Page 101 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

Sadie’s eyes lit up. She reached into her pocket for cash but I waved her off, handing the guy a bill.

“It’s a rave,” I told her with a little smile as I clipped it around her neck.

Her eyes danced as she laughed. “You might be right.” She lifted the second glowstick and fastened it around my neck. Her fingers brushed my skin and I had the urge to drop a kiss onto her cheek.

So I did.

She blinked at me as I leaned down and brushed my mouth along her jaw. “What was that for?”

I shrugged, holding her gaze. “Felt like it.”

Her hand rested on my chest. “Even if I dragged you to a rave?”

I nodded and shot her a wink.

She narrowed her eyes, grinning. “I knew you were having fun.” She turned to the bartender and ordered for us.

When I handed the bartender cash, she tried to bat my hand away. “We’re supposed to be equals. Fifty-fifty.”

I dropped the change in the tip jar and nodded my thanks to the bartender. “We are. You went to the trouble of finding this place.” I shrugged and slipped my arm around her shoulder. “And I like paying. Okay? It’s not my way of setting you up to owe me something.”

She studied me for a moment with a funny look in her eye. “I know.”

I frowned down at her. “What’s that look for?”

A smile pulled at her pretty mouth and she shrugged. “Just thinking about what a good person you are.”

I remembered her words from fifteen years ago and my stomach flipped. We were friends now, or something like friends, and I knew things were different from that summer, but a tiny part of me still believed what she had said.

This thing I had with Sadie? It was too good to be true.

Sadie moved in front of me with her back to my front and pulled out her phone to take a selfie of us. I wrapped my arms around her stomach and rested my chin on her shoulder for the photo. Paint covered our faces but we were smiling.

She admired the photo for a moment before grabbing my hand. “Let’s go look around.”

I pushed the thoughts away. Tonight, I’d just enjoy being with Sadie.

We wandered the warehouse, watching as people played with paint, danced, and drank. People made out in every dark corner, groping and tasting each other. The energy inside was chaotic, intense, and hedonistic.

“Are you okay?” Sadie asked, searching my eyes. “I know this is a lot for you.”

I smiled at her and my hand tightened on hers. “I’m okay. Stay close.”

It was dark in here, and I couldn’t risk something happening to her.

She finished her drink, tossed the cup in a nearby recycling bin, and looped her arms around my neck before she raised herself up on her toes and kissed me.

Fuck. My cock stiffened and my arm moved around her back, pulling her into my chest. Her tongue stroked mine and I groaned. She nipped my lip before she pulled back with a little grin.

“What was that for?” I asked, a little dazed.

She shrugged. “Come on, let’s play.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the paints and paintbrushes. We found an area with fewer people and she grabbed the nearest brush before she dragged it through a tray with glowing green paint.

“Take your shirt off,” she told me.

When I hesitated, she skewered me with a hot look.

“Holden,” she warned, smiling a little. Her eyes were on fire and my erection ached. “I’m not going to ask you again.”

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