Page 65 of Crown of Thorns
“I’m Amadou,” one of them says, ignoring my comment. “If you need anything, I’m here for you.” He pushes me inside the club. “And no, sir, you don’t have to queue. You were expected.”
The club has undergone a complete transformation since I was last here. It’s packed, balloons fluttering around, glitter shot into the air, making the crowd go even crazier.
“Can I get you anything to drink?”
I shake my head.
That’s when I see them.
Standing on one of the smaller stages, they're owning every single meter of the place. Surrounded by admirers. I wonder how many of them followed the IG thread?
They’re being blatantly ignored since the guys are just talking to each other. One of them leaves his empty glass to a girl whose breasts are pressed against his side, and she hurries off to find him another drink.
Louis looks handsome in his dark pants. His hair is slicked back, face flushed. My eyes take in every roll of his hips. Everyswell of his pecs. Every ripple of muscle. My breath catches. The air feels thick, charged. And I’m lost.
One quick glance at his phone and suddenly his eyes lift, scanning the place until they find mine. For a shocking few seconds, his darkness swallows up everything. His attention on me makes everything else fade away. I stare, unable to look away, as one of his admirers takes the moment to wrap an arm around his naked torso and press his lips against the corners of his mouth. Ofmymouth.
Louis grins while I stand there, jaw tightening, every nerve ending tensing. He makes me feel ashamed, afraid, aroused. He loves to push me into a corner just to see how I’ll react. Is that what he wants? To make me lose it like some animal?
I blink, and Louis is on the move. Shaking himself free from any touchy hands, he walks toward the stairs. I can't drag my gaze from him. People part like he is some kind of god, all eyes on his tall, imposing frame. But his eyes never leave mine. His mouth is still curved into a smirk, like he’s got me exactly where he wants me.
“This way.” Amadou leads me to the private booths. Louis is not far behind; I can feel his proximity from the way my skin crawls.
This is the second time we'll end up in a private room together. The way he throws me off my composed self makes me feel vulnerable, angers me. I want to make him feel what it’s like to be brought so far out of balance that you fear to snap in two.
Has Louis ever been so lost that he didn’t know how to get back onto the right track?
The moment I step into the private room, the light fades. In the middle stands a large bed with silver satin sheets. The bass from the club’s music thumps faintly through the walls, a distant pulse against the quiet heat between us.
I pause. Breathe. Ready to lose myself.
“Finally, you’re not ignoring me,” Louis rumbles from behind me. The door clicks shut.
“I wasn't ignoring you. It was a busy day. And you weren’t exactly subtle about it.”
He snickers. “Trust me, I tried to be subtle. It didn’t work.”
“You and subtle? When?”
“With my messages. With my decorations.”
I snort. “That’s being over the top. Like that video you shared with the whole world just now. What do you want to gain? Even more attention? Attention from me?”
“Semantics. I take it you enjoyed it, otherwise you wouldn't be here.”
He’s not touching me, but I can feel his breath in my hair, feel the goosebumps it awakens with every exhale. Desire pools in my stomach, making my cock harden further.
“No,” I bite, but his amused chuckle proves he knows I’m lying.
Spinning around, I grab him by his arm. “I’ve come tonight to clarify a few things.”
“Talk to me, baby. I love your sweet lies.” His hungry gaze settles on my mouth, and he bites his bottom lip, provoking me, wanting me to lose my dignity.
With a growl, I push him, making him lose balance and fall. Right before he goes down, he grabs my wrists, making us fall together onto the bed.
He pushes my hand down and over his hot, slick sternum and pecs until it rests above his cock. I swear I can feel it throb. “Tell me how much you enjoyed watching me dance with these guys. How you secretly wished it was your cock I’d feel pressed against my ass.” He smirks that special Louis-smirk, the one that arouses me and pisses me off at the same time and rolls his hips against mine. “Hmmm. No need to be jealous, baby, you know I’ll come home to your bed tonight.”
Something breaks inside me. Something I didn’t know I was still holding onto. Heat radiates from him, the warmth of his hard muscles pressing into my chest as I lean in closer, shattering the careful walls I’d built around my heart. The scent of citrus and vanilla hits me like a drug, sharp and sweet against the stale, cold night air outside.
