a heat built in my belly at the threat. "you like it?"

"i've been hard since i set eyes on you."

i smiled. i loved that i could do that to him.

"i wasn't expecting you."

"i thought you missed me," he murmured, licking the rim of my ear before biting gently on my earlobe.

a sweet sharp pain speared right to my groin. i sighed and pressed back into him. "i did. i didn't think i'd see you here though."

"i have business here, occasionally." he nuzzled into my neck.

i melted a bit, until an unpleasant thought invaded the moment. sophia. i chilled at the vision of them together, him seeing her for any reason, platonic or otherwise. she was toxic and spiteful.

"i met sophia," i said casually, but i turned slightly to catch his reaction.

he frowned and loosened his hold on me enough to let me turn and face him. my gaze fixed on him. what did she mean to him? if he were planning to see her here, or god forbid if he already had, i couldn't take it. he had to be here for me.

"she's a real gem," i said, unable to disguise my utter distaste for her.

i wondered if he could see past her perfect features. his jaw twitched and he stared out over the horizon, saying nothing.

my insides writhed with the jealousy that had been haunting me since i met sophia. the way she waved her relationship with blake around in front of me and that snide fucking smile. i was falling too hard for blake, and his silence spoke volumes. i winced. i was so naive to believe heath's version of the story. she obviously meant more to him than he'd let on.

i moved sideways, feeling trapped between him and the railing, at the mercy of his hands and circumstances that were well beyond my control. i wasn't about to compete with her. how could i? before i could get past him, he caught my wrist.

"where are you going?"

his voice was icy and sent a shiver through me.

"i'm going to go have fun. that's why we're here isn't it?" my tone was clipped, making it clear that i was not enjoying the present moment.

"i came here to be with you," he said through clenched teeth.

"me, and who else?"

his features softened for a second, along with his grasp. i slipped easily out of his hold. i found alli settled on the couch next to jess, her hand never leaving heath's even though they were engaged in two separate conversations. this lovebird routine was starting to seriously wear on my nerves.

"do you want to go dance?" i asked.

alli patted heath's knee, releasing him from their perpetual connection.

"let's go," she said.

jess rose with her, already bouncing to the sound of the house music beating rhythmically below us, and together we exited the deck. i hoped blake was watching me leave, because model or not, i had a hard time seeing sophia rocking his world the way i had planned to tonight.

chapter fourteen

as we descended into the smoky darkness of the top floor of the club, i embraced the noise, hoping to drown out the thoughts reeling through my mind. alli led us to a nearby bar that was slightly sheltered from the noise pounding through the enormous room.

"what's with you two?" jess shouted toward me, gesturing between me and the stairs that had led us off the roof.

i shrugged. "officially nothing." i was losing my mind over someone who wasn't even mine to claim. this had to stop now.

"i don't get it. you couldn't keep your hands off each other a minute ago."

i shook my head, not quite knowing what to say. i couldn't argue that from the outside, hell even from the inside, we were a frustrating cycle of hot and cold. i couldn't help the way he made me feel.

"well he's fucking hot," she added, downing a shot.

my eyes narrowed at her slightly.

"don't get me wrong. i'm very happily engaged. i don't know him like you do obviously, but from the outside at least, he's kind of perfect. you can't pin down a guy like that very often."

i agreed. chances were slim to none that i'd ever find someone who rocked my world like blake did. jesus, every time i was around him i wanted to take my panties off and ignore the little voice in my head that knew better. i was walking a dangerous road with him. alli of all people should know that, but she remained ominously silent.

we finished our drinks while the crowd on the dance floor filled out. i surveyed the bar and found blake on the other side, nursing a drink. heath and trevor were nowhere to be seen.

i motioned the girls toward the dance floor, leading us deep into the crowd through throngs of people gyrating to an especially popular rihanna remix. we formed our own circle and began to dance. slowly my muscles relaxed and i got lost in the moment, moving to the beat of the music that reverberated through my body.

the crowd was tight so when i felt someone behind me, i thought little of it. i moved up slightly, until a strong hand gripped my hip and pull me back slightly, bringing our bodies flush with each other. the motion was so fluid and effortless, i let my body fall into rhythm with his, not caring who he was or what he looked like, but hoping blake could see me with him. i wanted him to feel an ounce of the jealousy that sophia had spurred in me.

in sync with the song, i pressed my ass into him, feeling a wild frenzy to be close to someone, to feel that physical contact i'd been craving for days now. the song came to a close and merged into the next, slightly changing our rhythm and bringing us even closer. his erection became more pronounced. arousal prickled my skin and my head fell back. his hand circled my waist and he kissed my neck. a hot, open-mouthed kiss that had me panicking slightly. i looked down and recognized the hands holding onto me like they owned me. blake's.

i froze. he spun me around to face him. before either of us could speak, i slid my hands to his hair and tugged him down. i kissed him hard, like i had in the limo. if alli and jess hadn't been with me, i would have climbed him right there among the hundreds of other hot, sweaty, and sexually charged people.

he pulled away abruptly, leaving me bereft, but the discomfort of not being connected was soon derailed by the knowledge that i was being led from the dance floor and down a hallway away from the chaos that once surrounded us.

we traveled farther until the hallway split. on the left, a tall thickly-built man stood guard near a door. blake approached the bouncer and pressed a bill into his hand, who nodded toward the door. we entered what appeared to be another private vip area. a2n ambient light filled the room, which was quite large and entirely unoccupied. dark red velvet couches lined the walls along two sides, and along another a private bar lit up with everything a good party might need.