Page 97 of Ravage
I head out onto the dance floor to release some of my stress and anxiety and leave it behind.
I dance until my body is hot and languid, my mind dark and spinning. I have no idea who I’m dancing with, only that I’m lost in the crowd as another slave to the music.
My current dance partner breathes on the back of my neck with their closeness, and I grind back into them and throw my head back into their shoulder, eyes closed. I’m pulled taut against them. Their hands roam down my thighs.
I’m dizzy and clumsy, so when I start to push away from them before this goes too far, it’s a weak attempt, and I’m tugged back in place. “No,” I mumble, pushing at the person’s—a man’s—chest as I turn to see who it is. I just want to dance. And then pass out alone in my bed.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” The man leers at me and yanks me back against him.
“Don’t touch her,” a smooth, male voice threatens from behind me. I’m pulled away from the first guy and stumble into a firm body. The smell of cinnamon fills my nose, and I inhale deeply. It’s familiar, but I can’t place it while my head’s still spinning from all the movement.
I should be getting away from this one too, though.
“Hey! Find your own girl! This one’s mine tonight,” the first guy yells, grabbing my wrist.
I push off the second guy while trying to simultaneously free my wrist, which results in me flailing with the uncoordinated effort. The second one wraps an arm around my shoulders to secure me back against him, then extends his other arm toward the first man.
There’s a flash of metal that reflects the colored lights changing above the dance floor. I blink to clear my vision. Is he holding a blade against the guy’s neck?
Hang on.
I drag my head back to look at my current captor.
Aiden.
The first guy drops my wrist and curses. “What the fuck? It’s just a chick.” He backs up and disappears through the crowd. The blade shortens until it disappears up Aiden’s sleeve.
A giggle tickles up my throat, and I slap a hand over my mouth, even though it doesn’t stop it from coming out. Somewhere deep down, I know I should be concerned over what’s going on, but the idea that Aiden came to the nightclub to dance with me is hilarious.
Did I already fall asleep and this is a dream?
He frowns at me, but doesn’t say anything. Then he’s walking us through the throng of dancers and I realize he’s not here to dance. He’s making me leave.
“Hey!” I shout and try to twist out of his hold, but he propels us to the back of the club.
“Are you too drunk to walk up the stairs or do I have to carry you?”
“I’m not leaving—”
My stomach drops when I’m lifted unexpectedly, and I scream and throw my arms around him in a panic that I’m falling.
Aiden scoffs at my reaction, and I would snark at him for it if him running up the stairs with me didn’t give me the spins. I bury my face in his neck and close my eyes, willing my stomach to cooperate. His cinnamon scent helps.
I don’t poke my head up until we stop and there’s beeping, like the sound of entering a code to enter my apartment. I don’t know what his plan for me is, but I’m just drunk enough that the idea of sleeping with Aiden to end my night doesn’t sound terrible. I can’t think of a better distraction.
He sets me down as soon as the door closes behind us, then grabs my shoulders in a punishing grip. “What the fuck are you doing?! We all get attacked and this is what you do right after?”
I smile slyly and slide my hands up his dress shirt under his jacket. “What? You jealous?” I giggle again at the joke that would be, and then at the rise I knew I’d get out of him when he seizes my wrists and pulls them off of him.
“What’s the matter with you?”
I twist my wrists out from his grasp and then wrap them around his neck and press against him. “What’s the matter with you? It’s just a bit of fun.”
Aiden shoves my hips back, but I grab his tie and pull him with me. I hit the wall and gasp. “Tell me about what happened with Gordon. What happened to you after I left you on the island,” he demands angrily.
That man’s name out of his mouth pierces through the alcohol and makes my stomach turn. My entire plan to forget him flies out the window as I’m forced to remember that he’s alive. He’s here. No. No!
I shove Aiden back. “Get out! You’re ruining everything!”
