CHAPTER528
Nathan turns around to answer something someone else has said. Arry brushes back my hair, leaning in low so that his breath tickles my neck as he moves in to kiss me, grazes his nose across my cheek bone, giving me instant tingles.
“You look amazing in this dress; crazy sexy. Yet all I can think about is taking it off again.” He swoops further around my face and this time kisses me seductively, sucks my bottom lip lightly and grazes his teeth across it. I relax into him, always so ready to surrender to him in any way. Insides stirring with heat, always letting him devour me.
He pulls me against him and slides his arm all the way around my back, so we are front to front, as Claire appears behind us and starts asking him about something, he has been helping her and Jason with. I lean my head against his throat as he leans back, face turned towards her, and cradle my drink. Leaving them to talk while being held tight in his arms, facing off to the opposite side.
More of his friends are sitting off to tables at the side, which overlook the nightclub in a sort of hanging balcony, much like the club I last saw Camilla in. I let my gaze wander around the semi dark space, cluttered with people and seats. I pause when I catch the eyes trained on us from a shadowy corner. Two women standing side by side and looking our way steadily. At first, I bypass them as strangers, but then as my eyes adjust to the dark room, and flashing disco lights, realize with a sudden thud in my chest that one is Natasha and hardly concealing her hatred in that moment.
I stand up quickly, pulling myself free of him, lifting my glass to take a drink as he loops my hand in his with my change of position. Casting a quick glance at me while still talking, to see why I’m moving. I smile at him and wave my glass as if to say ‘taking a drink’ and he goes back to Claire. He’s completely oblivious that we are being watched.
I frown and turn back to Arrick, eyes still across the room as I try to act nonchalant and turn to him slowly. My mouth is met with a kiss, so suddenly it almost knocks me over. Claire has moved on and he kisses me a little too passionately, while I know she’s watching us. I try to push him away, but his hand slides around behind my neck and he starts teasing my mouth open to turn the kiss into something hotter. Arrick is very hands on when he drinks, and even though he’s only started, the club seem to have him in the mood to make-out and sex me up a little.
“Arrick?” I try and talk into his mouth, trying like crazy to capture his face and pull him away. He tastes like beer, like him, only half hearing me under the music around us and finally pulls back to frown at the fact I am not kissing him back, like I normally would.
“What’s wrong?” He leans in, touching his nose to mine and frowns harder when I shrug his hands off me that are sliding around my body. Looking concerned at my behavior.
“Natasha’s over there, staring at us.” I say into his face as he tries to catch my chin and throw another kiss, overly frustrated that I’m rejecting his attentions and slow on the uptake. He gazes at me for a second, eyes registering and then over me and scans the room. I guess he sees her too as he comes back to my face and kisses me on the cheek, before letting me go and sliding my hand in his instead. That tiny frown that he saw her too and now feels equally uncomfortable.
“Sophie ... Wow, check you, baby, you look freaking amazing.” Gary, an old friend of Arrick’s, appears beside us and kisses me on the cheek before Arry can say anything else. I turn and smile at him. We haven’t seen him in over a year, he is not one of the regulars to this crowd. He was in Australia working for the past few months and I guess he caught wind of Arrick’s party tonight. Apparent that he’s home visiting again.
“Thanks Gary, you’re looking well. Australia must agree with you.” I lean in and receive my kiss on the cheek, something all his friends do. And pull back when he aims a little close to the corner of my mouth with a hand on my hip with a little too firm a grip. It gives me the sudden recoiling urge, and I glance at him warily, tensing my hand in Arry’s.
“You look about ten years older than last time I saw you; fuck me, you’re hot as hell.” He moves back with Arrick’s hand on his chest, a little smile of warning as Arry pulls me back in against him. Clearly getting my signal and dealing with him; he may not be prone to jealousy, but he knows when I need him to protect me.
“Back off Briny, this one’s taken, and if you so much as kiss at her like that again, I’ll break your face.” Arrick smiles, but it’s clear he doesn’t like the drunken way Gary is clinging onto me and swaying into me in an inappropriate way. His eyes have done a full body sweep of me more than once. Arrick removes him from my hip and pulls me back another inch to widen the gap.
“Calm your pants Arry; it’s pretty clear she’s off limits, seeing as you have been man handling her since you walked in. When the hell did that happen? I thought you were shacked up with ….” He nods off towards the corner of the room and Arrick throws him a murderous look.
“Nothing like coming out with the most obvious statements, ehh Briny? This is what happens when you fuck off for months on end and don’t keep in touch.” Arrick sounds mildly pissed, but swigs his beer and shoves the other guy in the shoulder with his bottle in a friendly manner. Weird vibes suddenly and I stand stiff and unrelaxed between them.
“Does that mean Tash is back on the market?” Gary winks, making me tense, and I want to shove his bottle down his throat, but Arrick just shrugs.
“Guess so. Not that she ever actually liked you, but sure that won’t stop you.” Arrick throws him another smile, slides his arm down low on my back and tugs me closer so I am encircled in his protective space with a very clear show of ‘hands off’.
I immediately stare at his profile for a reaction, to see if it bothers him that his so-called mate wants to make a play for his ex, but he gives nothing away. I’m uncomfortable being scrutinized from afar while he has hands on me and I hate the way Gary is now leering at me like he can’t get over the change.
“How about we go dance?” Arry says softly, smiling at me and being my savior in one smooth move. Ignoring his friend and offering me a respite.
“Yes. Definitely.” I smile and sigh in relief, glad for any excuse to get out of here so I can relax again. I don’t see me enjoying this night if it continues like this.
“Watch these, we’re going down to dance.” He orders Gary, handing off our drinks to the table nearby, before catching his fingers in mine again and leading us back to the rear of the room and the direct stair down to the club. This really does feel a lot like that club I was in the night Camilla tried to drug me, and I look around uneasily, trying to push that memory away.
Arrick glances back as we get to the stair and catches Natasha watching us; looking to me with a frown and then a smile and he leads me onwards. He’s trying to act like it doesn’t matter but the odd waves of uneasiness that come off him only put my nerves on edge.
He helps me navigate the stair slowly, sliding a hand over my ass and pulling me against him when we get to the bottom and he leads me across the floor to find a place to dance. He’s always been a great dancer and buddied me over the years, so I look forward to getting in among the bodies already bouncing to the beat. I squeal when he tugs me by the hand into the crowd with a yank, and pulls me in to get moving, clearly back to his normal playful self now that he isn’t monitoring his behavior from prying eyes."
