Page 68 of Aftertaste

But when I saw her on that dancefloor, I knew I had to get her in here with me.

There was something about the way her head flung back, her body swaying as she felt the music deep down in her soul. The way she went into her own world, not acknowledging anyone around her.

And now she was inches away from me, sweat dripping down her face from how hard she was dancing. Her chest heaved, her white top sticking to her skin, and I couldn’t help but reach out to her.

Her gaze met mine, her brown eyes captivating and alluring. “What’s your name?” I shouted, hoping she could hear me.

She leaned forward, the end of her braid hitting her collarbone. “Thalia.” She paused. “What’s yours?”

“Haven.”

She pulled back just enough to look at my face. My stomach dipped just like it did when I was on a rollercoaster at the local theme park. Her gaze flicked down to my lips. I didn’t hesitate. I closed the distance between us, leaving only a couple of centimeters.

“Haven,” she said, rolling my name over her tongue. I loved the way it sounded coming out of her mouth, and from the way her lips pulled up, she did too.

“Thalia,” I whispered, not sure if she could hear me over the music.

She shut her eyes and it felt like a lifetime until she finally closed the distance. Our bodies fused together at the same second our lips connected. Soft and slow, closed mouth. It wasn’t enough. Not for me. So, I trailed my tongue over the seam of her lips, praying to god that she’d open up and not want to run away.

Time suspended, threatening to pull down everything we had inside this cage. Then finally, she opened up, pushing harder against me. Our tongues danced together, just like our bodies did. We were in sync, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it had never felt like this before.

I pushed my fingers through hers, interlocking both of our hands. I felt a deep need to be as close to her as possible, yet, I didn’t even know her. But it felt like I did. It felt like our souls had been separated and were now rejoicing at being together once again.

“Let’s hit it hard for the last song of the night!” the DJ screamed down the mic. At the sound of his voice, I started to pull away, but Thalia followed me. She didn’t want this to end, and neither did I.

I pulled back, blinking at her, and trying to regain my focus. “Stay for a drink after we close?”

Thalia looked down, seeing the club full of people going crazy on the dance floor, mixed in with drunks who had gone hard because of it being Friday night.

She bit down on her bottom lip and I nearly groaned at the action. I wished I was the one biting down on it.

“Okay.” She nodded, like she was telling herself something. Her gaze clashed with mine again and she repeated, “Okay.”

I grinned and reached for the controls to the cage. It was way too quick for us to make it back onto the dancefloor, and by the time I’d gotten the door open, people were leaving in crowds, trying to all get out of the main doors at once.

My hand wrapped around hers, and I beelined it for the bar, not stopping even when I heard someone call her name. I spotted my brother standing at the end of the bar, watching everyone leave. It was his normal position at the end of the night, and as soon as he spotted me, he lifted his hand to wave, but stopped halfway, a frown overtaking his face.

“Rush.” I placed my hand on his chest. “Thalia is staying behind for a drink.” I glanced back at her then to Rush. “Keep her safe while I get changed?”

Rush raised his brow, his frown turning into a knowing grin. I never did this. It was so out of character, but something had taken me over and I couldn’t stop myself.

“You got it, sis,” he said, tilting his head to the open space between him and the bar. “Stand here,” he told Thalia.

I let go of her hand as she moved beside him, and with one final look, I spun on my heels and headed toward the staff area. I got changed into my normal clothes in record time—a pair of leggings and an oversized T-shirt—then hooked my bag over my shoulder.

By the time I was back in the main area of the club, all of the lights were on, and only staff members were left. Rush stood at the bar with Thalia, and two more people had joined her.

“Hey,” I greeted, all of a sudden feeling shy. Rush chuckled and tried to cover it with a cough, but we’d all heard it. “Shut up,” I whisper shouted at him, narrowing my eyes.

“What?” His eyes widened, acting innocent, but he was anything but.

“Hey,” Thalia said, stepping forward, breaking my stare with my big brother.

“Hey,” I repeated, feeling like an absolute derp. Why was I saying the same word again?

“This is my best friend, Sage.” She pointed to the girl standing beside her. “And this is her…boyfriend, Storm.” She looked to the left, as if she knew something no one else did, then kicked her lips up into a huge smile.

“Hey.” I slapped my forehead. “Sorry.” I tried to laugh it off. “I swear I know more words than ‘hey’.”

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