Ahead of the Darkness (17 page)

~~~~~~

T
hree hours later I collapsed on my bed, completely spent. Anne had taken me to get some makeup to go with my new outfit and to three different shoe shops, to find just the right ones. She insisted on paying for all of it, no matter how much I protested. I was exhausted, but I was surprised to find I’d actually had fun.

There was a rap at my door and I lifted my head up as Anne poked her head in.

“I can wake you up in an hour or two if you fancy a nap, dear?”

“Okay.”

“I can help you with the makeup, too, if you like?”

“That would be great, if you don’t mind?” She smiled a sad sort of smile and nodded, closing the door behind her. I didn’t really have time to ponder what that was about as I was out like a light not long after. Thankfully, it was a dreamless nap. It could have gone either way.

––––––––

I
walked in the club like I owned the place, and that night, I did. The ridiculously tight, low-hung black jeans, black sequined racer-back top and killer silver heels Anne had bought me looked fantastic. She’d loosely curled my hair and pinned it on top so a few stray wisps flitted here and there. Anne had also fixed my lashes to look thick long and very black, with smoky grey shadow to make mine eye sparkle, and finished it all off with a deep-red lipstick, and a little rouge.

Ego aside, I looked jaw-droppingly good. If all the stares weren’t proof enough, I felt Drew’s eyes instantly lock on my body the moment I walked in. I looked through the crowd and over to the bar confirm as much. His hand had frozen on the tap as the beer continued to flow over the glass, his lips slightly parted in stunned shock. He looked dazed as his eyes made a slow carnal caress up my body. I fought to bite my lip as it felt like an eternity passed, but it was only mere seconds before he locked eyes with me. He looked hungry, ravenous even, I had no doubt that if things between us had been different, he would have jumped that bar and taken me right there in front of everyone.

I couldn’t help the slight smirk that crossed my lips at the thought. He caught it, his jaw shutting locked tight as he angrily removed his eyes from me, shut off the tap and cleaned up the drink, moving onto the next customer.

I had picked a good night. It wasn’t even eleven and the club was slamming. Even with the thick crowd I could feel every time Drew’s eyes came back to me, watching my progress to the bar. As cocky as I felt in that moment, I knew it wouldn’t last. The liquid courage I'd need to keep this game up called to me.

My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I finally made my way through to the bar where Jules was serving. Luckily for me, Mac wasn’t on, but some random guy I’d not seen before. Jules’s jaw dropped open when he saw me.

"Mi? Well, I’ll be a monkey’s arse. Damn, you scrub up fine. What'll it be, then?"

"Tequila." I meant business.

His eyebrows arched ever so slightly as he shot a quick sideways glance to Drew, who looked like at any minute he was going to have an aneurysm.
Ah, Jules.
Ever the quick one, nothing got past him, but he tried hard to hide that he was onto me as he smiled, setting up my shot. I slowly licked my hand suggestively and covered it with salt. I reached for a lime wedge from Jules as he cocked an eyebrow at me, and it took everything in me not to laugh out loud.
Oh!
He seemed to want in on whatever game I was playing.

To answer his unspoken question I grabbed the tequila and shot him a wicked grin. I downed the shot as the adrenaline surged through my veins, and noticed from the corner of my eye Drew’s knuckles turn white on the bottle he threatened to crush as he passed it to a customer. His eyes narrowed as he watched Jules place the lime wedge between his teeth. I slammed the glass down, and in the next instant, I was leaning across the bar, my bum barely contained in the low hung jeans as I reached my hands behind Jules’s neck, bringing his lime-filled mouth to mine.

Jules chuckled lightly against my lips and I pulled back slowly, the lime transferring to my mouth in the process. We shot each other devilish grins as I removed the wedge and threw it in the sink. Jules leaded forward to whisper in my ear.

“What are you up to, Mi?” I giggled, pretending Jules said something naughty and winked at him. The giggle died when I caught sight of the furious look on Drew’s face as he headed our way.

“Chaser?”

“Uh-oh, busted. Make it a double.” Jules stifled his laugh before Drew appeared beside him.

“Get back to work. Mia. I thought
you
weren’t feeling well?”
You? Oh wow, he was mad.
