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He looks me up and down again, his eyes burning with something—lust? Anger? Passion? I’m not quite sure. “Go finish getting ready, Sophia.”
I grit my teeth. I was about to, but now that I’ve been told to, I just want to slap him across his stupidly perfect face. Instead, I turn on my heel and head back up to my room. I grab my phone and my ID, and then check myself in the mirror.
I really do look perfect.
Turning, I make sure the small tattoo of a bird in flight is hidden by the back of my dress. Little bird.
I can almost feel his hands gripping my hair as he gave me a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose, calling me his.
A shiver traces up my spine, and I shake myself out of my trance. I can’t let my mind go back there. I can’t lose myself in him again, no matter how tempting it is.
I head back downstairs, gripping the railing as I feel his gaze on me. “Ready?” I don’t meet his eyes.
He opens the door, and I step out, jumping when I feel his hand on my back. It’s firm, but warm, and it sends sparks through my body.
The porch steps creak as we make our way to the sidewalk, almost a reminder that we’re now separated by two very different worlds. Alexander probably hasn’t stepped inside a house this rundown in his entire life. And I haven’t seen the inside of a mansion since my senior year of high school, thanks to his father.
It isn’t his fault.
Forcing a smile as he opens the car door for me, I slide onto the leather seat. I expect him to shut the door, but he doesn’t. He has one hand on the door, the other on the roof, and he’s staring at me with a dark hunger in his eyes.
“The view better than you remember?” Shit, shit, shit. Why would I say that?
His eyes flit to my legs before meeting mine again. “Much.” With a smirk, he slams the door and gets in on the other side, then nods at the driver in the rearview mirror.
We’re out of my neighborhood in a few minutes, and from the looks of things, we’re headed downtown. Old houses with unmowed lawns have turned into rows of storefronts. We pass by the coffee shop I work at.
“Where are we going?” I give him a small glance. He’s staring at me. That look of hunger hasn’t left his eyes.
“You’ll see.”
Sure, I have some idea of what he has planned. It’s already late, and most places are closed. Even so, I’m a little nervous about being out with a practical stranger in the middle of the night.
For the rest of the drive, we ride in silence. I scroll through a few apps on my phone to distract myself from the jitters of having Alexander this close to me again, but it doesn’t work. My heart is going crazy. My palms are sweaty. And my mind is tempted to wander to places it shouldn’t go.
But then the driver slows to a stop, pulling over, and Alexander gets out. I hesitate, wondering if I could ask the driver to get me out of here so I don’t have to spend the night with this man.
But then my door opens, and I’m taking the hand that’s reaching out to me, letting Alexander pull me up and into his arms.
Fuck.
He holds me close for a second. I know I couldn’t get away even if I wanted to. But he releases me and returns his hand to my back, guiding me up the sidewalk and past a long line.
As we approach the front of the line, a bouncer in all black nods at Alexander, stepping aside and letting us pass.
Inside, I’m hit with flashing lights and pounding music. Alexander pulls me onto the dance floor, his hands on my hips, and I can’t help but sway to the music.
I let out a laugh, raising my hands in the air and watching Alexander watch me. For a moment, we’re at prom, head-over-heels for each other, a little tipsy from the alcohol he’d stolen from his father.
Before I can stop myself, I let myself fall into him. “We should get drinks,” I yell over the music. God, his eyes are perfect.
For a second, he stares at me, and I wonder if he didn’t hear me. It’s like he’s looking straight into my mind, into my memories, and seeing how much I cherish the last time we were like this.
But then he pulls away and nods. “Stay here.”
The second he’s gone, a sense of vulnerability washes over me. I’ve never gone clubbing alone before, and I’ve always made sure I had a friend by my side.
You’ll be fine, Sophia.
