Page 48 of Rejected Darkness

"To my room to play a video game. You and your damn plotting is getting on my nerves, and I'm pissed at how you treated Arabella. When you're back to not being an asshole, let me know," he shouts back without bothering to turn and look at me.

Well, damn, that's not how I was expecting that to go.

To stay in the room, or to go after Arabella? That was the question that remained. I could have fun playing with her while she's out, especially with her drinking. Or I could sit here in the dark waiting for her return and ambush her when she returns. Decisions, decisions. I know which option I'm leaning toward. Now, I just need to make a decision. Either way, Arabella's lesson isn't over just yet tonight.

Chapter 28

Arabella

"Ready to tell us what that was all about earlier with Rhys?" Harper asks before taking another sip of her margarita. We've been at Phantom's Pub for the past hour and were already on our third round of drinks. All of us are definitely going to be feeling it by the end of the night.

"He was being his usual jackass self." Rolling my eyes, I reach for my straw and begin playing with it, swirling my drink before me. "He wanted to show me how my outfit would give someone easy access to me."

"Wait, hold on," Isis sputters around her straw. "What do you mean to show you?"

"Caught that, huh?" I question with a small chuckle. "When he shut the door in your face. I yelled at him, and then when I walked past him to open the door, he spun me around and pinned me against it, shoving his knee between my legs as he whispered in my ear."

"Okay, if he wasn't such a damn asshole, that would be hot as hell," Isis moans. "Why are you getting all the damn action?"

"You can take it," I retort. "I'm so over all the attention. I planned to come here, do what I needed to do, and get myselfback to Aeris to live my life. The last thing I wanted was all this damn shit going on around me."

"Are we just going to glaze of him whispering to her?" Harper turns to look at Isis. When she gets a pointed look, she faces me once more. "What the hell did he say to you?"

"He told me this is what happens when you go out and give guys easy access, and then he told me to grind against his leg like he knew I wanted to." I drop my head into my hands, trying to hide my shame. I hated how I reacted to him at that moment. I hated that my body wanted him when I shouldn't. I have two mates. I don't need to hook up with the asshole and make my life even more complicated.

"Girl!!!!!" Isis giggles. "You got it bad!"

"Do you think he's your mate?" Harper softly inquires, reaching across the table to pull my hands away from my face.

"I highly doubt that," I chuckle darkly. "I have two mates, or well, three if you count the dickhead who rejected me. That is plenty enough for me. Especially considering the tension between me and the Warrick right now."

"I think tension is stating that nicely. You're barely speaking to either of your mates right now. Are you going to try to fix that any time soon?" Isis joins back in my serious now.

"I plan to talk to Phoenix tomorrow about everything. The things with Warrick and wait until next week. Now, can we please stop talking about them? I thought we were here to party?" I really need the topic to change. Like I told the girls, all of it can wait. I plan to spend tonight ignoring everything and anything to do with mates and just getting drunk as fuck, pretending that the world isn't out to get me or anything.

"Let's drink!" Harper shouts! Raising her glass to clink it against ours.

Raising my own to meet hers, we wait for Isis to join us and then tap them together. The three of us finish off our drinksat the same time a server brings another round to us. A few minutes before, we had ordered these Tooty Fruity drinks that were on the menu and advertised as tasting like a Jolly Rancher. I couldn't wait to try them.

Two more drinks later, we were about six drinks in and giggling nonstop in our seats as we watched the crowd around us. Since we had gotten here early, we managed to snag a booth on the edge of the dance floor so we could rest and people-watch. Now, the dance floor was getting crowded, and the lights had lowered, making it a more intimate setting. Most of the music being played was upbeat pop music that is topping the charts currently. Personally, I couldn't wait for them to start playing some of the early 2000's hits. That was when I really could bring it on the dance floor.

"Dancing time?" Isis asks, watching me as I watch the floor longingly. With alcohol flowing through my veins, I was ready to go. I needed to burn some of this alcohol off before I could have another drink, or I wouldn't be able to walk straight later.

