Page 27

We end up right in the middle of the crowd. There’s barely any light, and every swaying body around me is a blur. Bear’s face is the only one I see. It's the only one I care about.

She snakes her hands around my neck, and I pull her closer with a tug, lining our hips up. Her body flush against mine feels more erotic under the moonlight.

She guides my body into a rhythm, and soon, we’re just two people lost to the music thrumming in our veins.

By the end of the first song, my dick is hard from having Bear grinding on me. And I find myself not wanting to let her go when she tries to unwind her body from mine.

I can just about make out the slight crease between her brows. “I thought you said only one song.”

“Having you in my arms changed my mind,” I confess.

Her heart beats wildly against mine, and then she twists in my arms. The next song is more sensual than the last, and Bear’s ass presses into my front. My erection is evident, and I know she can feel it by the way her body shivers against me. But instead of shying away, she grinds harder.

Bear’s arms find my neck again, and as she leans into me, her head tilts to the side, exposing her slender neck.

I breathe in the sweet smell of her perfume mingled with her natural scent. I may not be drinking tonight, but I swear I can get drunk off her scent alone.

“You drive me insane, Bear Miller. And I fucking love it.” I admit into her neck as her pulse beats against my lips. I doubt she can hear me over the music, but I say it anyway.

I lose track of how many songs we dance to, but when we make it out of the crowd and into the cool midnight air, a light sheen of sweat coats my skin.

“I thought you didn’t dance?” Bear teases once we’ve made it far enough away from the crowd.

My eyes roam her body. Her breathing is elevated, causing her breasts to push slightly higher with each breath she takes. “Maybe I just needed the right motivation.”

A noise cuts through the air, and Bear frowns at the bag slung across her body. She pulls out her phone and reads whatever is on the screen.

“Macy said they found an empty fire pit if we want to join them.” She says, rubbing her arm.

“Are you cold?”

“What? Oh.” She laughs when she realizes what she’s doing. “Yeah, a little. It was warmer earlier, and I didn’t notice how much colder it’s gotten when we were dancing.”

“I have blankets in the car. I’ll go get them.”

“You brought blankets?”

“Yeah, figured if it got colder, you might need something to keep you warm.”

“That’s sweet, thank you. But you don’t have to go through the trouble of getting them.”

I’ve noticed that her first instinct is always to say no whenever I offer to do something for her. It makes me wonder who fucked up so badly that even a simple gesture like offering her a blanket is considered too much trouble in her eyes.

“Let me take care of you.” I say, and before she can object further, I add, “Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll find you afterward.”

“Okay, be careful,” she says softly.

I place a kiss on her forehead with the promise of being back soon.

I’ve just grabbed the blankets from the backseat when, out of the corner of my eye, I notice a familiar figure standing near the end of my car.

I shut the door and take my time locking up.

“What are you doing here, Sadie?” I ask once I’ve delayed the inevitable for as long as possible.

“Coming to see you,” she says with what I guess is supposed to be a sultry smile.

She takes a step closer, but I put up a hand to stop her.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

Her smile slips slightly, but she quickly composes herself, stepping further into my personal space.

There’s a car parked next to mine, so walking around her isn’t possible. And with a steep embankment at my back, turning around isn’t an option either. So, unless I physically move her out of the way, I’m stuck listening to whatever crap she wants me to hear.

“I’d like us to pick up where we left off.” A long red fingernail trails over my pecs, and I force myself not to recoil away from her touch. “You know how good it was between us.”

The thought of ever going there with her again makes my stomach turn, but I keep my expression neutral, knowing she’ll twist any reaction into her narrative.

The need to get away from her and back to Bear causes me to make an impulsive decision.

My free hand cups her jaw, and she smiles, triumph lighting her eyes. I spin her around and press her back against the passenger door of my car. As I lower my hand from her face to the side of her head, I make sure no inch of my body touches hers.

My path out of here is clear now, but I need to make sure she doesn’t pull this kind of shit again. I need her to understand that what happened between us is in the past and will never happen again.

How the fuck we even got here is beyond me, but this is the last time I’m dealing with this bullshit.

Leaning close to her ear, I hiss, “Get this into your head because I’m only going to say it once. I’m not fucking interested in you.”

Straightening, I step back, not wanting any more part of her personal space.

Her face screws up like she’s sucking on something sour, and her nostrils flare. She’s angry. Good. Hopefully, now she’ll leave me alone.

“Is it because of her ?” She spits, one foot stomping away from throwing a tantrum.

“Who?”

“The slutty blonde who works at Static.”

Anger I didn’t know I could feel bubbles in my veins. I grip the blankets tighter to keep a lid on my emotions. Sadie isn’t worth my time or energy. But there’s no way in hell I’ll stand here and listen to her talk about Bear that way.

“Don’t ever fucking call Bear a slut again,” I say with a deadly calm I don’t feel.

If I thought she’d cower under my words, I was wrong. Her lips press into a thin line, her fingers curling at her sides. We stare each other down until she stands straighter, flicking her long hair over one shoulder.

“You know we had something good.”

“You’re delusional.” Frustrated, I scrub a hand down my face. “It was a one-time thing.”

“You fuck me and sleep in my bed, and I’m supposed to think it meant nothing to you?”

“Don’t try to turn what we did into something more.”

“So that’s it, huh?”

Yes, that’s fucking it.

A weary sigh leaves me. “I’m not interested in going there with you again.”

Her eyes harden, and the smile on her face is anything but friendly.

“We’ll see,” she murmurs. “See you around, Levi.”

With those parting words, she saunters off toward the party.

“Un-fucking-likely,” I mumble after her.