I couldn’t hear the music anymore; the world had shrunk down to the two of us in this dark corner and the beat vibrating through the walls, pulsing at my back. I swallowed my nerves as he leaned his face closer to mine, moving slowly as if afraid he’d scare me and I’d run off. I didn’t want him to think of me as some fragile little girl because that would ruin this for me. I’d never done this before, sure, but if I was going to do it, I was going to enjoy myself. Tilting my chin up, I met his lips, covering his mouth with mine. Our first kiss was slow and warm and I caught his full lower lip with my teeth, grazing it as I pulled away. Growling low, he shifted his hips a little closer to me and slipped his hand around my waist, pressing against my lower back and making me arch up into him as he crushed my mouth in a more urgent, demanding kiss.
I circled my arms around his neck and responded to his kiss in kind, opening to his probing tongue. He brought his hand down from the wall and slipped his fingers into my hair, grabbing a handful at the base of my neck, and stepped fully into me. My back was pressed against the wall and his body was pressed into mine. I found my hips swiveling against his. He made sounds deep in his throat, making his lips almost tickle mine as I moved against his body. As if we couldn’t get close enough to each other, I clawed at his back, pulling him as he pressed against me. I lifted my right leg, hooking onto his hip. Giovanni let go of the near painful hold on my hair and cupped my leg, hiking it just another inch higher and grinding against me. He broke our kiss only to lower his face to my neck, biting and sucking against the sensitive muscles that throbbed with my pulse.
Lifting my face, I moaned quietly, letting my eyes close and enjoying his attention. I had a small moment of panic as his right arm slipped out from my waist and I felt his searching fingers slide under the fabric of my shirt and begin gliding up my ribs. I beat the emotion down, wanting to enjoy this moment. His fingers were rough against the lace of my bra and I felt every nerve ending respond to his touch. I felt him bite down on my shoulder muscle, making me gasp.
He pressed his hips against me. I slipped my fingers into his dark hair, glad to find it wasn’t greasy with product as I twined it in my grasp, and drew his face back up to mine and claimed his mouth, hungry and nearly desperate with need. I bit at his lip again and his hand spasmed under my leg, his fingers digging into the muscle. Through our open connection, I could feel that he was trying very hard to control himself. Our bodies were moving with the beat of the music floating up to us, not nearly so loud up here, and my lips were full and swollen from his attention, so it was with no small amount of disappointment that the crackle of his walkie-talkie came to life from his waistband at his back.
“Gio!” an annoyed male voice called out through the speaker. “Let’s go! Your break is up and they need you in the bar!”
“Damn it.” His voice was rough and muffled against my shoulder where he had dropped his head when the interruption startled us back to reality. I was breathing harder than I should, but with the rate my heart was beating, I couldn’t help it. He hadn’t let go of my leg yet, so we were still very close, but he had shifted enough that our bodies weren’t pressed against each other now.
I ran my nails along his bare arms, tracing inconsequential designs along his muscles as I caught my breath, letting him lean against me for as long as he needed. Although our tryst was cut short and I was a little disappointed by that, I still felt exhilarated and was enjoying the wash of heat and desire coming from Giovanni. I let our connection stay open as his emotions swirled around me in a heady mixture, making my ego swell. Finally he blew out a breath against the skin of my neck, making me shiver, and he slowly lowered my leg until my foot found the ground.
“Sorry about this.” He made a gesture with his hand as if indicating the voice that was still demanding his appearance at the bar.
“No worries,” I said, letting my hands fall away from his arms when he took a step back from me.
He reached out, curling his fingers around the back of my neck and pulling me close to him again, pressing a slower, softer kiss to my lips. I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from reaching out to him for more, letting him break the kiss naturally before gesturing for me to open the door I was still standing in front of. I straightened my clothes before grasping the handle and leading the way down the stairs and back out into the theater.