“What are ye doing here? Looking like ye’re on the prowl, mind. What’s gotten into ye the day?” He whisper-shouted the latter, slipping in and out of the brogue. I started to lose my nerve, thinking this was a terrible idea when Jules slipped me my double rum and coke with a
get-it-together
look on his face. I nodded to him, and downed the drink. Drew’s eyes darkened even more.

“Nothing. Not yet.”
Oh God, I didn’t.
Drew’s eyes widened. “Besides, I’m feeling much better.” I placed the empty glass down in front of him, and walked off into the crowd before he could speak.

I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart, the alcohol already hitting me.
Stage one: make an entrance
was complete, but
stage two
would be a little harder. I needed to flirt shamelessly with other men and ignore Drew completely.
Sure, no problem.
The latter would be the greatest of the challenges as Anne had been right: Drew couldn’t keep his eyes off me for long.

I felt the familiar skin prickle as I tried to immerse myself in the throng of dancing bodies. I pulled my big girl pants up, letting my body move and, for the first time, showcasing exactly what I could do with it. I didn’t hold back or try to blend in like I usually would, and it didn’t take long for some guy to move in. I tried to fight the uneasy feeling as the wrong hands went to my swaying hips and caught a glimpse of Drew’s seething expression. I had to remind myself, the whole point of this silly concocted plan was to make Drew jealous, and I needed to keep his eyes on me. The show hadn’t even begun.

For hours, Jules kept me liquored up. He would see me heading towards the bar and my drink would be ready to go when I got there, making it easier to avoid Drew. I made sure I stayed in sight as I danced with every good looking guy I could find, a different one after each drink. Funnily enough, I found it easier to keep track of how much I had to drink. Well, until I reached drink/new guy number six, and then it was anyone’s guess.

I’d been dancing with some guy named Something-Or-Other for a little too long, almost forgetting why I was dancing with him in the first place, but Drew’s ever-present eyes kept reminding me. I could always feel them, and it kept me on a perpetual high, right up until the douche’s hand slipped down the back of my jeans.
Ooookay, high gone.

“Hey!” I slapped his hand away, and tsked at him.

“Aw, baby, I just wanted a little feelski.” He laughed, and moved back in.

“’S’not for you.” Yeah, I was that drunk.

“Yeah, you know you want it.” His hands were back on me, and trying to slide up my top. I wasn’t that drunk, not anymore.

“Okay. You can take your slimy hands and paw someone else, Mister. I just want to dance.”
For ... oh no, I’ve lost my Drew.

I couldn’t feel him looking at me, and I tried to search through the crowd but I couldn’t see the bar. Handsie had somehow danced us further away. I turned to see we were nearly up against the bathroom doors.
Oooooh shit.
I was quickly sobering up as I realised the potentially sticky situation I seemed to have gotten myself in.

“Yeah, I’m going over here now.”

I started to walk back into the crowd, the bar just coming into view, and finally locked eyes with Drew. He looked furious, more so than I’d ever seen him.
Uh-oh.
I watched his eyes darken further as meaty hands wrapped around my arm, halting my movement. I was roughly tugged backwards, losing sight of Drew, into a hard chest. I tried to pull free, but he had an iron grip. He spun me around, and I instinctively kneed him square in the junk before he could react, dropping my arms instantly. I almost fell on my arse when familiar warm hands caught me around the middle. I smiled. He was always there to catch me, but my grin died when Drew’s hands dropped me like a hot potato. He moved in front of me, and
BAM!
Handsie was out for the count, and my jaw dropped to the floor. In one swift punch, Drew had knocked the guy out cold.
Daaaamn.

Drew spun around and glared at me. I was still too drunk to deal with that. I snapped my mouth closed and turned on my heels, walking off into the dwindling crowd. What was the expression about leaving pissed Scots alone? I didn’t have time to remember if there was one as once again, I was tugged back, spinning around when Drew pulled my hand.

“Oh, no ye don’t.”

“I ...” The words died as Drew bent forward, and swung me up onto his shoulder. “Oh God, Drew! I’m sorry. Don’t drop me!” He stalked off, with me dangling over his shoulder and headed for the front door. “Where ...?”

“Enough!”

Well, fuck. He’s going to kill me.

