Page 35 of Betrayed By Dragons

In the very same breath, he looks to me and winks.

* * *

An hour later, we've collectively finished off two bottles of champagne and half a dozen cocktails. Jianyu and Ben have restrained themselves to the one drink each that Rafe suggested, but everybody else has given in--myself included.

A warm buzz hums through my veins, making me sway with the music as I sip at the last of my bubbly. I lean back into Rafe, and he curls an arm around me. His whole chest is so warm and hard against my spine, his spicy scent making my insides squirm with anticipation. If I weren't wearing a padded bra, my nipples would be poking holes in the slinky fabric of my dress.

I rub my thighs together, and little sparks shoot through my center.

Rafe lets out a quiet, rumbling growl in my ear. He puts a hand on my knee beneath the table and starts drifting it higher. I shift back in my seat, uncrossing my legs and letting them splay just a little.

"You're killing me," Rafe murmurs, his breath hot against the shell of my ear.

"Pot, kettle." My voice comes out husky, my arousal all too clear. I want to take his hand and put it right between my thighs. Want him to slide the panel of my underwear to the side and feel how wet I am for him.

I want Jianyu to join in the fun, too.

Fat chance of that, though. I glance his way to find him staring at me with all his usual restraint, plus maybe a little extra to make up for all the restraint that Rafe and I have clearly tossed aside.

And he's right. The informant from Bedrock will be here in an hour's time. We need to be prepared for the encounter, and that'll mean keeping our wits about us.

Until then, though, we need to act natural. Sitting here like a bunch of boring stiffs in a buzzing night club will attract way more attention than any drunken antics would.

Taking my bottom lip between my teeth, I cast my gaze out across the dance floor. Amy dragged Jett and Grace out there a while ago. Like Jianyu and Ben, Jett decided to stay mostly sober, but he's still let his hair down a little--so to speak. His head bobs to the music, his whole body undulating with the beat in a way that makes me want to take a video and send it to Freya.

He seems lost in the rhythm, but I follow his eyes, and his attention is on his sister, out there in the crowd.

Amy's attention, on the other hand, is on Grace.

I suck in a breath as the two of them move together, and my ribs squeeze in with envy. Amy has her back to Grace, but Grace is slotted in right behind her, no space between them. A beatific grin on her face, Amy lifts her arms to the ceiling, and Grace traces her hands down Amy's sides. Her open mouth drifts along Amy's throat.

It's so sexy--so intimate--I have to look away.

Rafe's hand slips higher up my leg, edging dangerously close to the very center of my desire. "You want to dance?"

"Hell, yes."

Rafe slides out of the booth, and I touch Jianyu's elbow in invitation. "We're going to--" I whisper-shout, gesturing at the dance floor.

Jianyu's jaw flexes. "Have fun."

"You can join us if you want to," Rafe says, and it's only half-taunting.

I want to beg him to come with us, but he's all business right now, and that's good. Considering why we're here, surely one of us should be keeping their head on straight.

The lure of the pounding bass and the seductive beat is overwhelming, though. My thoughts are swimming on alcohol and lust and the sheer energy of the room.

Rafe holds out his hand, and I can't resist.

He pulls me from the booth and out onto the dance floor. The music is somehow even louder here. It's crowded enough to feel alive, but not so packed as to be claustrophobic. The beat pulses through my flesh and through my bones, making my already swimming brain go even fuzzier around the edges.

It's terrifying and euphoric. I've never danced like this before--never even imagined it. With Rafe, it's easy, though. His body sinks into the rhythm effortlessly, and I follow.

We brush past Jett, who nods at us as we slowly make our way toward Amy and Grace. Amy's turned into Grace now, dancing face to face with her, and the air between them sparks with electricity. I catch Amy's eye, and she smiles at me before burying her face in Grace's hair.

I let her hide. I'll get all the details from her tomorrow, I'm sure, and for now, I surrender to the freedom of the darkened dance floor and the heat of my mate.

As Rafe dances up on me, practically rubbing himself against my side, I glance around. No one's paying us any mind, and that free-fall feeling of being able to do anything crashes over me yet again. He curls his arms around me, bringing me close.

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