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“Thanks,” I muttered with a tight smile.
Mindy cozied up to Dave, whispering something in his ear. Steven was saying something to me, but I didn’t hear him. I couldn’t take my eyes off the dark figure across the room.
The music pumped hard and loud, wavering between old-school classics and modern tunes. Mindy suddenly squealed with delight. I knew why without asking. The Cure’s song “Fascination Street” started thrumming all around us.
As much of a Barbie Doll as she was, Mindy had an eclectic taste in music, and anything by The Cure required complete adoration. Taking my drink with me, I followed her back onto the floor, squeezing through the sweaty bodies.
Unfortunately, Steven did too. Persistence—I suppose that is a virtue in some people. Right now, it was just annoying. I sipped on my drink to avoid talking to him and moved to the slow beat.
Mindy and David shuffled off together, locked in an embrace. I feigned interest, pretending to listen to Steven yammer about who-knows-what, but all I wanted was to peer behind him and try to get a better look at the enigmatic stranger in the shadows.
He hadn’t moved, still watching from his solitary post. I couldn’t see if his gaze was on me, but I couldfeelit. His eyes glinted with an eerie light as the lasers flashed across the club. Again, an ominous sensation washed through me, tapping on my psyche to look around and listen. To beware.
Shit!Here came sandy-haired gyrating boy again, more earnest than ever. His hands found my hips, quickly moving south.
“Back off!” I shouted over the music, elbowing him in the ribs.
Not too hard, but hard enough to make the average guy get the hint. He didn’t.
“Dude, did you hear her? Back off!” Steven stepped in.
For once, I was thankful he was present. Steven grabbed the guy’s shoulder, but Sandy-hair pushed Steven so hard he fell through the crowd into the DJ’s stage.
Other dancers sidestepped and turned back to their partners, probably thinking him drunk. Sandy-hair swiveled to me. A cold expression shuddered across his face.
I stepped back, but he caught my wrist in an unbreakable grip and yanked me hard against his chest, knocking my drink to the floor, and pinning my arms under his. He grinned.
Primal fear bloomed in my chest. Something was very wrong here. Like earlier, a flash of red skimmed across his eyes.
Was I already tipsy?
“Let her go,” a deep voice rumbled directly behind me.
Sandy-hair tore his gaze from mine. One glance at the deep-voiced person over my shoulder, and shock skittered over his expression. Or was it fear? He bared his teeth like a cornered animal, then let me go, backing away toward the exit of the club.
I twisted around, looking up, way up, into the face of the dark stranger standing a head taller than me. I was five-eight and wearing boots. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black, and he wore an unreadable expression set in harsh lines.
I couldn’t form a coherent thought, much less a sentence. From far away, he was stunning. Up close, I couldn’t even breathe. He gazed down at me for what seemed like an eternity while lights and music pumped around us. Captivating. Hypnotizing.
Was he putting me under some spell? Why couldn’t I think straight? My mouth hung agape as I tried to regain composure.
Finally, he spoke. “Are you all right?”
No, I was not okay.
“Yes. I’m fine,” I whispered, clearing my throat.
Suddenly, it was sweltering in here. Where was that drink?
I checked him out while he seemed to be doing the same to me. He appeared to be somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties, but something in those dark depths made him seem so much older.
His olive skin reminded me of warmer climates, somewhere far away from here. Wavy dark brown hair hung loosely across his forehead and to the nape of his neck. He hadn’t shaved recently. My fingers curled into my hand at the thought of touching his scruffy yet sharp jawline.
I realized I was staring, no, gawking at him. A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. Without saying anything else, he pivoted and headed for the exit. Which was quite a pleasant view, I might add.
By this time, Steven was back at my side, scowling.
“Where’s that dude? I’m gonna smash his face in!”
