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We all laugh, except for Ryan, who is now several steps ahead of us, making a beeline for the blacked-out SUV parked out front.
As soon as I slide into the backseat of the car, I pull out my phone to send a quick reply to Alyssa. I’m sandwiched between Gareth and Ryan, and I glance at both to make sure they don’t see what I’m typing.
Juliet: I’m in their car. If this goes badly, I blame you.
I don’t wait for a response, instead sliding the phone back into my purse. I stare out the tinted window and watch as the villa fades into the distance. I run my tongue over my teeth to keep from biting my lip. The last thing I need is to draw blood before being seen out in public with Chaotix. The rapid fluttering in my stomach does little to calm my nerves, and I count down the minutes until I can pour some ice-cold liquor down my throat to relax.
Chapter Twelve
Juliet
Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of going out in public with Chaotix. We’re immediately bombarded with thousands of flashing lights and screams the moment the driver opens the car door. I cover my eyes with my hand, momentarily disoriented and seeing stars from the screaming crowd and blinding lights. A large hand presses into my lower back, gently and confidently leading me toward the club's entrance. I can’t see whose hand it is but I assume it must be Gareth. He seemed to have no issue touching me before, so it’s not surprising that he would swoop in now to help me get through. I allow him to guide me, leaning back into his broad frame for balance as the crowd around us screams and swarms our group.
The guys are immediately let in, but the bouncer stops me and asks to see my ID.
Well, that's embarrassing.
I pull out my wallet and hand the large balding man my ID, and he nods, allowing me to enter. It’s this moment of pause when I realize that Gareth is standing in front of me. I turn around and am shocked to see that it's Ryan who helped me through the storm of flashing cameras. It’s Ryan who kept me safe and grounded me during the chaos of the moment. His hand is hot against my shirt where it still rests possessively on the small of my back. His emerald eyes meet mine for a moment before he nods at someone in front of us and he presses me forward again, ushering me into the building.
We are led up a set of stairs and into a private, roped-off section of the club that has a large table and wrap-around booth seating around it. The bottle service woman flashes her best smile to the men and completely ignores my existence. She’s wearing a barely there, strapless mini-dress and heels that make my ankles hurt just looking at them. "The usual?"
Neil nods and she rushes off to bring them back whatever the hell 'the usual' is.
They must come here often to be so familiar with each other.
I keep thinking that Ryan will release me any second, but his hand remains pressed against my back as I slide into the booth, with him following right behind. This means that somehow I’ve now found myself sandwiched between him and Gareth once again. The overstimulation of the pulsing music paired with the dark room and the feel of both men pressed against me is the only reason why I don’t jolt when I feel Gareth’s thumb suddenly graze my thigh.
Shit. What should I do? Rambling it is.
"Is it always like this? When you go out, with all of the cameras and the screaming?" I ask Neil and Ant, surreptitiously ignoring the two men on either side of me and the searing heat of each of their hands against me.
Ant laughs. "Yeah. You get used to it, eventually."
I shake my head. "I don't think I could ever get used to that. I couldn't even see for a few minutes."
Neil, who seems like the quietest one of the bunch so far, speaks up. "I dunno dude—it's still weird as hell if you ask me. Sometimes those people know more about me than I know about myself." The other three guys all chuckle.
I can't even imagine what that must be like.
"Hey, it's part of the gig," Gareth adds, shrugging.
The bottle service woman returns with a tray piled high with drinks. She hands them out, and when her eyes land on me, she can't hide her disapproval.
You know what, I get it sister. I have no clue what the hell I’m doing here, either.
Ryan gets the woman's attention and says pointedly, "You should probably ask what she wants instead of just staring at her."
She is flustered by his comment and her cheeks blush bright red, but she recovers quickly. "Of course, sorry! I was trying to figure out where I’d seen you before. What can I get you, sweetheart?"
Uh-huh, sure.
Somehow I am able to refrain from rolling my eyes. "Jack and Coke, please. Make it a double." The bottle service woman nods and leaves to go grab my drink.
Ryan removes his arm from behind me to bring his beer to his lips and I go cold, missing his heat. When he touches me, it's electric—like a shockwave rolling through my entire body. And when that touch is gone? It's like everything goes all dark and frigid. I feel ridiculous, but my body responds to him in a way I just can't explain.
"Jules, we can call you Jules, right?" Gareth asks as he circles his thumb against my leg slowly
"Yeah, of course." I nod, casually.
