Page 36 of The Lazarov Bratva

Together, we head back out into the club, and while we’re faced with a sea of people, it’s surprisingly easy to find Ray and Mark again. The moment they see us, they both smile brightly, and Katja leaves me to sink back into Mark’s arms. Their mouths collide in another kiss, and Ray slips one arm around my waist.

“All good?” he asks in that soft voice of his. He’s lovely. He really is. He’s tall and sexy, his touch is gentle, and yet as he leans in again for a kiss, something stops me again. Like it’s not right. I turn away, and his lips brush my cheekbone, then he pulls back, and the surprise is clear.

I need Ray. I need him to take me and give me the best night of my life before I’m carted away, and yet, each time we get close, it’s like a wall goes up. A voice in my mind reminds me that no one on Earth will be as good as Kristof, so why even try?

“Are you okay?” Ray asks, the second kiss denial being enough for him to pull back slightly. I search my drunken thoughts for an excuse, but then Katja’s hand is on my arm. She’s still in Mark’s arms, but her attention is on me.

“She’s just shy,” Katja teases. “Bad ex, y’know?”

Ray nods knowingly, and his light smile turns mischievous.

“Ahh, a bit of a tease, eh?”

“Sure.” I laugh. “Maybe you haven’t earned it yet.”

“Alright, alright.” He chuckles. “What will make you loosen up? Another drink?”

“You don’t think I’m loose?” Teasing, I spin slowly in his arms, wondering if it’s just the kiss that bothers me. Maybe I can achieve my goal without locking lips.

“Maybe you’re just not good enough, Ray. Your game is tanking, man.” Mark laughs.

“Hey, my game is top-notch.” Ray snorts, and his large hands stroke down my waist and he pulls me against him so firmly that I gasp. That slight forcefulness sends a spark through me, and I bite my lower lip, staring up at him.

More of that and maybe I’m interested.

“I dunno,” I tease, walking one hand slowly up his damp chest. “Maybe you’re just not exciting enough.”

His grip tightens, and a thrill shoots through me.

Yes.

“You want excitement?” Ray’s eyes narrow and he leans closer. “How about you show me just how exciting you can be and I’ll think about it?”

“Oh yeah?” My brow lifts. “How am I going to do that?”

“You said you’re a dancer, right?”

I nod, my heart racing.

“Show us.”

Mark and Katja sway back into view beside me, and Mark laughs.

“She’d never,” he said. His assumption immediately ignites something inside me, a heated desire to prove him wrong as if he’s just another guard from my father’s estate.

“I would,” I shoot back. With drunken confidence, I jut my chin out slightly, and Ray laughs, turning me around slowly to face one of the stages.

“Then get up there and dance. Unless you’re all talk, in which case I guess I’ll just go find someone else.”

Those words spur me forward. I need him. I need him to stay. I need him to be a part of my night. He might be right. Maybe I need one more exciting thing to truly free me from the shackles I’m trying to escape. Glancing over my shoulder, I smirk.

“Alright. Prepare to eat your words.”

Pole dancing.

I’ve never done such a daring and obscene thing, but it’s so separated from everything I know that it excites me. With other people around me doing the same thing, it shouldn’t be too difficult to mirror.

I approach the stage, and a man dressed in black holds out a hand, ready to help me up.

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