The heat and emotions of hundreds of bodies hit me first, slamming into my chest and making me stumble backwards into Giovanni. He caught me around the shoulders and helped steady me, asking, “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry, must’ve caught my foot on something,” I said quickly, smiling to cover the tremble in my voice. He looked at me for a moment before accepting what I said and waiting for me to go through the door. He caught my hand and gave it a squeeze before he made his way to the bar. I realized there was a scrap of paper in my hand just before I dropped it. Catching it, I squinted in the low lights and saw it was his name and his phone number written in script like writing. I smiled like a schoolgirl and felt my ego swell just a little more.
“Go me,” I whispered to myself before I slipped the paper into my pocket and turned towards the crowd and started to make my way to find my friends.
Chapter 8
I felt amazing. Exhilarated. Refueled. For one fleeting moment, I thought about Liam’s words, calling me an emotional vampire, but my rush of endorphins drowned out those thoughts. I planned to go straight to Jodi and Steven to join them for the rest of the concert now that I felt well enough to withstand the crowd, but I felt so empowered after the rush of emotions and heat from Giovanni that I let the gyrating crowd take me. My legs bounced fluidly with the beat of the music and my hips swiveled with the press of the crowd.
I was a body among the masses, losing my sense of individuality and riding the wave of euphoria of so many lost in the music. Hands touched my hips, slid around my stomach, arms brushed against mine with electric shocks of skin on skin, and as I moved, hard bodies formed around me, dancing with me intimately. And I let it have sway with me. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms above my head and danced. Sweat broke out along the small of my back and under my collarbones, trickling down my cleavage as I moved and I breathed in the pungent smell of the crowd. Lust, bliss, heat, it was all there.
Eventually I found Jodi and Steven before I ever opened my eyes. Jodi’s hand caught mine and we danced together, my right hip fitting against hers as we hung on to each other in a way guys never got to do together. I was aware of Steven’s heat at my back as he stepped into my space, his hips finding the rhythm our bodies set. I felt his fingers at my waist, searing my skin as he held onto me for the ride, but the pain was secondary and I never broke stride. I hooked my fingers into Jodi’s belt loops to keep my balance as I arched my back and pressed my shoulders into Steven, letting him lead me and in turn leading Jodi to swish and pivot her hips to keep time with me.
I finally opened my eyes to gaze up at the rafters soaring above me, not wanting to focus on any one body lest I lose the high I was riding. Steven’s masculine energy pulsed deep and animalistic at my back, setting me on fire, and I knew my skin ran red where he pressed into me. Jodi’s femininity was primal and fierce, the swell of her hips pressed into mine, swirling something inside of me as her power flared and faded in time with the music.
I let my head fall back against Steven’s chest and closed my eyes again, letting the crowd press closer to us, enveloping us in the molten energy. Sweat beaded on my forehead and slipped down my face. My entire body was flush with the power of the music and so many people. I couldn’t remember the last time I could stand in the middle of a crowd like this, bursting with emotions and primitive desires, but tonight it rushed into me, both grounding and uplifting me. I felt as though I could open a hole in the ground large enough to level the theater and not even break a sweat as I did. It was dangerous, and I loved it.
All too soon, the song faded, taking the spell with it as the last hum of the guitar fa
ded and silence filled the room. The band waited on the stage for their well-deserved applause, but the crowd was still coming back to its senses. I blinked against the light that was suddenly all around us now that the set was over. Steven didn’t push me away, but instead took a half step forward to take the weight of my body and relax the arch in my back and I let him, feeling content as he slid his arms around my waist to slip his fingers into the front pocket of my jeans. I tugged on one side of Jodi’s jeans and made her spin around and into me so she was resting against me in the same way.
The band was still standing awkwardly on the stage, slowly lowering their instruments and preparing to sulk away backstage, unable to understand the silence. I felt like I’d cast the spell, so I had to break it; I tilted my head away from Jodi’s and let out a wild yell, cheering the band, and the crowd around us burst into cheers and applause, deafening the band members. I was pleased to watch the smiles break out on their faces and their confidence roar back into their postures. You could even see the lead singer blow out a breath and laugh before clapping the bassist on the shoulder as they walked off stage so the final band could set up their instruments.
