Page 123 of When The Night Falls

I looked up and found him glaring at me, his grip tightening around my wrists.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

‘Damn.’ I smiled. ‘Who let you out of your cage today?’ I twisted my wrists out of his grip and undid the top button of his shirt.

Andy laughed. ‘I didn’t,’ he said. ‘I’d rather he stayed in it all the time.’

‘That makes two of us,’ I joked back.

William was not amused, and I could tell because his glare shifted onto Andy instead.

After undoing a second button, I retreated a few paces to judge my artistry, and I immediately regretted it. Like this, he looked beyond tempting. The sight of him right then even made my vagina throb, and when I felt it, I nearly sobbed. How on earth did I manage to resist him? I deserved an award.

‘Thanks, love,’ William murmured and turned his profile to me. He delved his hands in his pockets, and his casual stance only made him more appealing.

I searched for his gaze, but I didn’t find it. ‘That colour really suits you.’

He scoffed and stole a glance at me. ‘Hardly as much as you do.’

Taken aback, I gaped, my eyes flickering to Ellie to see if she had heard him, but her face was buried in her phone. Relief closed my mouth again.

‘Nice one, Will,’ Andy said with a smirk as he undid his top buttons, copying my work.

Suddenly Ellie exclaimed, ‘He’s texted me. He’s in there, far end!’ She pointed into the crowd. A heartbeat later, she had caught my hand and was dragging me into it.

Countless bodies ground against one another, and mine. Numerous eyes glanced in my direction, and most of them looked faded, drugs lifting them high above the clouds. Going in had been like sinking into quicksand – the more I shifted, the deeper I got. Andy and William charged after us, but the moving crowd swallowed us up until they were no longer in my view.

‘Fuck,’ I mumbled. William was not going to like this. ‘Hey, Ellie!’ I jerked her hand. ‘We’ve lost the others!’

‘They’ve got my number, and they know where we’re going! We’ll be fine!’ she yelled back and carried on squeezing through the crowd.

Suddenly a pair of arms hooked around my waist and tugged me into a warm embrace, breaking my grip on Ellie’s hand. Whirling around, I stared up at a face I had never seen before. I shoved him off and turned toward Ellie again, scared I had lost her too. Glimpsing the twists of her mane, I charged after her. She had stopped, her eyes searching for me.

‘Cara!’ she yelled as soon as she spotted me. She extended her hand, and I grabbed it firmly. ‘Don’t let go!’

She faced away and pulled me through the crowd until we reached a bar at the far end. Among the people around it stood a group of five men. One of them briefly met my gaze before his eyes darted to Ellie’s person, and then to the man in front of him. As he jerked his head toward us, all five of them looked over.

Ellie released my hand and rushed toward them. A man of average height, with bronzed skin and dark brown hair, spread his arms to welcome her. She swung her arms around him and planted a firm kiss on his waiting mouth.

So that must be Brian, I thought.

I couldn’t hear what they said to one another, but while they embraced, his friends blatantly ogled me. Feeling awkward, I gave them a wave.

Ellie pulled out of Brian’s arms and motioned to me.

‘Nice to finally meet you, Cara!’ he yelled.

There wasn’t much room for conversation above the pounding music, so introductions were swift, but I was too drunk to remember the names of Brian’s friends. When one of them caught my hand and dragged me toward the dance floor, I looked at the bar, hoping to spot William, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I faced a dilemma then, because while I wanted to find him and Andy, I didn’t want to be a killjoy, especially since the original plan had been to spend time with Ellie tonight. So, with some reluctance, I allowed myself to get dragged away, but it was only because Ellie and Brian were heading to the dance floor as well.

Like William and Andy had warned, the drinks suddenly kicked in. The room spiralled around me while I danced with this good-looking stranger. We danced until we were glistening with sweat. Even though we were out of breath, the music hypnotised us into continuing.

I had to give it to him: he was an excellent dancer. Did he have a single stiff bone in his body? I could feel a stiff muscle, but it contained no bones.

We had danced for a while when I sensed his mouth beginning to search for mine, clearly hoping for some action. Three months ago, I wouldn’t have minded a random snog, but something prevented me now, and the reason wasn’t present. I had lost him some time ago, and he still hadn’t found me.

‘Sorry, I need the loo!’ I shouted and escaped out of Brian’s friend’s hold.

Staggering toward the edge of the crowd, I searched for the toilets. When I found them, I sucked in a deep breath, determined to breathe only through my mouth to avoid the stench of the place. I hurried to finish because I despised toilets in clubs and pubs. Thankfully there was still a little soap left that I could wash my hands with.

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