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PROLOGUE

CARSON

SIX YEARS AGO

Asoft body collides into the back of mine. My spine straightens and my body tenses to retreat from the cold liquid now soaking the back of my T-shirt. Music bumps from the speakers throughout the club, the strobe lights above flashing in tandem with the beat, yet somehow, over all the commotion, I don’t miss her velvety voice when she speaks.

"Oh, fuck." She lets out a breath that somehow comes across as both flustered and annoyed. "I'm so sorry."

I am in no hurry as I spin on my heels to find the owner of that voice who just soaked my back with her drink, and I'm delighted in what I find. At 6'4", I tower over her and have to tip my chin down to look at her, even with her feet shoved into a pair of white heels. Her cheeks are tinted pink, her high cheekbones sparkling beneath the strobe lights. Her long dark hair is slicked back in a high ponytail, not a single hair out of place. Her long lashes flutter, revealing the most beautiful hues of gold and green shimmering in her irises.

The best part of all?

The annoyance written in her expression. The way her dainty nose is scrunched, her dark eyebrows tugging together. She looks like someone spilled their drink onher. The black dress she's wearing hugs her curves in all the right places, stopping just along the middles of her tanned thighs.

Fuck, she’s breathtaking.

Amusement washes over me and I cock my head to the side. "Did you spill your drink on me?"

"Yes. Some asshole bumped into me and knocked me into you." She closes her eyes, her nostrils flaring as her chest rises as she sucks in a deep breath. After a couple seconds, she blows it out and meets my gaze once more. "This place is packed tonight, there’s barely any room to move." She shakes her head, like she's trying to shake away her irritation. "Can I buy you an apology drink or something?"

"There’s no apology needed,” I tell her, a smile lifting my lips. I do a quick survey of the room for my brother Caleb or Rowan, but I seem to have lost them somewhere.“But I’ll buy you one instead.”

Her red lips part, revealing her bright white teeth before she ducks her head and lets out a soft laugh. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t really drink except for the occasional glass of wine.” She lifts her glass, shrugging as a sheepish look dances across her face. “This is just water.”

“Aren’t you refreshing?” I let out a low chuckle, and stuff my hands in my pockets instead of trailing my fingers across her exposed collarbones like I want to. I didn’t come here with the intention of taking someone home, but I’m not opposed to entertaining that idea with her. “What brings you out to a place like this if you aren’t drinking?”

She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, dragging it back and forth along the top ones before releasing it. “I came here with some friends to dance and forget about my ex’s engagementannouncement.” There’s my confirmation that she’s single. I catch her scanning the tattoos on my arms before she realizes what she’s doing and snaps her attention back to my face. “What about you? Are you just here to drink?”

“Maybe I came here to dance too.”

Her face cracks and she lets out a short burst of laughter.She’s fucking beautiful.“I highly doubt that.”

“Want to find out?”

She tips her head to the side, a decisive look in her gold and green orbs as she raises a manicured eyebrow. “You’re rather brazen, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I tell her, my voice dropping lower as I inch farther into her space, standing close enough that I can smell the floral notes of her perfume. Warmth radiates from her body, but I don’t dare touch her. Not without her consent. “Something caught my interest and I’m not in the habit of letting opportunities slip away.”

Her plump lips part, demanding my attention as she lets out a ragged breath. “And what opportunity do you think presented itself?”

It’s getting late and I might as well lay the bait now and see if she takes it. I’m not interested in anything other than a good time and, considering the fact that she’s a bit jaded, maybe she’s looking for the same.

“One that offers a few hours of distraction without any promise of attachment.” My tongue darts out to wet my lips as I let my gaze roam over her body then back to hers. “The kind that will make you forget your ex.”

Her eyes drag from one to the other, slow and seductive as the corners of her mouth lift just a fraction of a centimeter. “You are absolutely brazen.”

“Maybe,” I chuckle, shaking my head at her. “Or maybe I just know what I want and find it easier to be straightforward about it.”

She stares at me for a moment, contemplating what I said before she takes my drink from me and sets it on the high top table beside me. She sets hers down next to mine, her arm grazing my shirt sleeve as she does. Her hand slides into mine, lacing her fingers with mine as she smiles up at me. “Come dance with me and we’ll see where the night goes.”

“Lead the way.”

I let her lead me back into the crowd of people, pulling me deeper into the center before she finally turns around to face me. Her eyes find mine as she begins to move her hips, swaying them back and forth as she finds harmony with the beat that pumps through the speakers. I stand back for a moment, watching her, completely mesmerized by the way she begins to weave her body to the music.

Her head tips back, her eyes falling shut as she lifts her arms above her head, winding and twisting to the melody. I don’t dare take my eyes off her, and as the crowd around us grows tighter, I immediately step closer in an effort to keep everyone else away.

When she looks up at me again, her eyes are hooded and a little dazed. She’s drunk on endorphins, and a smile dances across her lips as she reaches for me. Her hands find mine and she tugs on me, pulling me closer. It’s absolutely intoxicating and my god, I want to drink from her. I want to be intoxicated too.