Chapter Two

Vekra

The moment stretches, intensifies and his midnight blue eyes are all I can see even from this distance.

The rest of the club falls away from my awareness and fades away. There is only me and him and a room between us. He is hot. He is dark. He is everything sinful embodied in one delectable package and I have never hungered for anyone like I do right now.

"Vekra." I hear someone say but it is like the sound of a gnat by my ear, insignificant.

"Vekra!" I hear again, really close. I startle and glance to the side to find my three friends looking between me and the entrance where the male is.

"Yes?" I say but I am already turning back to find the male. There is only empty space where he was once.

I go through a little moment of panic where I fear that I lost him, or moon forbid, imagined him?

I scan the dimly lit room urgently and they land on him just as he slides onto a bar stool, and of course he and his friends are at the counter right in front of the barman.

I exhale a sigh of relief, I did not lose him.

"Looks like someone's changed their mind about getting a man tonight." Alec says with a smirk.

I can't deny it and I don't even want to. It is pretty obvious I was ogling him from half a room away.

"This night just got that much more interesting." I say, my eyes going back to where he sits in the middle of his pack.

I find his eyes already on me and a pleasant shock ripples through me. Oh, the attraction is mutual alright.

"Did someone say strip?" I say with a smile.

With an extra roll in my hips, I head towards the bar and when I get there, I take my time stepping on a long stool and climbing onto the platform.

Eyes find me instantly and with each passing second, more of the folk are looking my way. I have the attention of more than half of the house now but there is only one man I am interested in.

The male watches my every move, the rest of his body immobile as his eyes follow me. There is coolness in those eyes, an inaccessibility that I take as a challenge.

Can I entice you? My eyes ask him.

You can try. His reply.

One more shot of whiskey, it is all the liquid courage I need before I flip my hair to my back.

The room dims and the rotating globe of light hones in on me, highlighting me in different colours while the rest of the club remains dim.

The music changes, becoming lower, more sultry and I begin to sway.

I do not take my eyes off him as my hand glides to the top of my short tank top. I finger the edge for a beat, relishing the frisson of anticipation in his eyes before I slowly raise my top and slide it over my head.

He is no longer sitting down relaxed, nope. He is sitting up and watching me with a devoted dedication that makes my mouth run dry. I have a banging hot body, it is one of the things you just know about yourself growing up but I have never felt sexier in my life than I do in this moment, a good distance away from this male while his eyes ravish me.

I touch my body while he watches, smoothing a hand over my arm, ghosting them over my neck, over my collarbone and barely gliding them over my breasts and my stomach. The intensity and appreciation in those eyes is like a drug I am hooked to. I am intoxicated by this feeling.

I ignore the whistles and catcalls all over the room and grab another shot of whiskey. I down it without looking away from him.

I hook a hand through the band of my bum short and pause, waiting for his reaction.

Should I stop or should I continue?

His brow cocks up.

What are you waiting for?

You aren't ready baby.

Try me.

I smile, a wicked wicked smile full of secrets and then I push the waist band of my shorts down. I stop, then I slide it back up to rest on my waist, my fingers not leaving the hook and I am gratified by the impatient surge of desire that turns his midnight blue eyes darker, closer to black now.

And then I push the waist band all the way down. Taking my time, I shimmy my legs out of his each trouser hole and kick the shorts over the bar.

The club erupts in male cheers and grunts of encouragement. I stand there, my hips rolling to the seductive music and my fingers go to the hand of my bra.

I pull the bans down, sliding it slowly over my arms. The club hushes, everyone waiting as the full crests of my breasts are slowly unveiled. I wink, my dare does not include underwear.

I drop my hands suddenly and leap off the bar, landing nimbly on my feet. Shouts of appreciation are followed by wails of disappointment as the room realises that this is the end of my performance and I throw them a salute as I retreat into the shadows, finally taking my eyes off him.

I feel the heat of his eyes on my back the entire time.

My friends are at the back waiting for me. Alec has my clothes in her hands and I grab them and begin pulling the top over my head.

"That was..." Ellean says with wide eyes.

"Oh she went the extra mile alright." Marina completes it for her.

"You wanted a show. I delivered." I tell them as I pull my short over my hips.

"Nuh-uh." Alec says. "The entire room could feel the tension between you two. It was so thick I could cut it with a butter knife. That show was for a certain hot wolf."

I cannot deny that.

"Guilty." I say. "You three won't mind me running off would you? Your girl is going to get laid."

They cheer like I won a lottery and I laugh.

"Are you sure he is the one?" Alec asks.

I nod emphatically.

"I am ready." I say.

"Go on, go on." Marina says, waving me away. "I have two more people to humiliate."

Alec and Ellean's laughter die down as they realise they are next. I wish I could stay to see them humiliated but his presence out there is like a siren call I cannot ignore.

"You'll need this." Alex says, shoving a shot of whiskey in my hand.

"I'll need three." I reply.

I end up downing three shots simultaneously.

"See you later!" I tell them and I sashay out, leaving them behind.

I watch him from the shadows first.

He is no doubt the alpha of the group and he is talking to a male from his pack who is also hot.

