“I’m going to keep dancing.”
I laugh and nod. “Okay.”
She spins in his arms and rubs her hips against him, effectively putting him in a trance and I laugh as I walk off the dance floor. Slipping onto the same barstool I was in before, I look out at Izzy as she puts the moves on her mystery man. Even from here, I can see the lust in his eyes and I know she’ll be having a good time tonight.
“You ready for that drink?” Dalton asks and I turn to him, nodding.
“Yes, please.”
He taps his knuckles on the bar and nods. “Coming right up.”
Despacito comes on and I tap the toe of my heel against the barstool as I scan the dance floor for Izzy. She’s managed to move the two of them into a quiet corner and she spins in his arms before dropping down as she swings her hips from side to side. When she sees me watching her, she winks and I grin as she spins back to face her dance partner.
“One vodka cranberry,” Dalton says, setting my drink in front of me and I smile at him.
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem, gorgeous,” he says, wiping down the bar in front of him. “Why aren’t you out there dancing with her?”
I chuckle and glance out at the dance floor as Izzy starts kissing her mystery man. “Oh, she found someone to occupy her.”
As I turn to face the bar again, I catch sight of someone watching me from one of the tables pushed up against the wall. He’s in the back corner so most of his face is hidden in shadow and maybe that’s why his attention sends a shiver up my spine. When he catches me watching him, he grins and my pulse spikes. Just as I start to turn away, he leans forward and I recognize him instantly.
Damian.
A violent reaction I don’t quite understand rocks through my body, telling me to run. But why? He’s annoying and seeing him definitely makes me want to bitch out my mother but he doesn’t seem all that dangerous. Sucking in a breath, I turn back to the bar and as I grab my drink, my hand shakes.
“You okay?” Dalton asks, his brow furrowed in concern and I force a smile to my face. I’m overreacting.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dalton.”
He lays his hand on mine and arches a brow when he realizes I’m trembling. “You sure about that, sweetheart?”
“Yes,” I whisper, my words weaker and I swear I can feel Damian’s gaze boring into the side of my face.
“Carly, if someone bothered you, we will deal with it. I can go get the bouncer.”
“No, that’s not necessary. It’s just… there is a man staring at me from one of the tables.”
Dalton lifts his head and scans the crowd, his face hardening. “Yeah, I got him.”
“He’s still looking at me?”
“Yeah, he is. Let me get someone to throw him out, okay?”
Hearing the concern in his voice, I feel stupid. Nothing about Damian suggests he’s a danger to me and my mother would be horrified if I had someone she knew thrown out of a club.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m being ridiculous. Sorry.”
He studies me, not buying what I’m saying at all, but he finally sighs. “I’m staying right here so you just yell if you need anything.”
I nod. “Thank you, Dalton.”
As Dalton walks off to help someone further down the bar, I casually glance in Damian’s direction again and when our eyes meet, he stands. A predatory smile stretches across his face as he starts moving toward me, almost stalking across the sleek wood floors as my phone rings from my bag. My heart races for some unknown reason as I dig the phone out of my purse and when I see Chance’s name on the screen, butterflies dance in my stomach. Damian weaves through the crowd and I stand up, throwing a twenty down on the bar as I accept the call.
“Fucking finally, woman!” Chance yells down the line and just the sound of his voice is enough to soothe me. I start working my way toward the door and glance back to see Damian standing next to the barstool I just vacated, searching the crowd for me. “Carly, are you there?”
“Chance,” I say into the phone, my voice shaky since I’m on the verge of tears. I’m annoyed with how weak I’m being lately – how weak Chance is making me.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Hearing how concerned he is, I shake my head as the exit comes into view. Sweet freedom. Glancing behind me one more time, I sigh when I find Damian at the bar. He smiles and waves at me before I whip my head forward again just as I reach the door.
“Carly!” Chance yells from the phone in my hand and I suck in a breath.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry.”
Hanging up, I slip out into the warm night feeling weaker than I have in years and completely disgusted with myself. My cell rings again as I walk down the sidewalk to where I parked my car and when Chance’s name pops up on the screen, I silence it.
God, how could I be so stupid?
Once I reach my car, I climb in and lock the doors twice before finally releasing a breath. It’s never been like this before. Sure, that night has haunted me for twelve years, but I’ve always been able to deal with it. And while I’m more careful than other girls my age, I’ve never freaked out because a guy was looking at me. Maybe I’m finally losing my mind. Shaking my head, I start the car and turn up the music to try and drown out my thoughts but it’s not as successful as I had hoped. Add in the fact that Chance is calling me every two minutes and it’s a small miracle when I finally pull into the designated parking space at my apartment.
I quickly get inside and in the elevator, dreaming about falling into my bed and pulling the covers up to my chin. Lord knows I need a good night’s sleep tonight if I’m going to deal with my mother tomorrow. A groan slips out of my mouth and I press my fingers to my temple at the thought of seeing her. Maybe I should feel bad. I mean, she is my mother after all but she’s never done much to deserve the title. She has two modes – the first is when she’s more interested in her new man and his fortune. That’s when Ivy and I might as well be invisible. And then there are the times she’s trying to set Ivy and I up with men who match her qualifications. I spent most of my life missing the idea of the woman my mother could be or desperately trying to avoid her. There is no in between. I sigh just as the elevator doors open and it’s only then I notice the yelling coming from the hallway.
“Don’t tell me you don’t have anything!”
“Chance?” I call, stepping off the elevator and stopping to stare at him as he paces back and forth in front of my door, yanking at his hair like he might rip it right out. At the sound of my voice, he stops and jerks his head up. His eyes lock onto me and the relief on his face overwhelms me.
“Never mind. I’ve got her,” he says into the phone and hangs up, slipping the phone into his pocket as he storms down the hall. When he reaches me, he crushes me to his body and I breathe him in for a moment, feeling more at ease than I have since I left the club.
“Why are you here?” I whisper into his neck and he pulls back sharply, an intensity in his eyes that is just as exciting as it is scary.
“What the fuck do you mean why am I here? I call you and you’re God knows where, freaked out, and then just hang up on me and I’m supposed to sit my ass at home and wait to see if I hear from you? Think again, Princess.”