Page 54 of Pretty Heartache

Adeline doesn’t give me a smile. Her chest quakes with a shivering breath before she slips her hand from under mine. “Thank you.”

Her words stab me in the chest. She’s giving me the cold shoulder, and I deserve every bit of it.

With those two simple words still lingering in the air, I watch her walk out of the kitchen and down the hallway to meet Ember in the driveway. I watch her climb into the back seat of a black car, casting one more look up toward the house.

I swipe my toolbelt from the island and leave the kitchen before I give myself a chance to change my mind and follow her. I slide the back door shut with more force than I intend. My chest squeezes, and my blood pressure rises.

Stalking over to the pile of furniture, I stop in front of the grandfather clock Adeline desperately tried to save. The varnish is bubbled, and the stain is faded. The intricately crafted hands of the clock are frozen in time.

I don’t know when they stopped working. Was it years ago, or was it the day I found myself feeling something for the first time since I could remember? I rip the hammer from my toolbelt and wrap my fingers tightly around the handle.

Pressure builds behind my eyes, and I find myself looking back at the sliding glass door connected to the kitchen. A tightsensation tugs at my chest, and I know I’m only fooling myself. I’ve been fooling myself for days.

The vision of Adeline walking away from me in that dress refuses to leave. I imagine a different scenario—one where I said yes to Ember’s invitation.

I imagine Adeline’s eyes if she had looked over her shoulder one last time before pushing through the front door.

The hammer slips from my grip and lands on the ground with a dull thud. I leave it and the grandfather clock behind, and head back into the house, knowing I won’t be able to shut my mind off otherwise.

Then when I jog up the stairs and back into my room, ripping off my T-shirt and jeans, replacing them with one of my suits, the spark I felt when I’d kissed Adeline the other day lights in my chest again.

The bouncer standingoutside the front door to Exodus immediately recognizes me. It’s been years since I’ve stepped foot in this club, but he acts as if no time has passed.

Everyone standing in the line wrapped around the building whines and groans when the bouncer unclips the rope barrier, allowing me inside without paying or checking my ID.

I give Hank the security guard a curt nod, remembering him from the days Archer and I would come in here after a long night of flying from one side of the country to the other. After signing a few business deals, we’d snag a flight on my private jet and meet a few of our college buddies here for an all-night bender, sometimes waking up the next morning just to do it all over again.

That life seems so long ago, and I try to push it from my memory as I step into the club. Sectioned off VIP booths surround the expansive dance floor. A large crowd of hundreds of people fills the center. Between each of the VIP booths runs the length of the elevated dancing platform. Each runway leads to one of the dancer’s cages. The club is completely packed. Blue flashing lights pulsate across the entire club, and the DJ set in the back raises his arms in the air as he bobs his head to the beat playing over the loudspeakers.

The sea of party goers jump along.

I narrow my eyes, hoping to see Adeline and her group through the darkness. I scan each of the booths, remembering Ember said they had a VIP section reserved, so I weave through the sea of people passing through the space between the VIP sections and the bars, growing closer to the booths.

When I push through to the other side and catch Ember’s strawberry blonde hair in one of the booths in the distance, I see she’s standing between the seat and the table, swaying to the music as she holds her drink. The bartender serving their section another drink for one of their friends. Beside Ember, a couple is kissing, unable to keep their hands off one another.

My heart sinks when I don’t see Adeline anywhere near Ember or their section. I scan the crowd again, surveying each of the booths, hoping to catch a glimpse of her shimmering dress.

I start making my way to the other side of the club, toward Ember, when I see Adeline on the opposite side. Her shimmering dress catches the blue and white strobe lights swinging over the length of the club.

Her long, dark hair sways back and forth as she bends her hips while dancing to the music. With her eyes closed, she runs her hands down the length of her body, tilting her head to the side. She’s lost in the music, not caring who is watching. I staywhere I am and watch her for a few moments, the knot in my chest tightening again.

My feelings for Adeline are fragile, and ones I can’t ignore for much longer. I’m a fool for continuing to pretend as if our kiss in the rainstorm didn’t amount to more than a kiss. I touched her. Touched her in places I’d never imagined before. But she’d also awakened a part of my soul I thought had died. Watching her now, though, I’m certain I want her. I just don’t know what to do about it or where to start.

I push my way through the crowd, taking the three steps down to the dance floor. Elbowing my way across, I finally make a break through the crowd, but I screech to a halt when I see the man Adeline is dancing with.

I tilt my head to the side and narrow my eyes, blinking to make sure I’m seeing him correctly. He’s vaguely familiar. With his sharp, clean-cut look, and his dark black suit, I take a moment and try to place him. An icy chill slithers down my spine when he closes in behind Adeline, reaching around her to place his hands on the front of her thighs. He’s closing the space between them, but not before the bright strobe light swings over him, shining a light on the snake tattoo wrapped around his neck.

Soren’s associate from the bar.

Heat simmers under my skin, injecting itself into my veins. I grind my jaw and take a step forward, ready to lunge at him and rip her away, but I don’t want to cause a scene. Adeline has constantly gotten onto me for interfering when I shouldn’t, but the need to get her away from him overrides my sense of reason.

I run my hand over my mouth and take a deep breath before shoving it into the pocket of my suit. I curl my hand into a tight fist and wait for the right moment. Adeline hasn’t seen me yet, but I wait until the next song plays before making my move.

The song effortlessly rolls into the next one, and Adeline slips her hands over the man’s and pushes them off her. He takes the hint and backs into the crowd a little more. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her, but I take my shot and elbow my way through the few people dancing between us to grab onto Adeline’s hand.

She yelps with my sudden touch as I pull her into the crowd. My heart is pounding, and I have no clue whether Soren’s associate sees us or not.

When I’m certain there are enough dancers between us and him, I stop.

---