Page 24

Chapter 24

Can't Look Away

Robyn

“ I s Coach gay?” Serwaa asks, gaping at the two men grinding on each other ten feet away from us. Then her drunk brain catches up to her. “Wait… that’s Isaiah. You like Isaiah!”

“Yes, I’m aware,” I hiss. “And that other guy is my personal trainer!”

“That’s Dell? Gurl. Dat ass.”

“I know.”

My heart is beating stronger than the bass thundering through my body, and my panties are drenched. I thought Dell was giving me another dating lesson. Or, was he? God, I don’t know anymore. I’m in too deep and I can’t see the surface. What is he doing?

Dell catches my eye over Isaiah’s shoulder; smoldering, he shoots me a wink.

Is he… doing this on purpose? Trying to make me jealous? Trying to make Isaiah jealous?

Suddenly there’s a hand at my back, and I turn to find two men next to us. “Can we dance with you?” one asks. Both of them are your typical Philly/New Jersey nightclub type. Black T-shirts, gold chains, short, sculpted beards and eyebrows, and slicked back hair.

The guy with his hand on my back gives me a smile. Serwaa is already dancing with her stranger. “I’m a lesbian!” she shouts at him, but continues dancing. “So don’t get any ideas! ”

I venture a glance back to Dell and he gives me the Go ahead nod and wink. What the fuck is his game plan here? I’m flummoxed.

Settling my back against the man because facing him seems way too personal right now, I dance the sexy and slightly boring way Dell has instructed me. Or maybe it’s just boring because I feel nothing for this dude behind me. I don’t even like his cologne. It’s too strong. It’s nothing like Dell’s minty scent or Isaiah’s heavenly coconutty beard oil.

I can’t look away from them.

That’s when Dell turns Isaiah around, and my heart plummets when my old friend’s eyes lock on mine and Dell whispers something in his ear.

Isaiah

“You want to be him right now, don’t you?” his deep voice purrs.

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me, Isaiah. It turns me off.”

Damn it. He’s right. But if anyone else was taunting me, I wouldn’t let on. Why do I have this need to obey him? “Yes,” I huff.

“And the way you’re grinding this juicy peach into me right now, tells me that’s exactly what you want.” I’m shivering at every slow and menacing word that drips from his mouth like honey. “You wanna hold her hips like he’s holding them. You wanna smell her hair and feel her pulse against your lips as you kiss down her long… beautiful… neck. You wanna know what it’s like to have your cock nestled between her ass and feel her want you back. Don’t you?” Except that question doesn’t sound like a question. It’s a challenge. A dark, depraved taunt that has me wanting to t hrow away everything for her.

And for him.

Dell has one hand holding firm between the juncture of my thigh and groin while the other massages my chest. His hard body is pressed against my back, and a greedy little voice inside my head whines, Breed me. Punish me.

“Tell me to stop, Isaiah.”

That is the last thing I want. “No.”

I’m stuck between two worlds, two people. I want to kneel for this man as much as I want to hold Robyn, to protect her and love her.

All at once, my thoughts clear and we both stiffen as the man behind Robyn whispers in her ear and she turns a hard look on him. A very obvious No from her lips. He keeps saying things to her, but she’s getting angrier by the second. Another No .

She pulls away from him and turns on her heel. The women’s restroom isn’t far away, and as she tries to make her way there, he follows her.

Dell and I launch ourselves, but before we can reach him, Robyn must sense him trailing her because she whirls around and decks him square in the nose. “Take a fucking hint, douche bag!” Blood drains from his face as he hunches over and his friend tries to intervene.

“Back the fuck up,” I bark. Security is already on them. Omar and Grayson, my old employees, grab the bleeding asshole and his friend, hauling them away before my hands meet their faces.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Dell asks, holding her hand and checking for injuries.

Tears prick at her eyes. “Yeah. It just really hurts.”

“Let me see,” I say, taking her hand in mine. It’s already starting to swell. Shit. “Dell, can you take her home and get some ice on it? I’m gonna go deal with security.”

“I want a fucking name and address,” he seethes.

“On it.”