Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel(18)

 

We step inside and my mood brightens considerably as the big beat from the DJ’s mix washes over me. It’s so heavy it feels like it’s guiding my heartbeats. BOOM-BOOM-DA-BOOM-BOOM. My hips move to the rhythm.

 

“Let’s get a drink,” Teagan says, yelling to be heard above the din.

 

“Okay! Shots!” Time to get this party started. I need to take the edge off my nerves. It’s taking every ounce of willpower I have not to scan the room searching for Mick’s blonde head.

 

We make it to the bar and Teagan waves at someone down at the far end. My view of pretty much everything is blocked because I’m too short to see over all the heads. People are standing four deep at the bar trying to get drinks. My toe starts tapping, tapping, tapping. I’m pretending it’s to the beat, but it’s really just nervous energy trying to escape.

 

When the bartender comes into view I almost have a heart attack. Mick. My tapping foot freezes in the up position.

 

“Well, well, well! Look who’s here!” he says, smiling like a fiend.

 

Oh shit. All my plans to act like he’s nothing to me and doesn’t matter start trickling away.

 

One look.

 

That’s all it takes.

 

My eyebrows are no match for his charm and that frigging face of his. Dammit!

 

“We need shots!” Teagan says, bouncing to the beat. “Southern Comfort!”

 

“Wow, you don’t mess around.” Three shot glasses are on the bar and filled in about ten seconds. Mick holds one up towards us. “Skal! To the hottest girls in the entire place!”

 

I take mine like it’s no big deal and wait for Teagan to grab hers. I avoid meeting his eyes.

 

“Cheers,” she says.

 

“I’ll drink to that!” I say loudly, throwing my drink back and downing it with one big swallow. It burns all the way down and leaves a flowery aftertaste in my mouth. I make sure to keep my expression straight.

 

“Uh-oh,” says Mick, winking at me.

 

“What?” I ask, pretending like I don’t know what he’s talking about. He respects my cool alcoholic act. Points for him.

 

“Ready for another?” he asks. He glances at Teagan, but I know he’s talking to me.

 

“One more,” I say. “Then I need to go find me some man-candy to dance near.” There. Let him know I’m not here for him.

 

He lifts an eyebrow but says nothing as he pours out another round for the three of us. He ignores the throngs of people shouting and waving at him for drinks. It makes me feel very VIP special, but I try to ignore that emotion.

 

Teagan raises her glass and drinks the whiskey slowly. Her eyes roam around the room, making me feel like Mick and I are in our own little bubble.

 

He lifts his shot glass in my direction. “Good luck,” he says, and then he slams his drink down this throat.

 

“Good luck? What’s that for?” I ask, holding my glass out in front of me.

 

His voice is strained from the alcohol. “Finding that man-candy.”

 

“Oh, trust me, babe. I don’t need luck.” I swallow the drink in one go and put the glass down. “Come on, Tea-Tea. Time to bust a move.” I slide away from the edge of the bar.

 

“Bye, Mick!” she says, as we walk away.

 

“Bye, Mick,” I say, waving at him over my head but not turning around.

 

I don’t hear it if he answers, and I refuse to turn around and check if he’s watching us walk away. I’m cool. I can do this. He means nothing to me. Nothing. At. All.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER NINE

 

 

 

 

 

AS WE GET TO THE dance floor, the beat changes and turns into something almost dangerous. If there are vampires here tonight, this is the song they’ll dance to, and since I’m a Mick St. John fan from way back, I consider this a good thing. I scan the crowd for men with pale faces as my body easily downshifts into the new rhythm. Teagan and I make our way to the center of the floor where we find a small pocket of space to get our groove on.

 

Within seconds we’re approached by a couple of guys who dance in our personal space wearing jeans that show way too much testicle. I don’t even bother with the eyebrows. I turn sideways and ignore the one closest to me completely. A few seconds later he’s moved on to his next conquest. I say a prayer that the poor girl’s beer goggles aren’t on and totally fogged up.

 

Teagan’s doing the same avoidance thing, but her wannabe date isn’t taking the hint so well. She sends up a silent SOS in the form of crossed eyes at me, so I put my arms over her shoulders and dance really close to her. “Bugger off,” I say, giving him the mean-eyebrow.