“I want nothing more than to fuck you right here against this door, baby,” he groaned, “But if you don’t leave soon, I won’t let you go.”
My nod was frantic, my head hazy and filled with the thin layer of buzzing that Bryce induced whenever his body was against mine.
I heard what he said, but the words were just that. Words—sounds strung together to create a meaning, but that part was lost on me as I slid down his leg.
He ground against me, letting me have one more moment of solid strength between my legs before he pulled away. The cold air around us swooped in, creating a wall between our bodies that made me want to cry for the warmth of him.
Instead, I squared my shoulders, cracking my neck from one side to the next as if I was about to enter the ring.
In a way, I suppose I was. I was about to enter a fight for not only mine but also my brother’s life, and there was going to be no one there to catch me if I fell. It was that thought that had me picking up Bryce’s hand in both of mine.
I gently cradled his calloused fingers, holding his massive palm like he was a delicate flower. My kiss was soft, dainty and chaste as it pressed to his skin, but the shudder that ran through him was anything but. I looked up at him from under my lashes, smiling.
“Thank you, daddy.” I whispered, watching his eyes glitter with emotion. It all passed so quickly that I couldn’t distinguish one from the other, but it was all there, etching into my brain.
“Be careful, little baby.” As if as an afterthought, he added, “Neither Don nor Valentina have been known to take any lovers, but if it comes up...I expect you’ll do whatever you need to get you back home. They call themselves twins, but they’re not actually blood-related, so if you have any squeamishness about that, don’t worry about it. Just don’t let them know you know.”
I shivered, nodding. I knew the twins hadn’t seemed to take anyone though they were both popular enough they could.
It wouldn’t be a hardship to be invited into either of their beds—just deadly. Valentina was a smoke show with all the crazy that came with running the circus she did, and Don was known for his stoic good looks.
Bryce and I had never voiced exclusivity. I assumed he probably fucked other women, even if I never really fucked anyone else, but it was nice to be reminded that Bryce wasn’t just any guy.
It relieved me to know that no matter what happened, he didn’t care how I got back, only that I did, and that felt more like a declaration of love than anything I’d ever had in my life before. I let go of his hand, turning away from him and the stairs.
I pressed hard against the door and walked out into the rain.
Valentina’s was down by the docks, close enough to Bryce’s apartment that I shouldn’t have felt the need to run the whole way there as I did, but the prickling feeling in the back of my neck wouldn’t go away.
I half walked, half ran, my eyes darting across every shadow and movement along the few blocks between Bryce and the ocean front club. Val’s was a more upscale joint, one that I’d only been to on the occasion I needed to make a delivery for Collin, but I hoped the dress would be enough to get me in without much notice.
By the time I was standing under the overhang I was peeling off the jacket Bryce had lent me, discarding my old hoodie and draping it all over my arm.
The rain had been vicious, cutting into my skin where it hit me like a threat warning me to turn away from my mission, but I was here and in one piece.
The guy manning the front door gave me a once over, lingering a little too long at the way the maroon halter cupped my breasts but nodded towards the door.
The air inside was warm; it might have been a nice change from the cold that had crept into my bones from the rain, but my entire body seemed to sweat with my nervousness.
Heat crept through my limbs, choking me and weighing on my chest unnecessarily. The prickle at my cheeks created an endless cycle of worry that everyone was looking at me.
I scanned the room as I moved, finding the bar easily enough. Accusing glares and suspicious glances filled my vision but were likely entirely in my head. Knowing it didn’t make matters any better.
I clutched the jacket in my hand, wiping my sweaty palms discreetly on the sweatshirt. I just barely resisted the urge to rush to the bathroom to wipe at the gathering sweat I could feel under my arms and behind my neck when the lights began to brighten.
I sat myself on a barstool at the end of the club by the back exit.
Valentina’s was one large open space with the stage front and center, the bar parallel with half circles of couch seating laid out perfectly for patrons to enjoy the live, jazzy entertainment of the night.
A woman stood on the stage, introducing herself and the band, greeting new folx as they came in. The bartender drifted towards me, but I waved him off.
It seemed I wouldn’t need any help locating Don, who sat arms splayed out in the largest seating area dead set in front of the stage.
At least, I thought it was Don. He looked cold, not relaxed—like a caged animal ready to strike at any moment. That sort of posturing wasn’t one that could be faked.
I hadn’t ever really paid attention to either of the twins since neither of them ever graced a joint like Collin’s, and I wasn’t in the habit of drawing enough attention to warrant them looking for me.
But the man had the same green eyes that Valentina was known for, and the same smooth, lightly brown skin that looked like it had been poured down his body to perfection.