I lifted my head up to see a laughing Jules wave me out the door, and I shot him a worried look, making him laugh even harder.

I was expecting Drew to drop me on my arse outside, but to my shock, and the security guard’s amusement, he kept walking. He couldn’t be seriously considering walking the two blocks to his house with me on his shoulder.
Could he?

Apparently, he could. Not a word was spoken the whole way there. I didn’t dare say a thing. The heat radiating off a furious Drew was enough to keep my mouth securely closed. I even fought the giggle threating to break free as I watched his arse wiggle all the way up the two flights of stairs to his apartment door. He wasn’t even puffed as he fished his keys roughly out of his pocket. He slid the door open, almost breaking it off the tracking and stormed through the doorway, unceremoniously dumping me on the bench.

I’d never been so terrified in my life, and that was saying something, but I wasn’t afraid of Drew. I knew he’d never hurt me, not physically at least. I was terrified that I’d pushed him right over the edge and lost him.

I sat on the bench, chewing on my lip as I watched Drew pace back and forth along the room, mumbling incoherently to himself.
God—

“
—
say something.” I clapped my mouth shut as he stopped pacing, and slowly turned to look at me.

“Like what? That, that
fuck
was going to rape you, in
my
club’s bathroom.” I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat.

“I ... I had it under control.”
Sort of.
He took a few steps closer towards me.

“Oh, ye did, did ye? It dinnae look like it from where I’d been watching. Watching all fucking night while you let arsehole after arsehole put their hands on ye. All fucking night, dancing all over them.”
Wait, what?

“I did not. I was just dancing, having fun, like you’re always telling me to do. Live a little, you say.”
Oooh, he didn’t like that.
He got closer still, until he was standing right in front of me. Steam was practically coming out of his ears.

“Ye’re trying to tell me it’s my fault ye got pissed off yer tits and almost raped?”

“NO!” Now I was getting mad. “God. Stop saying that word. Nothing happened. I’m fine. So I had a few drinks and danced with some men, big, fucking, deal. What’s your problem?”

“My problem?
My
problem?”

“Yes! I had it under control. I’d kneed the fucker in the dick, for fuck’s sake.” I was getting more and more worked up. “And you had to storm in, like, like you
own
me. Like I’m your stupid problem.” His got right in my face, slamming his hands on either side of me, caging me in. I jumped, a little.

“I couldnae fucking see ye, Mia. I got so bloody mad at ye, I stopped watching ye throw yerself about. I stopped looking for five fucking minutes and ye were gone. I thought ye left with one of the pricks, and I saw red.” He growled out. “Then I saw ye with that fucker. I’d nae been so mad and so relieved, all at the same time, but when he grabbed ye ... I should have killed the fucker.”

“What?”

“Ye dinnae get it, do ye? Ye are my fucking problem.” I was about to protest when Drew pulled my face roughly to his, everything evaporated as he crushed his lips to mine.

He pulled back, the heat still blazing in his eyes as he franticly searched my face. I just stared at him in utter bewilderment, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

“And I do own ye.” He smirked, right before he claimed my mouth again.

There was nothing soft or gentle about the way Drew kissed me. It was rough, it was hard, and so fucking intense I could barely breathe, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him in closer, my fingers tangling in his hair. He smiled against my lips and begun trailing kisses along my jaw and up to my ear.

“I own ye,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered. I tugged his hair, lifting his face up and he growled.

“Prove it!” I crushed my lips to his, finally taking what I wanted.

Kicking my shoes across the room, I pulled Drew’s jacket off and let it drop to the floor. His teeth sunk into my lip, and I shuddered as he sucked it, hard, releasing it with a pop.

“Off!” His voice was thick as he tugged my shirt, pulling it up and over my head, freeing my breasts.

I bit my lip nervously as Drew paused to take me in. I sucked in a ragged breath and Drew lifted his eyes back up to mine, the same hungry look I’d seen at the club in them. He rushed to pull his shirt off, tossing it on the floor with his jacket, and captured my mouth again. I moaned into his mouth as my nipples made contact with his bare chest, his fingers trailing down my spine to squeeze my waist, pulling me in closer. I rolled my hips up, pressing hard against Drew’s erection.