What about this man has me so fixated? What about him appeals to me so much to the point of changing my mind about my unintentional vow of celibacy?

I stagger a little and have to grab the wall to support myself. The movement seems to capture his attention and he looks into my pocket of shadow and pins me with a glance. I don't pretend like I was not looking. I walk out of the shadows towards him deliberately.

The other male has stopped talking now. He and the rest of the pack watch me approach. I stop in front of the alpha and I put a hand on my hip.

"Busy?" I ask him.

He eyes me up and down, slowly, thoroughly. His gaze makes me feel like I lost my top and my shorts like earlier and I am standing before him in just my underwear. I wait until his eyes meet mine again and I raise a brow in question.

"No." He says.

I vaguely notice the other wolves making way and giving the both of us space as I slide onto the seat beside him. My thigh brushes his in the process, sending a thrill through me. He does not move away.

I motion for a shot and whiskey is placed in front of me. I grab it and take a sip, trying to slow the pounding of my heart in my ears. Can he hear it? It is all I can hear.

"That was an interesting performance." He says.

I glance at him and he has his chin in his hands studying me.

A sweet ache rushes through me to cup his face and I cannot help but stare at his lips. They look soft. They are the only part of him that looks soft. I look back up into his eyes and he caught me staring.

I smile. I am usually more reserved than this. It must be the whiskey.

"A dare." I say.

"I enjoyed it." He says in a way that says that those words are an understatement.

I look at him and he is staring unabashedly at my lips. I down another shot of whiskey to wet my dry mouth.

"Are you always so forward?" I ask him.

Being this close to him is doing things to me. I feel light and dizzy and my body feels electrified. His thigh is still pressed against mine and the heat from his skin causes an answering heat to bloom in my middle. I have never been so attracted to someone before.

"I could argue that you have been the forward one." He says.

"Touché." I say.

Another shot.

"Whiskey huh?" He says.

It takes me a second to realise he is referring to my drink and thus to my mortality.

"For now." I say and look him in the eye. "Is that a problem?"

"I will be too much for you to handle." He says.

My heart skips seven beats and nearly leaps out of my chest in a self immolation spree.

"Why don't I be the judge of that?" I ask.

He looks amused.

"Come here." He says.

I slide off my stool as he swivels his to face me.

I wedge myself between his long powerful legs, my skin prickling. My body feels like it is overheating and the heat coming off his body in waves is not helping, drawing me ever closer like a helpless fish in a current.

I look up at him and this close, I see his eyes are not a simple midnight blue like I thought. There are specks of silver in them. He is beautiful.

His hand comes up to rest on my shoulder right beneath my neck and the expression on his face is complex, like he is looking at a puzzle he does not think he can ever solve.

"You are beautiful." He says, looking directly into my eyes.

I gasp because those simple words sent a shock of pleasure that resonated down to my bones and curled my toes.

His eyes fixate on my lips and seeing the hunger in those eyes, hunger for me, hunger to taste me, it is more intoxicating than the richest whiskey.

I catch a whiff of his scent; sandalwood. My body is on fire. I think I moan.

His hand smoothes down my shoulder, down my sides and to my waist, the path catching fire and burning. I am no longer breathing. He grabs my waist and pulls me into him.

When I feel the hard bulge in front of his trousers against my belly, a groan escapes my lips.

His eyes find mine and all amusement has left them. Now, his brows are lowered a little and his fingers dig into my waist as if he is trying his hardest to hold himself back. I don't want that.

I close the distance between us and press my lips to his.

The world buckles around me and I gasp. He takes charge of the kiss, his other hand holding my neck in place as he moves his lips over mine.

Gods.

His lips are as soft as they look. They are soft and yet firm as they explore my mouth thoroughly. It is all too much. I want to take a moment to catch my breath, to re-evaluate that this male might be too much for me to handle afterall but he is relentless and he does not give me a chance to escape. I am a fly caught in his web, and nothing has ever felt so good as being devoured. A whimper starts in my chest and makes its way up.

My fingers are somehow in his hair, running through the short carpet of thick hair. My hand is fluttering over his body, trying to feel as much of him as I can at once. This is what drowning must feel like. I want to sink far beneath the sea and never come back up.

He nibbles on my lower lip and I gasp and then his tongue is in my mouth, invading the space, exploring every crevice, claiming me. My senses tighten and threaten to explode and my knees give way. I would have fallen the floor, a puddle of need and lust if his hands on my waist did not grab me and pull me to him, holding me up.

He lifts off the floor with the single hand and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. His huge bulge settles between my thighs, digging deliciously into my skin.

I am alive. I am electric. I am sin. I am sex.

He lifts his head from mine and I groan in protest. My lashes flutter up.

He looks far from amused. In fact, there is a frown on his brows as he stares down at me intently.   

My heart stutters. Does he not want me?

"What is wrong?" I whisper.

"I want you. Now." He says.

My head is spinning from a combination of whiskey and desire but those words are the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

I smile, relieved.

"What do you say we get a room?" He asks.

I lean into his ear to whisper, holding onto his shoulder to steady myself.

"I would like nothing more." I say.