"Devine, yes," I groan, pushing myself out of the booth. Across from me, Isis does the same, and Harper slides out behind me. Together, we head down onto the floor with me in the lead. Pushing my way through the crowd, I carve us out a spot in the middle of the dance floor and begin to let the music flow through me, shaking my hips to the beat of the music.

I couldn't tell you how long we were out there before I began to feel the sweat running down the side of my face. Bodies were pressed together as more people continued pushing their way onto the floor. I could barely move, but for the most part, people kept their hands to themselves. Singling to the girls that I was returning to the table, I pushed through the crowd. I needed water and then more alcohol, in that order exactly. Knowing I could never be too careful, I made sure nothing looked amiss at our booth before I chugged one of the glasses of water we hadsitting waiting for us and reached for my next drink. I could feel the alcohol swimming in my head but knew I was still good for a few more. I was feeling good, and that was what I needed right now. After finishing my drink, I also flag down the waiter so he could top off our drinks once more. With that done, I went back in search of my friends, finding them exactly where I had left them. This time, they each had a guy dancing with them. I have no idea who Isis's partner is, but Harper is dancing with Stark. That makes me fumble a couple of steps as I reach them. Both girls smile at me as they continue to dance. Closing my eyes, I let the music take hold of me and begin to dance once again.

One by one, I watch as each of the girls gives me a small wave and points to the table, letting me know they are taking a break. Each of them follows them as well, leaving me alone on the dance floor. I don't mind, especially when my favorite song begins to play. I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston begins over the speakers right as I feel a set of hands grasp my hips and pull me back against a hard body. Even though I know I should pull away, I don't; instead, I settle in and grind back against them. The two of us get into a good rhythm and just enjoy the music. I bring my arm up and hook my hand behind my partner's neck, pulling him closer against me. His hands move toward my stomach, his fingers sliding along the top of my skirt. Goosebumps break out along my skin where his fingers touch before he flattens his palm against my stomach and holds me tightly against him with one hand. His other reaches down to skim along the hem of my skirt. Should I reach down and push him away? Probably, but it feels good, and the last thing I want is for him to stop. I can feel how hard my partner is as he pushes himself against me, his dick settling against my ass. It's turning me on, and I'm very tempted to turn around and drag him to a dark corner to get myself off.

I've never been that girl. Or at least I never thought I was that type of girl, but I'm starting to see the advantages of a hook-up. No feelings involved, just pleasure. It's starting to sound like a very good idea after all the guy drama I've been dealing with. When my partner dips his fingers into the waistband of my skirt, I moan and drop my head back against their shoulder, closing my eyes. I can feel how wet I'm getting, and I'm hoping they just lift their hand up under my skirt and get me off quickly. There are so many people on the dance floor no one would know, and no one would hear us over the music as it is.

The second I moan, I feel my partner freeze up slightly and pause before he resumes grinding against me. With my neck exposed next to him, he turns his head to bite the same exact spot that Rhys had bit earlier when he had me pinned against the door. The move made me putty in his arms to the point I grasped his wrist that was sitting against my leg, and dragged his hand higher until he was touching exactly where I wanted him to be, the apex of my legs.

Tomorrow, I would examine why I was letting some unknown male get me off. Tonight, I was just going to enjoy the feeling while my brain was muddled with alcohol. Tonight, I wasn't going to be myself. I was going to be a different version of myself who had no care in the world and could just enjoy life. That included hooking up with someone in the middle of the dance floor.

My partner slowly ran his fingers over the fabric of my thong, applying just enough pressure around my clit before moving further down. When I tried to move his wrist to where I wanted him, he held still and bit my neck instead to distract me. The bite wasn't hard, but instead of letting go, he turned the bite into a sucking motion. I was definitely going to have a hickey there tomorrow from the move. Getting the point, I let go of his wrist and let him explore at his leisure, instead letting myself get lostin the pleasure he was bringing me. It wouldn't take me long to come with how turned on I was.

"Arabella!" a familiar voice calls out from behind me, sounding too close for comfort. The last person I wanted to see tonight was him.

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