ONE
RYLEE
The music was throbbing through her, a mesmerizing beat that seemed to shake her bones. Rylee threw back her head and laughed, shimmying over to Maeve to bump hips with her.
They had just been let into the VIP area at the Midnight Mates Club, so Rylee wasn’t getting squished by the crowds anymore. They had a private table and a sweet little setup where they could stretch out and dance without worrying about getting stepped on.
Draco was out there on the stage spinning up beats, which meant that Sydney was probably right at the foot of the stage. Talon would most likely be at the bar, and Cassie would be stuck to him like glue. That left Maeve and Rylee drinking and dancing the night away.
The music swept into a lull, and Rylee paused, breathing hard as she brushed a strand of dark brown hair off her forehead. Maeve grabbed a water bottle off the table, and Rylee did too, throwing back her head to let the ice-cold drink soothe her throat.
“I need to cool down,” she gasped, shaking her head. “It’s getting really hot in here.”
“Tell me about it!” Maeve said. “I think I’m getting a better workout here than I would at the gym.”
“We should start something.” Rylee nodded sagely. “A drinking and dancing aerobics session. Shots and shimmying.”
Maeve laughed, sipping more water.
“You never know. It could take off.”
Rylee didn’t know if she wanted another drink or a short rest. She didn’t get time to make up her mind because everyone in the VIP section suddenly started moving toward all the doors lined along the walls.
“What the fuck?” she muttered as she was carried along helplessly by the stream of people.
Lucky, I grabbed my purse before this started. I would never have been able to go back for it in this torrent.
“Maeve!” she cried, seeing her friend being swept in the opposite direction. Maeve shouted something unintelligible and wiggled her thumbs in the air. Rylee giggled at the ridiculousness of it … instead of making a “phone” signal next to your head, these days, the appropriate gesture was to pretend to text.
Rylee wasn’t too worried, even though this was strange. Everyone seemed to know exactly what was happening and where they were going. She decided to just go with it and not worry too much. They poured into a narrow, dimly lit corridor. Rylee was faintly curious as to where they would end up.
If it was a special event, surely it would have been advertised.
The crowd tightened around her, and Rylee felt a bit threatened. Now the others were actually shoving against her. Just as she was about to protest, an elbow came out of nowhere and slammed her in the guts. With a grunt, Rylee staggered out of the crowd, trying to regain her balance.
Her right foot shot out … and came down on nothing. Rylee shrieked, her hands flailing wildly. She had no idea what was happening, but gravity had her, the floor seemed to have disappeared, and the crowd had vanished.
Just as she resigned herself to a painful fall, Rylee felt strong arms wrapping around her waist. A solid warmth pressed against her back as she slowly got her feet back under her.
“Whoa, whoa, little lady. I’ve got you.”
Rylee looked up, ready to meet the eyes of the man who had saved her. She kept looking up … way up.
Rylee was fairly tall for a woman, almost six feet. The man standing behind her was a good bit taller than that. His shoulders and chest were incredibly broad, with thick muscles bulging slightly as he kept his grip on her.
His hair was long, a pale reddish blonde. His wide, thick beard matched, flowing down his chest like a cascade of fire.
Rylee couldn’t do anything except stare into his beautiful, dark blue eyes. She had never seen blue eyes so dark. They glittered with hidden depths, just like the unexplored sea.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Rylee turned just slightly in his arms, putting one hand on his chest. She couldn’t stop looking at his face. She wanted to reach up and touch his cheek, but she was aware that it was too familiar of a gesture.
You can’t just touch strangers intimately. It’s not a normal thing.
Common sense hammered against drunkenness, but it had little effect.
The problem was he felt familiar. It was as if she already knew him intimately. Rylee couldn’t even begin to understand it, but she knew she was completely safe with this man. Besides, it wasn’t like gorgeous guys like this literally swept her off her feet every day.