Page 22 of Beautiful Trauma

While Aleks’s amused howl echoed in the background of my earpiece, Dima grunted. “Jesus, Mila.”

Although the bartender’s expression sobered slightly, he still smiled. “Gotta love a lady who knows what she wants.”

“And I appreciate a man who realizes that.”

After pouring a large shot, he handed me the glass. “Enjoy yourself.”

I handed him the hundred dollar bill. “You, too.”

With my glass in hand, I started over to the VIP section. Turning my gaze upwards, I took in the decor. Light pinks, blues, and purples gave it an ethereal quality. The wordBandiameant goddess in Gaelic, so it made sense that it would have an otherworldly feel.

I’d just taken a burning sip of my vodka when I felt eyes on me. Slowly, I flickered my gaze around the crowd. When my eyes fell on Anton, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

A flutter reverberated through my chest that everything was now ready to enact our plan.

Everything except our guest of honor.

Swaying to the music, I continued sipping on my vodka as I waited. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear waiting any longer, Dima’s voice caused me to jump.

“Target is on the move.”

The nerves in my body grew taut as I craned my neck to gaze at the employee hallway.

At the sight of him, a shudder went through me, and it sure as hell wasn’t from fear. The pictures of Kellan hadn’t done him justice. As he moved across the dance floor, he appeared like the main character in an action movie.

His blonde hair was buzzed short on the sides while it was longer on top. Under the club lights, you could see slight streaks of red, which had to come from his Irish heritage. His crisp, white shirt stretched across his broad chest. Instead of a tie, the top buttons were undone.

Like the vapid coed I was supposed to be playing, I bit down on my lip at the sight of his arm porn on display. I don’t know what it was, but men’s arms were my kryptonite, and the veinier the better. With Kellan’s sleeves pushed to his elbows, he showcased not only his muscles, but the multicolored ink that decorated his skin.

As I blinked at the absolute Adonis before me, my traitorous body spun into a tailspin. A pulsing ache reverberated between my legs, which dampened my panties. I hadn’t been attracted to a man so quickly in a long, long time.

Dima’s voice brought me out of my fantasy of climbing Kellan Kavanaugh like a tree and fucking him right here on the dance floor.

“Ready, Mila?”

I swallowed hard. “Ready,” I whispered into the universe.

CHAPTER SIX KELLAN

After staring at the laptop screen until my vision blurred, I rose out of my chair and rubbed my watery eyes. Once I could see again, a quick glance at the clock told me it was time to make my first rounds of the evening. Although we had intensive security working the club, things ran better when the staff knew that an owner was in the building.

When I opened the door, I found one of the family bodyguards, Thomas, waiting for me. “Good evening, Kellan.”

Since he’d been with us for years, he knew better than to call me sir like Andrew. “Evening, Thomas. How’s the vibe tonight?” I asked with a smile.

Usually before a walk, we gauged to see the energy in the club. Some nights it was already batshit crazy by the first walk. “The vibe is light,” he reported back in his usually stoic way.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

As I started down the hallway, Thomas fell into step behind me. When I stepped out into the main room, energy surged around me. The bass of our high-end DJ rumbled through me while the smell of sweat, cloying cologne, and sweet perfume mingled in the air.

My gaze flicked left and right as I surveyed the crowd. I’d just started to the VIP section when a stunning brunette stepped into my path. I should’ve been immune to her presence considering I was surrounded daily by beautiful and sexy women. But I wasn’t.

In fact, my steps faltered after I did a head-to-toe assessment of her. Her dark hair cascaded in waves down her back. Her scrap of a dress was strapless, and her ample cleavage spilled over the top. The dress ended mid-thigh, which exposed her fabulous legs.

When I met her inquisitive gaze again, a shudder echoed through me. It was cliche as hell, but from the instant my eyes locked with hers, something shifted within me.

Something that had been dormant since Reagan’s betrayal. It was unnerving as hell.