Page 146 of If Our Hearts Collide

I may not have come here tonight expecting to discover Limit-X, but it found me—and probably when I needed it the most.

If I’m going to move past my intimacy hurdle and conquer some of my short-term goals, then there’s no better place to explore my limits than right here.

I may have arrived here as a caterpillar. But I can still leave as a butterfly.

I just need to take that leap.

28

PENNY

“Give me your wrist, little fawn.”

With large eyes, I look up into Yuri’s with confusion but do as I’m told. It’s actually difficult not to do as I’m told when he states things with such calm authority. “Okay…”

“This is for your own protection, as well as anyone else who tries to”—he appears to struggle for the right word—“playwith you.” He then proceeds to snap a white band onto my wrist. With the flick of a button, it illuminates into the dimly lit room the color of red.

“What’s this for?” I ask, no longer able to keep my curiosity at bay.

“Since you’re new, we need to ease you into some of the…amenities here. This band restricts you from certain areas of the building, as well as alerts den monitors that you are testing the scene and that you might need some extra eyes looking out for you.”

I guess I should be thankful.

“Hey, Penny,” Daphne calls over the loud music. “Sorry about that, um, detour.”

I laugh. “No problem. I actually caught up with?—”

“Oh, damn.” She snaps her mouth shut, placing a hand over it for added protection. Her eyes turn mischievous when Yuri’s gaze holds hers. Is she with him too? I can feel the sizzle between them, similar to how I felt when she was around Michael.

Keeping remarkably calm, he pulls Daphne to him without any warning and whispers something into her ear that causes her to shiver. Turning to me, he allows his demeanor to soften. “Miss Daphne only has about fifteen minutes before Michael is going to start tohuntfor her. And he is extra feral tonight. So, I suggest you use your time with her wisely, because I doubt she’ll be”—he taps a finger along his jawline—“in themoodto sit around and chat with you later.”

I nod with the overall understanding—I think. Granted, there were a lot of hidden messages.

Once Yuri makes his exit and disappears into the sea of people, Daphne turns to me with sparkles in her eyes. “So how should I spend these last few minutes of freedom?”

An upbeat song starts playing through the sound system, with the bass thump-thumping in the undertone of the rhythm. “Do you want to dance?” It would be a waste not to utilize some of Luke’s advice.

Excitement beams from Daphne’s eyes. “Oh, yes. Yes, I do!”

This time it is me tugging her toward the dance floor that is full of x-rated shenanigans. Some women are topless. Some men are bottomless. And some are basically having sex—right there for us all to see.

When the white lights turn on intermittently, it reveals hidden body messages that must be painted on the skin of some of the members on the floor.

All yours.

Mine.

Brand me.

Open season.

I like it hard.

It’s my birthday.

Pick a hole.

Suck me.

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