Page 35 of Chase

“This is my colleague and best friend, Daniel,” he says, gesturing to him.

Theo

Izzy is the very last person I expected to see here tonight. It’s much to mainstream for a girl like her, and I can’t say I was happy to see her grinding up against some sleazy asshole on the dancefloor. Though, at least she put him in his place before I got to them. Dressed all in black, and with plenty of skin on show, she looks amazing. But out of character. Her makeup gives her a sexy edge but detracts from her naturally beautiful face, and her hair… actually, I can’t fault her hair. It’s hanging down in big curls over one side of her shoulder where it has been clipped back. I always loved the way she wore her hair down, flying all over the place; it captured her essence in every way. But it was never this ordered, never this styled. Just another part of her that’s lost at the moment.

She eyes Daniel and me with wariness, and I can’t helpthinking she’s battling with both relief and fear, all at the same time. She wants to be saved but is too afraid to let anyone in, too afraid she’ll be let down all over again. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I know now I shouldn’t have let the pain of her being with someone else stop me from making sure she was ok. Because she wasn’t. I’m not sure she ever has been.

“Hi,” she finally says to Daniel before turning back to face me with her arms crossed over her body, hiding her exposed midriff with what could be described as shame. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked first,” I reply, just as seventeen-year-old me would have done when we reconnected in the school library. I smile, but she rolls her eyes, so I wipe it from my face. “Daniel and I are actually here on a work-related issue. We’re…babysitting.”

She frowns in confusion at the same time as Daniel grins, knowing this sounds weird to those not in the know. He takes pity on her perplexed expression and leans forward to introduce himself.

“Hi, I’m Daniel,” he says, holding out his hand, which she reluctantly takes hold of and shakes. “So, you’re the girl Theo’s been obsessing over for years?”

I smack the bastard round the back of the head all the while he chuckles at my expense. I’ll be giving him hell for that later. Izzy doesn’t look at all impressed either, though she keeps her hands to herself and merely takes a step back.

“Well, he shouldn’t bother wasting his time over me,” she huffs, “I’m a lost cause.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Daniel says, looking at her with a friendly smile. “From what I’ve heard, you sound like hisperfect girl.”

“I’m not that girl anymore but thank you for the…compliment?” she says with a mask of a smile on her face. “Anyway, I’m gonna head back out. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too,” he says, looking completely lost over this girl whom I’ve talked non-stop about for years. He turns to look at me in question, as though I have any more idea over what’s happened to her. She pays no attention to the exchange, simply turns around and leaves without another word. “Er, are you sure about this, Theo?”

“Deadly,” I reply without pause as I watch her slink through the endless crowd of bodies.

“You best go after her then,” he says with his hand slapping over my shoulder. “I can deal with Richards.”

“You sure?” I ask out of politeness, even though I’m already walking toward her, leaving him to chuckle behind me.

As I follow her through the throng of people, her head drops down to avoid the gaze of men looking for a good time, with some even trying to reach out for her. Someone cups her ass, and I want to lunge for him, but she just pushes him aside while she continues walking toward the back. She keeps moving until she reaches the edge of the stage where she finds a secluded spot to begin dancing again.

The music begins with a slow, sensual beat, and she sways her whole body in time. Her hips swivel in circles and she throws back her head, looking completely lost in her own mind. I move in closer, so I am almost touching her back with my chest. At first, I remain standing, appreciating the sensation of her moving the air in front of me. I take in the scent of her perfume, the smoothness ofher skin, and the silkiness of her long hair. Before long, I can’t resist sliding my hands down the sides of her body, only stopping them when I reach the top of her hips. She doesn’t even bother to turn around to see who these strange hands belong to, instead, she moves her ass back against my groin. We slowly move and twist together, ignoring how fucked up this is.

As she increases the pressure of her body against mine, my hands move around to her front so I can hold her more tightly. She reciprocates, reaching her arms around to the back of my neck as I nuzzle my nose against the curve of her shoulder. I graze my lips against her soft skin, desperately wanting to lick and suck. She moans gently and it goes straight to my cock. I can’t help it; the delicate gasp that she emits from her throat has always had this effect on me.

As I harden to the point of pain, I decide to make her face me, so spin her around, expecting her to be surprised when she sees that it’s me. But she’s not. My heart pumps with force when I realize she’s letting me dance with her like this, even knowing it’s me. In fact, she thrusts her hips against mine and begins stroking my arms.

We stare into each other’s eyes, not once breaking contact. An urge that feels too strong for being in the middle of a nightclub takes over, and I lean in close to her face. So close, our lips are almost touching; I can feel her breath on my skin. Her chest is moving in and out so quickly, I can’t tell if she’s excited or scared. I choose to take my chance and press my lips against hers. She encourages me, kissing me back with the same lust I feel for her, and we instantly stop dancing. It’s like stepping back into a time machine, reigniting all of those feelings we had for one another when we were teenagers.

The kiss, the best of my life, is so intense, I grab hold of theback of her dress and begin exploring her with more hunger, more need, more desperation.

“God, Izzy, I’ve missed you so badly,” I mumble between taking her mouth like I’ve wanted to for so long.

I want her to say it back, to tell me she wants me just as much as I want her. But instead, she makes a small gasping noise of disgust, screws up her face, and shuts her eyes to me. As I move back to see what she’s about to do next, she shakes her head and bolts.Fucking bolts!

She runs as fast as she can through the crowd of people, pushing and shoving as she desperately tries to get as far away from me as possible. She moves so fast, I find it difficult to keep up with her, but I know I need to keep her in my sight, or I’ll risk losing her. She stops momentarily to talk to a girl who’s draped over some guy at one of the tables, grabs a bag, downs a drink, then takes flight again. She heads straight for the exit and leaves through the door without another look back. Fortunately, her stopping means I’m now only seconds behind her. So much so, I’m within reaching distance when we both hit the cold air outside.

Chapter 13

Izzy

When I feel a hand grab hold of me, I know it’s his, and I curse myself for letting our dance go as far as it did inside. It’s precisely what I’ve been protecting myself from for the past decade. I decided a long time ago I didn’t want to feel anymore; I barricaded myself from any kind of strong emotions. It felt safer to hide behind my mask of indifference, but when we kissed just now, I felt just as strongly as I did when I was fifteen years old. But I can’t… No, Iwon’tgo through any of that again. It would surely destroy me once and for all.

Back to the here and now, and I find myself being pushed against a wall where Theo cages me within his arms, refusing to let me go all the while I thrash against him. People pass by, not even attempting to try and intervene. For all they know, this weirdo could be trying to attack me, and yet they look away, pretending not to see. Guess I should be used to this reaction; at least these people are strangers to me.

“Izzy! Izzy, please? Look, I’m sorry,” he cries out, trying his best to gain eye contact, but I refuse him and keep shaking myhead to stop myself from giving in. “Please, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… Look, I got carried away, but I swear I just want to be your friend. Please, stop fighting me!” he practically shouts, the urgency in his voice evident.

---