Chapter 20

Lauren

I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. And I couldn’t get the image of seeing him naked like that out of my head. I certainly hadn’t planned for that to happen, but I didn’t regret that it had.

There hadn’t been anything scary about it. Actually, it had been so easy to just let go and let him make me feel so good. If I had the guts to admit it, I’d tell him to forget this stupid party and let’s just stay in and do more of that.

It was pretty much a guarantee that I was going to quickly become addicted to him.

But I wasn’t brave enough to say as much, so instead we got dressed and headed out to the party with a little bit of liquid courage that had been gross, but hopefully would calm my nerves.

The second the door opened, the noise was deafening. I smiled, thinking of all the times I’d had to fuss at Kylie for playing music too loud. I knew she must be in heaven right now.

Denny took my hand as we walked back to the living room. I understood why when we got there. There were a lot of people suddenly crammed into that room.

“Where’d all these people come from?” I yelled over the noise.

Even with our advanced wolf hearing, it was hard to hear anything.

He shrugged.

I hadn’t thought there were this many people on campus, or maybe every single person currently at the ARC showed up.

The hair on my arms stood up as I realized there were a lot of women. Some of them were scantily clad and somehow dancing even though it felt as though we were all crammed up together.

My wolf was not happy.

All the men I could see were brothers of Delta Omega Gamma. They were no threat to Denny, but I did not know these girls.

I understood why he had made me promise to stay at arm’s length.

It was like he could sense my hesitation again. Because in the center of the room he stopped and turned to me. He was still holding my hand, but he moved it to his shoulder and let go. I immediately missed his touch, but that was short-lived as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

I didn’t miss a few looks shot my way, but my body and my wolf were already relaxing into his embrace.

He started to move. The music faded to a slow song.

“I can’t dance,” I yelled over the music.

“Everyone can dance. Just follow my lead.”

I tried, but the outcome was more of a stiff, awkward mess. He could have been trying to dance with a tree, and it would have looked more natural. I didn’t know what I was doing. People were watching us, and I felt extremely self-conscious.

To make matters worse, Denny laughed.

“Lauren, loosen up. This is supposed to be fun.”

But I wasn’t having fun. I was on the verge of freaking out and running from the room. Why would people consider this fun?

“Just breathe and close your eyes,” he told me.

I shook my head.

“Close them, babe. I’ve got you. No one else matters. It’s just me and you.”

I bit my lip, which drew his attention to my mouth. And then he kissed me. Right there in front of everyone. Denny kissed me.

His kiss and the memories of being alone with him in his bedroom warmed me all over.

When I started to relax and enjoy it, he smiled and pulled back just a fraction. Our foreheads touched as he continued to sway with the music.

“Just me and you.”

I nodded this time.

“Close your eyes and just feel the music.”

Hesitantly, I did.

At first it was just a slow side-to-side motion. My arms wrapped around his neck keeping him close to me. He held me tighter around the waist.

My eyes stayed closed as I buried my face in his shoulder and let him really guide me this time.

It was magical.

The music, being held by my mate, the scent of him surrounding me. It all came together in perfect harmony as the rest of the room faded away. For me, it was just the two of us.

Then the song ended, and a heart-thumping beat began once more.

One of Denny’s hands left my hip and pumped in the air as he began to jump. I laughed, but joined him.

By now, the beer I’d down was kicking in.

It didn’t feel like dancing, but it was fun as everyone around us joined in.

I was relaxed and had to admit I was enjoying myself.

As long as he stayed close with a possessive arm around me, I could even handle the other women in the room.

But as they started to close in around us, it felt as if it instantly changed.

I growled in warning, but I wasn’t sure many of them heard me.

Denny motioned to someone and a few of the brothers walked around, pulling people away from us, and forming a sort of barrier around us.

I could breathe easier again.

Pushing all those feelings aside, I concentrated on my mate and tried to relax.

The moment didn’t fully return because I was very aware of being singled out by the buffer the boys created. Still, it was me and Denny and I wanted to enjoy every second of our time together and forget about the decisions we still needed to make.

Someone handed us cups of beer. Denny drank his quickly. It took me a bit longer. The stuff tasted awful, but I managed to down it before a second was thrust my way.

I tried to say no, but they started to chant and clap.

“Lauren! Lauren! Lauren!”

Plugging my nose, I downed it all quickly.

The boys cheered. Denny laughed. But when they went to hand us another, he shook his head.

Remy looked a little surprised but shrugged and downed them both himself.

There was no way I was taking another sip. It was disgusting. I didn’t know how I’d managed to drink three already, but I could strongly feel the effects of the alcohol now.

I rarely drank, and if I did, beer was not my top choice. I really did not like the stuff.

“Sorry about that,” Denny apologized.

“It’s okay.”

The burning down my throat had changed to a warming sensation that was spreading through my entire body. It helped me relax.

I grinned, threw my arms around him, and kissed him.

The guys exploded with cheers. I didn’t care, though. I just needed every single bitch in that room to understand that this one was mine.

My head was a little foggy. I wasn’t sure if it was clouded from the alcohol or from the close proximity of my mate. I suspected both things gave me similar reactions.

When the music picked up once more, I led the room this time as I started to jump. Denny followed, then the guys, and finally the girls joined in, too.

He howled.

I took his lead and howled.

The rest of the DOGs did, too.

I was pretty sure there were a few people put off by our outburst, but for some reason, I no longer cared.

That’s when Kylie and her friends walked in.

She smiled and shook her head.

“ What are you doing? ” she signed from across the room.

Sign language definitely came in handy in situations like this. I could talk to her easier than Denny who was only a foot away from me.

“ Having fun for once, ” I signed back.

“ I see that. ”

Before I could say anything else, a guy I didn’t know took her hand and led her to the door that I knew went to the basement.

“Who was that?”

“Huh?” Denny asked.

“The guy with Kylie. I’ve not met him yet? Who was he?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t notice.”

My instinct was to go after her and demand to know who the guy was. Maybe it was the beer, or maybe I was just trying to do the right thing and give her the space she needed for us both to be comfortable with me leaving.

At that thought, my stomach lurched. I was pretty sure it wasn’t because of my sister, but the thought of leaving Denny behind.

I looked up at him. He had a worried look on his face.

Not wanting to ruin the evening, I lifted my face towards the ceiling and I howled once more.

Denny laughed, then howled too.

Suddenly, the party was back.

The music was hype, and we danced until I wasn’t sure I could stand any longer. I had no idea how late it had gotten, but I wasn’t ready for this night to end.

He took my hand, and we walked outside.

The summer night air was cool compared to inside the house, but still a little sticky. I was starting to regret having changed out of the dress. It would have been cooler than my jeans.

Denny’s hand trailed down my back, causing me to shiver.

“Are you cold?”

“Cold? No. I’m burning up.”

“Oh.”

“It’s a beautiful night.”

The moon was full and bright. The stars were sparkling in the sky.

“Are you enjoying the party?”

“Far more than I thought I would. Are you having a good time?” I asked.

“Never better.”

“Kylie went downstairs. Are there really even more people there?”

“Lots. Want to go down?”

“Sure, I guess. I mean, if you do.”

I remembered how it felt at first with all those girls crowding us. It made me shudder just thinking about it. I had just gotten comfortable in that room with the boys providing a buffer for us. How much worse would it be in the basement?

My curiosity was piqued, though. I really wanted to see what was down there. If the beer wasn’t hindering my thoughts just a little, I probably would have said no and waited to see it later when there wasn’t a party going on.

Unfortunately for me, the beer was giving me a false sense of security and made me feel like I could handle absolutely anything.