Page 74 of Tristano

As soon as we step inside, the music and bass hits us. Weaving through bodies, I find a spot next to the bar. I pull Serena next to me so her body is flush against mine. Looking down, I bite back a chuckle when I see her eyes are locked on my lips.

Just to fuck with her, I slowly lick my lips, and I watch as her eyes follow my tongue.

She’s been wanting me to kiss her. I can tell by the way she leans into me anytime I pull her into my arms, but I don’t want to fuck this up. Truth be told, I’m fucking scared to death. If I move too fast, I might damage what we have, and that would kill me.

So I’ve been playing the long game as I have been since the moment I laid eyes on her when she was nineteen. That was the moment I realize this girl I viewed as a victim in need of my protection had grown up into a beautiful, strong, independent woman who I quickly became obsessed with.

It didn’t matter that there was no way that we could possibly work. From that moment on, all others ceased to exist for me. I was out here living my life, but my heart was firmly with her, and she didn’t even know it.

“What can I get you?” the bartender yells, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Can I get a vodka cranberry?” Serena asks.

The bartender nods and turns toward me.

“Vodka Red Bull.”

Even though Crimson is owned by Bash, I watch the bartender make our drinks. You can never be too careful.

I feel Serena stand up on her tiptoes, her lips brushing against my ear. “Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes. Bash owns this place along with several other clubs.”

“Really? I didn’t see him as a club owner,” she says as she looks around.

“Here you go,” the bartender says as she slides our drinks toward us.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a fifty and hand it over. “Thanks.”

“Thank you.” The bartender smiles when she sees that I tipped her.

Serena and I grab our drinks, and I lead her toward the stairs that lead to the VIP area. The bouncer recognizes me and lets us pass.

“Hey, Tristano,” one of the bottle girls says as she passes.

“Friend of yours?” Serena says sarcastically as we stop at an empty booth.

“Not in the way you’re implying,” I tell her as we sit.

Serena tries to put some space between us, but I won’t have any of that shit. I pull her into my side. Hip to hip.

“I’ve always been honest with you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she says hesitantly as she sets her drink down.

I reach out and touch her chin, turning her head toward me, making her meet my eyes.

“I’m not innocent. We both have a past, but it’s just that, Serena, the past.”

“Is it though?” Her eyes are begging me to confirm that what I’m saying is the truth.

She’s afraid that this is all a lie. A dream she made up. I can see it in the way she constantly tenses up as if she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. I can’t have that. Not in my girl.

“You don’t have to worry about anything in my past. All you need to think about is the present and the future. You know why?”

“Why?”

I lean in close so my lips brush against hers. “Because I laid eyes on you when you were nineteen years old, and I was struck right there, standing at your gate, looking at the beautiful woman you had become. That moment, you became the only woman I see. Not a single woman in this world can compare to you. There’s only one of you, and I’m claiming you. ”

---