up my stomach.
I stopped him when he almost reached my breast. “Behave, or I break your hand.”
“Okay then,” he drawled, sounding like he didn’t believe I could in the slightest.
Idiot. More and more women were learning basics to keep themselves safe. Men assuming women were nothing but prey would be their downfall.
I did grind my ass into his groin more, knowing full well the four of them could see it. It was their fault for following me and trying to make some statement.
Actually, I didn’t even want to engage with them. I turned and moved my leg in between the guys, him getting the idea and dancing the way I wanted. He gladly did it and was very happy to be there.
Someone else moved behind me and pressed against me. I was just about to tell them to fuck off, but I knew that body and who it was even before he spoke.
“Dance with me, agra,” Darby breathed in my ear. “Dance with us, not these guys.”
I closed my eyes and fought against the desire to simply give in, lean into him, and enjoy dancing with him like I missed so much. No, we were done. I wasn’t doing this. I pulled away and went to take my partner to a different area on the floor… But in those seconds of internal debate, my partner was gone, and Craftsman was now there.
His deep emerald green eyes were as beautiful as I remembered… And looking into them this close nearly killed me, because it made me think of all the times I had before.
He saw the pain or grief in my aura and flinched, reaching for me, but I quickly turned around. Darby was easier to deal with than Craftsman.
But I couldn’t look at him either.
Instead, my gaze caught Mel laying into Hudson and Lucca, who both looked annoyed they were hanging on the sidelines. I knew large men could dance, so that wasn’t the problem.