Page 30 of Hyperspeed
But in the end, my new partner found my rhythm. They pulled me closer until our bodies were joined, from my head resting on their shoulder to our feet. Warm, calloused hands touched my hips before sliding upwards. They roamed over the bare skin of my stomach, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake. Fingertips traced my slightly defined muscles, drifting back down to my waistband. My tail curled around their thigh, pulling them even closer. It was enough to feel their hard cock against my ass.
I rolled my head on their shoulder, my hair falling away to expose my neck. I felt a puff of warm air as they dragged their lips along my shoulder, over my throat . . . They ended at my ear, sucking the lobe between their blunt teeth, and I shivered, exhaling a shaky breath. The stranger chuckled, low and raspy, and I got a whiff of something spicy.
Was the mystery dancer Kai? Fuck, I hoped not. I felt so good, and I didn’t want to ruin it with a confirmation. Because if it was him, I would have to shove him away. To ask what the hell he was doing, just like I’d done all night.
I didn’t want to open my eyes.
But I had to know.
So I let the world in, eyelids fluttering from the sudden change in light. It wasn’t Kai I was dancing with, because Kai, the thorn in my side, was watching me instead.
He leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, arms folded over his chest, ankles crossed. He looked casual, but the more I watched him back, the more I saw beyond his cocky facade. His jaw tightened, the muscles flexing as he grit his teeth. His eyes were almost pitch black, devoid of their usual hazel. Jax stood beside him, his stare piercing and furious.
But Jax wasn’t glaring at me. He glared at whoever stood behind me.
I tilted my head, startled to see Valen Dray. His hands still roamed my abdomen, lips pressed against my jaw, but he stared at Jax, mouth curled in a smirk. When I looked back, Kai was nowhere to be seen. Jax was seething by himself while Dray continued to grind against me.
I was wondering where Kai had disappeared to when the man himself burst from the crowd, tugging me from Dray’s embrace. I stumbled, falling into Kai’s hard chest. His spicy scent surrounded me, and my drunk mind wanted to bury my face against him. To get high on the smell and breathe it in until I was dizzy.
Get a grip on yourself, Rev.
I looked up to see Kai scowling at Dray, but Dray didn’t seem bothered by Kai’s ire. He just curled his arms around another dancer, replacing the one he’d lost.
“Don’t be a dick, Dray,” Kai snapped.
Dray chuckled mirthlessly. “Mind your business, Mercer.”
I waited for Kai to snap back, but he turned his anger onto me. “What are you playing at?”
“Me?” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “What the fuck did I do? You’re the one who's been stalking me all night. You’re like a rash I can’t get rid of.”
His brows shot up, the corners of his mouth twitching. “A rash? That’s cute. I was going for charming.”
“You’re about as charming as a concussion,” I shot back, heat rising to my face. “What do you want, Mercer? You’ve crashed every conversation I’ve had tonight like it’s some kind of competition.”
“So I need a reason to speak to you now?” He stepped closer. Close enough that I got another whiff of cardamom and leather beneath the pulsating lights in the sky. “Maybe I just like pissing you off.”
“You’ve got it down to an art form,” I growled.
“So touchy.” He laughed, sharp and bright like a live wire. “Look at you, all flushed and fuming. It’s adorable.”
I clenched my fists. “Keep pushing, Mercer.”
His smirk dropped. “And what?”
“And you’ll find out I hit back.”
“Oh? You want to fight?” The challenge in his eyes was clear. “Let’s go then, rookie.” He spun on his heel and stalked off into the crowd without warning. And like a fool, I followed.
Thanks to the alcohol, my steps were less than steady. I stumbled, but before I could hit the ground, Kai caught me, his hand circling my wrist. We stopped infront of a “Staff Only” door. The same one I’d seen Saelix and Zylo slip through earlier.
“Where are we going?” I huffed.
Kai didn’t respond, and when he opened the door and pushed me over the threshold, I squawked like a chicken. My tail whipped towards him, annoyed by his manhandling, but Kai just sidestepped it. He paced back and forth, as if he was gearing up for the promised fight, and I leaned against the wall, waiting for him to spout whatever bullshit was running through his head.
I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but before I could speak, Kai was there, caging me in.
His hands rested on the brick, on either side of my head. We were chest to chest, with barely a lick of space between us, and the only sounds were our heavy breaths and my tail as it smacked against the wall. My skin flared crimson, enough to illuminate his face in the corridor’s low lighting. It exaggerated the shadows under his eyes and cheekbones, creating a sinister picture.
