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As I wait for a server to take my order, my gaze roves over the glamorous crowd before getting snagged by the roped-off VIP section. I’ve partied here dozens of times, and that’s always where we sat, away from the mob where there’s more breathing room—along with personal waitstaff that caters to your every whim.
The tiny hairs at the back of my neck rise as my attention lands on a guy with inky black hair and pale blue eyes who’s lounging on a plush velvet couch. There’s a drink in his hand to go along with the look of boredom etched across his face.
It’s one I’m intimately acquainted with.
Unless we’re shooting the show.
Then he’s all boyish charm and charisma.
An act meant for the cameras and the millions of people who tune in every week.
When his idle gaze collides with mine, electricity snakes through me, robbing the air from my lungs, making it impossible to breathe.
With a frown, he straightens.
Fuck.
That’s all it takes for me to bolt.
11
COLBY
I trail after Britt from a distance as she slips through the crowd and down the hallway to where the restrooms are located. Maybe she didn’t want me to come with her, but I have a younger sister and I’d never want her walking around alone at a place like this.
It takes about ten minutes before she returns. I straighten to my full height as she beelines to the sleek bar instead of heading back to the dance floor where everyone is busy busting a move.
It’s so damn tempting to eat up the distance that separates us and pull her back into the warm circle of my arms where she belongs. I almost shake my head as that thought coalesces in my brain. The mix of emotions pumping through me are strange and new. Unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Instead of shutting them down and backing away, they only make me want to dig deeper and figure out what it all means.
Even though it goes against every instinct, I force myself to hang back and observe. I’m curious if she’ll return to the dance floor.
To me.
She loiters near the bar, trying to catch someone’s attention. But the bartenders are busy and the customers are at least two deep. My muscles tense when a few guys pause to check out her ass. I’m like a racehorse straining at its bit. If any of these dickheads even attempt to shoot their shot, I’m moving in.
I’m itching to mark her as my own, so these jokers understand that she’s taken.
Except…that’s not the case.
Britt doesn’t belong to me.
Hell, I’m not even sure we’re friends.
Oblivious to the attention she’s drawing, she glances at the VIP section. I follow her line of sight and find a dark-haired guy. He’s lounging on a sumptuous couch as the well-dressed people who surround him laugh and drink.
There’s something familiar about him. Although that’s not altogether surprising. I’ve caught sight of a ton of celebrities since we walked into the hotel. From movie and television stars to athletes and world-renowned chefs.
Vegas is a playground for the rich and famous.
Britt’s attention stays pinned to him. Under the colorful lights that flash and flicker, her body stiffens. She reminds me of a deer caught in the bright glare of headlights.
Frozen in place.
Does she know him?
I study the guy more carefully, only to find him staring back at her. His expression shifts to one of surprise as he snaps to attention like a bird dog who’s just spotted fresh quarry.
When my gaze cuts to Britt, it’s a shock to find that she’s disappeared. I catch a flash of silver moving through the mass of bodies and take off. After a couple of steps, I throw a glance over my shoulder, wanting to make sure the dude in question doesn’t plan on following. A frown mars his face as he rises to his feet and searches the darkness.
Unwilling to lose her for a second time this evening, I twist around and hasten my pace. I’m tall enough to see over most of the crowd packed into the club and catch sight of her again as she slips through the exit.
My heart jackhammers an unsteady beat as I give chase. It takes less than a minute for me to pull up alongside her.
She startles, fear flickering across her expression as her head whips around and her gaze collides with mine.
“Colby.” Her voice is unsteady.
Breathless.
“Hey.”
Relief floods her features before it’s quickly shuttered behind a mask of indifference as she continues to stride purposefully toward our hotel in the distance.
I wait a beat.
Then another, hoping she’ll give me an explanation for her sudden departure.
After a handful of seconds, it becomes clear that she isn’t going to bother.
“What happened back there?”
She stares straight ahead. “Nothing. I just got a little overheated and decided to head back to the hotel.”