***
Getting out of the theater was much harder than getting in. Before, everyone was going in the same direction, even if in a mob, but now some wanted to go out while others seemed to be trying to get to the stage and still others just wanted to mill in the lobby. Me? I just wanted to get out so people would stop trying to push me in all three directions. Jodi and I held hands to keep from being separated and Steven and Anthony were in front of us trying to make a path to the front doors. The power and energy I had absorbed throughout the night still sang in my blood and snapped along my skin, keeping me sane.
Even when we broke through the threshold and spilled out into the night, the cool air didn’t reach us right away. I turned away from the pull of the crowd and stumbled out to a clear patch of ground and the air wooshed around us, swirling and lifting my hair from my shoulders and away from Jodi’s face. I took in a slow, deep breath before blowing out and releasing the tension from my back.
“You okay?” Jodi asked while turning to look back at the crowd to search for Steven, who hadn’t realized I’d pulled us away.
“I am now,” I said as I let go of her hand and shook out my arms and rolled my head on my shoulders. Jodi let out a loud, piercing whistle by putting two fingers in her mouth, and I instinctively ducked as my hands flew to cover my ears.
“Dude!” I swore as I peeked open an eye to see her waving her hand in the air to get Steven’s attention.
“Sorry,” she said, but it was dismissive at best. The concert had made her hyper, that much was obvious as she bounced on her toes until Steven finally spotted her.
“Amazing concert, right?” She turned her wide blue eyes to me, and I saw, even in the dim street lights, that they sparkled with pent up energy. I wondered if that’s what I had looked like on the dance floor. Now that that music was gone and the mob wasn’t pressing against me, I could still feel the power built inside of me, but I no longer felt wild and feral. I don’t think Jodi could say the same.
“How did you get over here?” Anthony asked once he and Steven were close enough.
“We walked,” I said, shrugging one shoulder.
“Smartass,” Steven said before slipping his arm around Anthony’s waist. I could feel his affection radiating off of him in waves, each one a warm breath of air on my face, like the heat of a fire on a winter night. Anthony knew I was only teasing him, so I didn’t further embarrass him by apologizing for the sarcasm. I pulled a hair tie out of my pocket and caught my hair up into a messy ponytail while we waited for the mad rush of people out of the theater to die down. There was very little point in trying to get to my car quickly as we’d most likely be sitting in the parking lot just waiting to back out of the parking space.
“You guys were amazing in there, by the way,” Anthony spoke up and his voice was light enough to take the edge off of Steven’s energy.
“Yeah, Jodi and Steven have always been good dancers,” I said as I tried in vain to finger comb my ponytail, finally giving up after nearly pulling out a lock of hair.
“I meant you too,” he said, giving me a confused look when I blinked at him. “When you came out for that second to last band, you were really something.”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head, pushing my fingers into my jeans pockets. “I can’t really dance. That was them.” I indicated both Jodi and Steven with my chin.
“Oh, you can dance all right,” he insisted. “Hell, if I wasn’t as secure as I am, I’d think you were competition.” He grinned at me before adding, “You probably scared off any guys either of them had their eye on tonight.”
I felt a blush creep up my neck and warm my face as he studied me, and my stomach flipped when his eyes trailed down, almost as if he were sizing me up, like he really believed I could be competition for Steven’s affection.
“Not that I minded; the three of you were sexy as hell dancing together.” He slipped his arms around Steven’s waist and pulled him into a kiss, proving he wasn’t just trying to flatter us.
“Well good, I’ll just assume it was your guys’ fault that no one seemed to notice me tonight,” Jodi said, bumping me in the hip with hers, hard enough to shift my weight.
