Page 84 of The Defender

“Thank you.” His shoulders relaxed, and his face softened as he added, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier, but you look beautiful.”

I blushed, the compliment washing over me in a warm wave. “Thank you.” Then, because I couldn’t think of anything witty to say, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the car. “Come on. We have a birthday to celebrate.”

Vincent and I didn’t speak of the text again for the rest of the night. It was easier to push it to the back of my mind when we were with our friends, who were too hyped up about our next stop to ask why it took us so long to get in the car.

We were ending the night at a multi-story mega club in the heart of the city. When we arrived, a dedicated staff member escorted us inside through a private entrance and up to the VIP floor.

Despite the discretion, a few clubgoers did double takes when our group passed by.

“Oh my God! Is that who I think it is?”

“Asher! Vincent! I love you!”

“They aresooohot.”

“Blackcastle sucks!”

“Can you sign my boobs?”

“No, Adil.” Asher grasped the midfielder’s arm when he moved toward the gushing fan. “No boob signing.”

“Aw, man.” Adil pouted. “I never get to have any fun!”

But he perked right back up when we finally made it to the VIP area. Like the rest of the club, it resembled a hedonistic Disneyland for adults, and it was opulent enough to rival even the best nightspots in London.

The air was thick with a heady cocktail of perfume, sweat, and alcohol. Neon and strobe lights swept through the vast space, glinting off mirrors, metallic surfaces, and the glass DJ booth suspended over the dance floor. A writhing mass of bodies moved in sync with the music, and the bass was so deep, so primal, I could feel it in my bones.

“First round’s on me!” Samson shouted. He beckoned one of the bottle girls and whispered something to her. She returned less than a minute later with a tray of electric blue shots. There was a non-alcoholic option for Adil, who downed his with as much gusto as the rest of us.

My gaze collided with Vincent’s over the top of our shot glasses. We finished our drinks and set them back on the tray, our eyes lingering on each other.

I rarely drank hard alcohol, and the buzz was immediate. My cheeks flushed as a tingle ran through my blood. The room seemed to swirl as our friends blurred into background noise.

Vincent was the only one in focus. His wide shoulders and sculpted form cut a commanding presence in the chaos. Thesleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing muscled forearms, and his gaze was hooded as it slid down my face to my mouth. It rested there for half a beat longer than appropriate before it came back up to meet mine.

My pulse quickened. I felt lightheaded, my whole body fizzing with anticipation like it already knew what his touch would feel like.

“Let’s dance!” Carina grabbed my hand. She sounded giddy and more than a little drunk.

The spell holding the rest of the club at bay collapsed. The noise rushed back with disorienting clarity as Carina dragged me to the dance floor, and when I looked back, Vincent was already gone.

It was impossible to keep track of the group as the night wore on. They dipped in and out, there one minute and gone the next.

Samson and Tamara, making out shamelessly.

Seth, dancing and fist pumping like he was at a rave in 1999.

Asher and Scarlett, slow dancing to a song only they could hear.

The drinks flowed, the music swirled, and the lights flashed, illuminating pockets of the room like they were snapshots in time.

I’d lost count of the hours, but we’d been here long enough that my worries felt like a bad dream. ISNA, my job, my family, none of that mattered at this moment. The outside world didn’t exist, and that was exactly how I wanted it.

Carina laughed when I twirled her around. She returned the favor, but my giggles were drowned by a club remix of Riley K’s latest hit. I was still breathing heavily from the quick spurt of cardio when a gorgeous guy came up to us and said something to Carina. She gestured toward me and shook her head, but I could tell she was intrigued.

Do you want to dance with him?I mouthed.

“I’m staying with you!” she shouted over the music. It wasn’t a no.