“Aren’t you going to be cold?” he asked with a strange glimmer in his eye.
“I’m fine,” I said, and got into the elevator as soon as the doors slid open. Next to me, Jenna was wearing black hot pants and a provocative pink top. She was showing way more flesh than I was, and Lion seemed unsure whether he liked it.
The boys walked behind us. When we reached the restaurant, I couldn’t believe the décor and ambience. It was at an elegant spot right next to the pool. It was a privilege to be able to enjoy that place with Nicholas and our friends. I guessed that was how it was when your mother married a millionaire.
We were seated at a nice table next to a trail leading through the gardens. The views were spectacular. Our plates were served quickly, and the food was exquisite and the conversation entertaining.
My phone buzzed, interrupting us. I kept getting calls from an unknown number with someone listening to me silently on the other line.
“Hello?” I said automatically, and a familiar voice responded. It was one of the guys I’d played volleyball with on the beach. Jess, I think his name was. He told me the name of the club and said we should go there as soon as dinner was over.
I communicated his message to Jenna, and she started hopping up and down while Nick gave me a weird look. What the hell was up with him?
I sent him a text. It was ridiculous, but if I didn’t put him in check, he’d ruin our night.
What the hell’s up with you? You’ve been giving me nasty looks since I came out of my room.
It was funny to see his eyes when his phone buzzed and he read my text. He looked back at me as my own phone vibrated.
I think I like it better when you pick your outfits. You shouldn’t wear something you’re not comfortable in.
How did he know Jenna had picked my outfit? Was it so obvious how ridiculous I felt? Jenna was so hot. I must have looked like a stupid doll next to her.
I could have teared up. I’d wanted to make Nick’s jaw drop, and I’d gotten the opposite effect.
I put my phone aside, deciding I wouldn’t answer anymore. I’d never been a girl who dressed up much, but I’d also never really cared what anyone else thought of me, especially guys. Doing that for Nick, and in vain, made me feel stupid.
My phone buzzed again, noisier than before against the surface of the table.
I felt a tingle when I saw the message.
You look precious, Noah.
Our eyes met, and I felt the heat inside me. If he was being serious, he sure had a weird way of showing it.
I was angry with myself for letting those four little words have that effect on me. I shouldn’t have done all that for him. I should have just worn what I had been planning to wear.
“Hey!” Lion nearly shouted. “What’s up with you guys?”
“Nothing,” Nick said, taking a sip from his fine-crystal glass.
“We should go. I told Jess we’d be there in fifteen minutes, and I don’t want to leave him hanging,” I said. If Nick expected me to thank him for that message, he had another thing coming.
As we walked out and toward the club, a blond-haired, blue-eyed guy stopped me: Jess.
“Jeez, Noah…you look…incredible!”
I smiled. See, Nick? That was the attitude I was looking for.
I introduced him to everyone. Nick took a few seconds before shaking his hand, and when he did, I could tell he was squeezing it tightly.
“The club’s right over there. The scene is lit.” Outside, there were two bouncers and a long line of people. “They’re with me,” Jess told one of the bouncers, and after eyeing us up, he let us through. The dance floor was packed with people moving to the rhythm of the music. The lights were distracting, but otherwise, it was the perfect place for a fun evening.
“We’ve got a booth over there,” he said, pointing to an area just off the dance floor in the nicest part of the club. “Follow me.” I tried not to fall over as we cut between all the people. These shoes were deadly, and my feet were already killing me. There were four guys in the booth. I’d already met them on the beach. Now they shouted my name and said a boisterous hello to the rest. The whole situation was funny. Most of the guys had girls with them, and their warm welcome made me like them even better than before. I didn’t fail to notice Jess jockeying to sit next to me or Nick settling in right beside me.
“So, Noah, how long have you been playing volleyball? You were ten times better than any of these losers!” Jess said, passing me a drink. I was nervous as I brought it to my lips. After what had happened the night I met Nick, I didn’t trust anyone who handed me a glass if I didn’t know what was in it.
“It’s fine. I watched them pour it,” Nick whispered. I wanted to thank him, but when I turned, a super-tall, super-hot chick had already come over and sat beside him. Nick turned around and started talking to her, and immediately, rage began eating away at me.
“You want to dance, Jess?” I asked just as Jenna dragged Lion onto the dance floor.
“Hell yeah,” he said. I didn’t even look back at Nicholas before grabbing Jess’s hand and letting him lead me off toward the frenzied dancers.
I’d always loved dancing, and I wasn’t bad at it. I had to thank my mother and her adolescent soul—she used to do all her chores at home with the music at full blast, so I’d never been ashamed to swing my hips. Dancing was fun. But Jess wasn’t the guy I wanted to do it with just then. When I saw Nick appear with that other girl, my heart sank.
He was so sexy when he danced. I’d never seen him do it, and watching him with that blond made me angry and jealous in a way I’d never felt before. His hands went directly to her ass, and I had to turn around and take a deep breath to keep from running off back to my room. I knew we weren’t anything, but I hated seeing him touch another girl, especially right there in front of me. Jess grabbed me around the waist, and I pressed my back into his chest. Nick could see me, and I could tell he was staring.
I wanted to push Jess away. I didn’t feel comfortable, but Nicholas’s every gesture was daring me not to buckle. His cheek touched the blond’s cheek, and she turned her head and whispered something in his ear while I felt the air grow thin…
Even if I was dying inside, that also made me want to respond in kind, so I let Jess wrap his arms around me, grinding my hips into him, feeling his hard body. I was playing with fire, and I knew it.
Nick scowled at me as he nibbled the girl’s earlobe. Watching it, I knew exactly what she was feeling.
That was enough.
I jerked away from Jess and told him to wait for me in the VIP. I said I’d be right back. He nodded, just asking if everything was all right. I eased his mind and walked over to one of the railings around the dance floor. There were still dancers there, but at least I had a little space to try to compose myself.
That was when Nick showed up in front of me. His eyes looked for mine, and he grabbed my hands and pulled me into him. My heart started pounding when I felt his palm on the bare flesh of my back.
“Why do you make me do things I don’t want to?” he asked.
I didn’t respond. I had nothing to say. I was angry at myself for trying to be something I wasn’t and mad at him for calling me out on it.
“You drive me crazy, Noah,” he confessed, his lips grazing my ear.
I looked up at him. I could see he was suffering—from jealousy, from longing, from lust. He wanted me… I drove him crazy. A smile blossomed on my lips.
“You know how to dance,” I said, reaching my arms up over his neck. I touched his hair and stroked his neck slowly, trying to provoke him.
“Don’t do that,” he said, but I didn’t stop. “You’re going to make me do something I can’t do here,” he warned me, jutting his head to the right. I looked over and saw Jenna and Lion watching us as they danced. I wanted to tell Jenna what was really going on, but then I told myself that was insane. No one would just accept such a relationship.