Page 134 of Our Scorching Summer

I shoot Nico the text before tucking my phone back into my bra and rushing into the crowd of people, throwing shoulders and elbows through the dancing bodies.

I find him a few breaths later.

“Nico!” I shout, tugging at the shirt I ripped open earlier, but when he turns, it’s not Nico at all. A crooked nose, eyes as wide as mine, and the scatter of a beard stare back at me.

“Hey, sexy,” the strange man shouts through a smile that makes it look like he’s won the lotto.

I ignore him and ditch the dance floor, fighting to wriggle out of his grasp.

Where the fuck is Nico?

My palms sweat, and I yank out my phone; no texts and no calls. This is exactly like the time in Brazil all over again. He’s probably ditched me in this club, stalking off with someone more important than me, the moment I left him on the dance floor.

No.

Fuck that.

This isn’t my fault at all.

I rush up the stairs to the sectioned-off balcony VIP, itching to grab my bag and find my way back to the hotel. When I try to push past two oversized bouncers, my body ricochets back a step.

“Where’s your wristband?”

Were we meant to get wristbands?

“I was here earlier. I’m with Keith—no, Klaus.” I peer around their massive shoulders, trying to see if there’s anyone at our table, but it’s empty.

One of the bouncers eyes the clipboard in his hand, tapping on his earpiece as if he’s some secret agent. I read over the nametag pinned to his shirt:Collum. “We don’t have that name here.”

“Oh, come on, Collum, my friends ditched me, and I only need to get my things.”

They both shake their heads, leaving me shaking in my heels.

Whatever.

At least I have my phone, and it’s fully charged this time. I should be able to figure it out from here.

My eyes scan the dance floor one more time, this time from the height of the spiral staircase. Just when I’m ready to give up hope, I see Nico. And my heart collapses.

His bare torso glistens beneath the prism of lights. Damp strands of hair bounce around on his forehead. He throws his head back, dancing with Klaus, his friends, and the pretty posse.

Between the sea of limbs, a pair of dainty hands stretches across Nico’s chest. The beautiful platinum-blonde from earlier trails her fingers down the skin I can still taste on my tongue. A dimpled smile crosses her face.

“That fucking jerk.”

Here I was in the bathroom, professing my feelings about him to a stranger, and Nico’s dancing with a leggy supermodel. A spike of anger coils in my stomach.

Wasn’t he the one to preachno other people? Did he think that rule applied to only me? I knew all that “trust me” and “only you” shit was nonsense.

But I thought, no, I hoped something like this wouldn’t happen.

That I wouldn’t have to worry about him running off with someone else the moment I was out of reach. Seeing him with another woman is like a knife to my heart. My stomach sours the same way it did all those years ago.

My scattered gaze lands on the mucky jackass from earlier, who’s still lingering in the VIP area. I kick into gear, flashing him my sweetest smile and gesturing to the two bouncers on the top of the stairs. Zacharia appears at the railing in a few steps.

“She’s with me.” He slips the bouncers a couple of bills, and I break through the fleshy gates toward my pawn.

“Thanks, I lost my wristband,” I lie and feign a wave of my wrist at him, ignoring the string of lavender that Nico gave me.

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