Page 7 of Between Two Thorns

It was a little… overwhelming and all at once.

Rose had been dreaming of this moment for years—two years now—and yet when it finally came, she could only feel a whirlpool of excitement tinged with a sense of dizzying doubt. She knew that this was what she wanted, but why did it feel so unnerving? Was this part of the experience, like a head rush from vaulting a jump?

Chad wasn’t letting an inch between them, and Rose felt like she couldn’t breathe.

There were other couples on the wooden planks who were doing far, far worse. They tangled together with limbs and lips in a way that just barely kept them more vertical than horizontal.

Rose could see one girl had her leg wrapped around her boyfriend as his hands groped at her ass—was that the expectation?

The redhead slid her arms around her dance partner’s neck, turning away from the couple. She was having enough trouble keeping her balance up against Chad’s wall of unforgiving muscle.

“Getting ideas, girlie?” Chad jested as he lowered his head to hers, his hot breath now inches away.

“Huh?” Rose asked over the thump of the music and the pounding in her ears. Her lips turned upwards, forming a grin that felt trained on her face, because that was what you were supposed to do.

This wasn’t everything she had wanted, but that was to be expected, right? The electric connection between two people that she had heard about in movies had eluded her. Wasn’t she supposed to be head over heels for this boy? Not constantly distracted by the other bodies pressing in on their space—one of which grabbed his girlfriend to flip her heels up in the air.

Maybe she just needed a new partner.

Rose took a step back, following the beat, but needing a bit of room to just breathe for a second. Chad was so close it felt like he was pressing her own boobs back into her rib cage. Lord knew she didn’t need the ladies to be any flatter.

But, before she could even take a full inhale, Chad was on her.

She took another step off beat, just to get some room, and he pursued her like some sort of damn grizzly bear. Hunting her down, pawing at her. His hands sank into the now flimsy-feeling fabric of her tank top. Rose could feel his nails bite at the exposed skin at the small of her back.

Headed straight down the back of her shorts to her ass.

Nope. Hard stop. Red light.

Rose opened her mouth to make her protest even clearer, but that thumping music she’d adored when she came in suddenly filled her throat. Muting her. Like it was stealing her voice.

“Hey! Back off!” Rose shouted at Chad. But the sound must have been swallowed up by fleshy bodies and pounding music.

Or...he was ignoring her.

Rose put her hands on his built chest and pushed with all her might. And what did he do?

Curl those overly built arms to trap her like a vice. A smirk on his breath that she could feel against her neck.

Rose tried to jerk away, but suddenly Chad was everywhere, arms like octopus tentacles dragging her back in.

Her eyes darted around the room, trying to make contact with someone, anyone, who could see she was in trouble. That she was panicking. Surely someone would swoop in and save her.

Fred.

Fred was there by the bar. Almost near Mr. Strong and Silent in the corner.

Her ‘friend’ glanced her way, and she knew he saw him when his eyes widened and his face seemed to flush.

And the mother fucker looked away!

So much for being the good guy she deserved.

Rose had enough of this bullshit. She was no wilting flower—she’d wrangled cattle since she could sit up on a horse. And she would not be trampled over now.

She jerked backward from Chad, getting an arm free.

“C’mon girl, we ain’t done dancing yet.” The brute snarled between his overly white, suddenly menacingly bared teeth.

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