Despite the crushing crowds, his eyes followed her. Strobe lights flashed to the beat of the music, transforming the energy of the dance floor. Purple, green and white beams landed on strips of smooth skin, revealing long toned legs ending in a pair of slim heels that looked like sin on her slender feet. Her shapely arms were raised above her shoulders, elbows bent, eyes closed while she threw her head back and let the music wash over her. She swayed her hips like a pendulum, her long tresses skimming the top of her ass in a sensual movement that had his cock stirring in eagerness. Every dip and thrust was hypnotic, and he knew that he wasn’t the only one in her audience who felt this way.
The only difference between her admirers and him was that he still hated her.
Hehatedher. He hated the way her hair fell like a swath of silk down her back, giving him teasing glimpses of unblemished, golden skin. He hated that he remembered exactly how soft she was to touch, how kissing the bumps of her spine made her shudder under him. He hated that when she moved, he couldn’t help but watch, mesmerised by the sinuous grace in her movements. He hatedthat others looked at her like she was available, probably thinking any number of inappropriate thoughts about that delectable body encased in a dress that clung to every seductive curve. The red satin pulled taut around her rounded ass as she swung left to right with the beat, taunting him for not being able to touch her. Grab her. Claim her.
He hated that she still affected him like no other woman ever had. But most of all, he hated that she had moved on, and he hadn’t.
What would it take for him to finally get over her? What could he do to purge her from his system?
She twisted in a move that tightened her dress across her chest, the silky material folding and creasing before curving up to outline the mouthwatering fullness of her breasts. Rhinestone chains formed the straps that held her dress up, drawing his attention to her naked shoulder. He raked a gaze slowly over her collarbone, down to the neckline that teased him with a hint of cleavage.
Was she even wearing a bra?
She chose that moment to turn and gather her hair, raising it up in a high ponytail while she continued to dance. His eyes popped out; his heart ready to collapse.Where the fuck was the back of her dress? She was wearing a fucking napkin that barely covered her ass!No man with a working dick within a fifty-foot radius was going to ignore her when she was offering herself like a trussed-up fox ready to be hunted by blood-hounds. His eyes swept the area around her, immediately counting at least seven men leering at her.
His vision went crimson. Good thing he knew how to fight.
“Here you go.”
He startled, glancing beside him to find Aditi holding out a drink.
“Thanks.”
“Are you going to go talk to her? You’ll be burning a hole through the back of her skull the way you’ve been glaring at her.”
Shit. He didn’t think he was that easy to read. Then again, it might just be Aditi. She seemed to have an instinct to look into a person beyond the facade they showed to the world.
“Are you going to go talk to Rian?” he diverted, one eye still on the woman in red.
Aditi sighed and shook her head.
“I think I’ll be heading home. I’m calling it a night.”
“Want me to drop you off?”
“No. Rian’s waiting. I may as well—” Aditi trailed off, sighing yet again. When she turned to leave, Vihaan couldn’t help but hold her back.
“Give him some space,” he advised gently. “He’s not usually volatile. Something must have happened.”
“Thanks, V.” Aditi tried smiling, waving at him before she proceeded towards the exit.
By the time Vihaan turned around, Vera wasn’t where he’d last seen her. Like a sailor who’d heard the call of a siren and was powerless to avoid being shipwrecked, he slid deeper into the crowd, scanning the floor for the woman who dominated his every waking thought, whether or not he liked it.
A flash of bright red caught his eye amidst the dim lights. The image ahead of him made him bite down the inside of his cheek so hard, he tasted copper.
There was Vera, her arms looped around a muscular man who looked like he subsisted solely on protein bars. Their bodies were far too close for it to be decent, their hips grinding against each other. His meaty hands were on her waist, roving above her ass, getting lower by the second. Vihaan barely registered how many people he shoved out of his way in his haste to get to them, fully intending to indulge in violence. No time like the present to put his boxing lessons to use.
His hand landed with a thump right on the man’s shoulder, startling them both. Perhaps some part of his brain was workingafter all because instead of ripping this guy’s arm right off the socket, he squeezed the muscle under his hold. Protein bar winced.
“You need to leave. Now.”
Vihaan didn’t recognize his own voice; it had deepened into a growl that sounded like it was better suited to a bear than a man.
“What do you think you are doing?” Vera demanded, which he ignored entirely.
“Find someone else,” Vihaan ordered. The confused man glanced between Vera and him. Maybe he saw the death threat lurking behind Vihaan’s eyes because he shook his head, clearly choosing his own safety first.
Asshat,Vihaan decided when protein-muncher stalked off, grumbling under his breath.