“Okay, okay, let’s get to the car.” I started forward, grabbing Jodi’s hand as I led the way. That was enough talk about what I looked like when I danced.
“Break it up, fellas!” Jodi yelled as we marched past them towards the street. Steven broke away from Anthony and stuck his tongue out at us before they followed us across the street and to the parking lot. I had no idea where Anthony was parked, but the boys were going to walk us to my car.
“Good, I parked in here too,” Anthony said from somewhere behind us as we headed down the aisle where I could see the chrome bumper of my Camaro sticking out.
I was digging my key out of my pocket when we heard raised voices and I was sure I could suddenly smell the sickly sweet scent of sweat in the air. It was pungent and hinted at blood if the metallic taste on the back of my tongue was anything to go by.
“Do you hear that?” Jodi asked, her brow pinched as she looked off to the left, inadvertently pulling us in that direction while I fought to keep us going straight.
“Nope.”
“I hear it,” Steven said, confusion in his voice. They could feel me lying, but I pushed the thought out of my head and continued resolutely forward.
“It sounds like yelling,” Anthony offered. I set my jaw and tried not to roll my eyes when he spoke. I felt Jodi’s hand start to pull in the direction of the noise. I clenched the muscles in my arm to keep her with me.
“I know you hear that, Shay,” Jodi said.
“Nope.” I shook my head and gritted my teeth. The damn car was only ten feet away. I had my key in my free hand, having pulled it off of my key ring so that I didn’t have to carry all of my keys with me without my purse to hide them in the theater.
“Shouldn’t we see what’s wrong?” Steven asked, and I could tell he’d stopped walking. I sighed loudly and dropped my head, giving up and stopping so that Jodi wouldn’t keep pulling on me.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” I asked, turning to look at him.
“Maybe someone needs help.” Guilt snapped down the line to me and punched me in the gut. It sounded like an equal fight to me and was probably just a bunch of drunken hooligans from the concert working out some tension, but what if? That was always what got me. What if? What if it was a mob beating up on someone weaker and alone? What if some girl was being attacked and raped and the voices were monsters cheering other monsters on? What if someone died tonight and we didn’t even go look and call the police? Self-preservation wasn’t always top priority, but I had tried to get them into the car, you had to give me that much.
“Fine,” I conceded, “let’s go look.” I waved my free hand in the dir
ection of the noise and roiling emotions growing thicker in the cold night. I just hoped we weren’t going to regret this.
***
The fight wasn’t as far away as I thought it was, but the buildings in between us gave it a muffled quality. But I was right in thinking it was more than just two guys fighting; it looked like there were at least three fights going on, and for every fight, at least five spectators cheered and screamed. My mind tried to reject what I saw because the violence and anger tore at my skin and my reason. For a moment, I thought I was watching animals fighting over scraps of food it was so brutal and ridiculous.
In that moment, I was glad I didn’t have a jacket on as sweat broke out along my arms as the waves of body heat and anger seared me. I wondered if anyone else felt it as acutely as I did. We hadn’t even crossed the next street to be on the same block as the riot. Steven and Anthony were slightly ahead of Jodi and me, but I wasn’t really worried about either of us getting attacked; no one had even noticed our approach.
“What exactly is it that you wanted to do?” Anthony asked, and I gave him a little more credit for not trying to rush to anyone’s rescue.
“Just make sure it wasn’t some poor person getting killed,” Steven offered with a shrug.
“Okay, well, we’ve seen it,” I said, starting to pull Jodi backwards. “Someone get your cell out and call the cops and let’s get the hell out of here.”
“I got it,” Anthony said, reaching into his front pocket and pulling out his phone. I heard the tones as he pressed the numbers for 911 and managed to get Jodi turned around in the direction of my car, but it was slow going. I could feel her strange desire to wait and see if anyone needed help, but primal instinct raged in my mind, giving me tunnel vision in the direction I wanted to go and screaming in my head to get away.
Elemental Series Omnibus Edition Books 1-4 Page 91
