Page 39 of King of Clubs

Tonight was going to be fun and hopefully if the stars aligned, I would again be memorable for a certain thunderous man.

The club was busy when we arrived, even busier than the first time we were here, but Andy and the boys had a table as expected. Arna headed straight to Andy, leaving Flick and I to grab seats among Jack, Jay and the rest of the table of footy players. I was surprised to see Jay as he’d maintained a pretty low profile since a tabloid saga last season which saw his career end prematurely. In the thick of a media frenzy, he took the blame for a pretty shitty drug scandal which was not even remotely on him. That alone gave Jack, among others, the chance to avoid the media debacle which followed as well as continue with their careers entirely unscathed. He was a good guy and it was nice to see him out. He was also Jack’s biggest supporter and the first one to acknowledge how easy it is to make mistakes, like using recreational drugs, when on the wrong end of social pressures.

“Move!” Felicity barked at him, the scowl she usually graced him with marring her otherwise gorgeous features. We couldn’t ever be together without her and Jay spending at least half the night arguing. She didn’t tend to agree with my glowing assessment, but couldn’t give you a valid reason as to why.

To be honest, I was of the opinion they needed to bang and be done with it. Despite the insults, swearing and scowls, their chemistry was off the charts and if they would stop fighting for more than two minutes, they’d see that.

“Are you always this angry, Autumn?” Jay questioned, gently tugging her long amber strands and I bit my lip to hide my smirk.

“Touch me again and I will break your fingers,” she leaned across him, snatching his half-drunk beer and claiming it as her own. Throwing his head back he laughed which only deepened her scowl.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

I glanced around at the gathering of happy faces, everyone here to celebrate keeping their captain, as they clinked their glasses and sipped their drinks. Jack put his beer down, standing and engulfing me in a hug which lifted my feet from the ground before planting a wet kiss on my cheek.

“Hey, Jacky!” I exclaimed. “How freaking awesome was your goal the other week? I was screaming loud enough that I was certain you would have heard me.”

I’d watched him play for the Hearts long before we ever crossed paths. Dad had even mentioned him as one to keep an eye on when he was first drafted and I still couldn’t believe he was someone I now called a friend. He always seemed happy to see me, which was nice, especially when I didn’t have many friends of my own.

“You know I kicked that goal for you, right?” his eyes sparkled as he put me back on the ground and turned to have a sip of his beer. One of the things I admired about him was how he oozed confidence yet he maintained a respectful and friendly demeanour. There was no denying he was attractive and I knew he could have any woman he wanted in this place if he cared enough to try, although he never seemed interested and I often wondered if he had some secret fetish none of us knew about. Or maybe the rumours were true and he did have someone back home he wasn't ready to share with everyone. He was a little younger than the rest of the boys, but nothing would surprise me.

“Sure you did. You say that to all the girls, don’t you?” I joked, hitting him on the arm and taking the empty seat next to him. “I’m seriously proud of you. It wasn’t an easy shot and after the siren! Match winners mean additional pressure,” I added, taking a sip of the vodka that Andy handed me.

“You are such a Hearts loser. I love it, Marleeeeee,” he said, extending my name with a grin.

“I’m aware,” I said, patting him condescendingly on the head. “So, are we looking for afriendfor you tonight?” I was semi-serious but also doing my part in our mission to investigate the validity of our assumptions.

“Nah. I’m done with the partying life. Happy to be on the sidelines these days,” he answered with a nod. “When out anyway.”

I smiled and patted his cheek kindly. He was so hard on himself, but I was glad he was here because it meant we could keep each other company.

Determined and feeling slightly reckless I threw back the rest of my drink and grabbed Jack by the hand.

“Let’s dance, Mr. Mature, maybe we can scope the floor to see if there is someone half-decent now you’re a grown man. Unless there is someone you haven't told me about?” I teased, studying his face for any kind of reaction. But, he gave me nothing worth reporting back to the girls. Scanning the table I saw Flick chatting animatedly with some of the boys and Andy and Arna connected at the mouth so I called across to them that we were off to dance.

“Maybe you two should get a room,” I added, depicting a gagging gesture in their direction. Shaking my head at a laughing Jay, I turned back to Jack and took his extended hand as he dragged me behind him to the dance floor.

I’d thought about seeing Sebastian tonight when I was in the car on the way here, and the alcohol coursing through me made the giddiness again rise to the surface. Flick and Arna had even played hypotheticals asking me how I would react if he cleared the dance floor and went allDirty Dancingstyle, or overtook the DJ booth and started singing a song to me – both of which had me in a horrified fit of giggles. I wanted to see him, but if either of those things occurred, I would be mortified.

A Calvin Harris song began and the crowd erupted, moving closer as bodies swayed and collided.

I loved music.

I loved the freedom it provided as the sound took over and moved through you.

I sang loudly and off-key with half of the words probably – most definitely – wrong, as I threw my head back and my arms in the air. Closing my eyes for a brief moment I felt unencumbered.

Here I was in public, dancing and singing, light from the alcohol, safe with my people and in a space I knew I was protected. It was exhilarating and as the song came to a crescendo I smiled, looking towards Jack in appreciation. He raised his brows for a brief moment as he looked over my shoulder and the hairs on the back of my neck stood alert. The oceanic smell of fresh clean skin washed over me as warm hands gripped my hips and soft lips grazed my cheek. A deep voice echoing in my ear with words spoken only for me.

“You look gorgeous. But you know that, don’t you?” Heat spread through my body at the affirmation and the feel of his brazen touch. Smiling both at his presence and to reassure Jack I was okay, I turned to look at Sebastian over my shoulder and was greeted with a subtle raise of his brow.

It was the first time I’d seen this side of him, playful almost but with a scarily serious veil, and suddenly I was thrust back into the hallway, his lips against mine. I was struck by the depth of his eyes in this lighting, his austere expression contradicted only by the tender feel of his hands on my skin.

“Do you always move through your club grabbing women and drowning them with how good you smell?” My bold retort was a reflection of how at ease he made me feel. I saw Jack in my peripheral, nodding his head at Seb in greeting before narrowing his eyes at me. Nodding subtly, I grinned in farewell before turning to face my unexpected dance partner. I loved Jack in that moment for having my back first despite his friendship with Sebastian but more than that, I loved the way the deep hands which were on my hip, purposely moved to my lower back.

His laugh resonated through my body as he pulled me into him. He was wearing a clean white shirt again and I wondered if he ever got dirty. The question taking my thoughts to an entirely different place that was not at all appropriate for the public domain.

“I’ve never touched a woman in my club, yet this is now the second time you’ve been here and I find myself touching you,” his words dripped with possession as he moved his hand down to grip my backside, “Why is that?”

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