Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

H e would've rather gone back to the compound and enjoyed quiet time with Bel, but since Bel seemed enthused about going clubbing, Lio did his best to look excited. Okay, maybe he fell short of excited, possibly managing to look like he wasn't going to a firing squad. From what he'd gathered, Emilio had adored dancing, and look where it got him. He'd met the man who'd arranged his downfall in a club. So many people. Too much, too fast!

Lio squirmed in the back seat, trying to get comfortable. Did Jessa have to buy him such tight clothing?

Not that he minded the tight clothes on Bel that showed off his muscular arms and legs. Jessa and Arianna chatted away in the front seats. Would the club allow Lio to dance with Bel? He knew from Emilio that not all humans accepted men with men.

He needn't have worried since he spotted several same-sex couples holding hands in the parking lot and even a group of three women kissing by a car. What would it be like to kiss Bel like that, out here in the open?

When they opened the doors, letting in the sound, the whole building seemed to throb rhythmically, synchronized to a bass beat. Lio stepped out of the vehicle, turning to take in the people making their way to the front of the building.

"Mama will feast tonight!" Jessa crowed, walking impossibly fast for someone wearing such high-heeled shoes. Lio had to hurry to catch up.

Jessa paid at the door, they showed IDs, and she ushered them all in. Loud techno music assaulted Lio's ears, and scents from various perfumes competed to see which one could burn out his sense of smell first. The sensory overload nearly made him want to go back to the vehicle.

Jessa marched past the chaos of flashing lights, thumping music, and writhing bodies up a flight of stairs overlooking the dancers. She stopped at a table marked "Reserved" sat down, and yanked the next chair out for Arianna. Lio and Bel sat across from them.

A server approached with long multicolored braids gathered at her nape and similar attire to Lio's, except for a T-shirt bearing the club's name. She shouted to be heard over the pounding music. "Good evening, Ms. Baker. Your usual?"

Jessa grinned and nodded. "And whatever my friends want. Chas, this is Lio and Bel, and I think you've met Arianna."

"Special occasion?" Chas asked. For a moment, Lio saw the garbled facial images that said Chas was a traveler. It seemed they simply existed in society, mixing with the humans. If he chose, could he have a life in Atlanta? Would he have scented spices if so many other smells didn't compete?

"Just showing my friends around. They're new to the area."

"Welcome to Atlanta," Chas said. "What can I get for you?"

Lio didn't want to feel out of control, not when doing so could kill the world, so he ordered a soda. Bel and Arianna ordered the same. He'd studied up on Tenebris during his training sessions with Jessa, and he didn't blame FAET for watching him closely. Of course, if any Tenebris went off the rails, his money would be on Morrisey—if not for Farren's intervention. Morrisey did seem a bit tightly wound at times.

"It looks like I'm the only one having fun tonight," Jessa said as she rose to her feet. "Excuse me, but I see some friends on the dance floor." She glided off, swaying to the music all the way down the stairs and out where many others gyrated.

"Are you going to dance?" Lio asked Arianna.

She held up her and Jessa's bags. "Along with being designated driver, I'm also on pocketbook patrol."

Bel pursed his lips. "It's not fair for her to have all the fun while you have to be the responsible one."

Arianna smiled. "I'll sit here, listen to the music, and play on my phone. Next Saturday, Jessa will babysit while Devon and I go out, and we'll call an Uber. No designated driver needed." She waved her hand. "But by all means, you two go and dance."

Bel lifted an eyebrow in Lio's direction. "Want to?"

Did Lio really want to feel other bodies pressed against his own? The hopeful look on Bel's face decided the matter. He held out his hand, laced his fingers with Bel's, and headed for the stairs, fighting against the case of nerves the proximity of so many strangers caused.

He clung to Bel's hand even when they had to go single-file down the stairs to avoid the crush of bodies climbing upward, pressing close to the wall to prevent as much unwanted contact as possible.

Bel led Lio through more bodies to the dance floor and the closest thing to an empty space available.

Lio didn't actually have to think of what to do. His body picked up the rhythm of the music, driving him on. Wow. Talk about feeling free, almost like flying. Wait. Flying? Bel grinned and took Lio's mind off anything else. For a big man, Bel moved effortlessly, stepping close and then backing away as much as the crowd allowed.

Lio watched as other dancers touched their partners, some even pushing the boundaries of acceptable public behavior. Jessa had her back turned to a very well-built man, rubbing her butt against his crotch, laughing, then kissing another man in their three-way, whatever-the-hell-that-was.

Thoughts played in Lio's head of doing the same with Bel, to be so free as to be openly sexual. Would Bel like that? Lio glanced around. While Jessa's group might be the most blatant, they weren't the only ones getting physical on the dance floor.

Lio ran his hand along Bel's forearm, mimicking a move he spotted from someone else. Could he match the blatant want in their eyes?

Bel smiled, grinding closer. Oh, sweet cosmos, yes! Lio's cock began to stiffen at the contact, and that had to be an answering hardness inside Bel's jeans. The moment became playful, grinding close, then retreating a few steps to come back again.

The smoldering heat in Bel's eyes made Lio shiver despite the warmth created by so many bodies. He made the mistake of turning, to find others watching them. For a moment, his rhythm floundered. Nope. Those people were an unwanted distraction. Better to keep his eyes solely on Bel.

As if that were a hardship. Every muscle flex, every seductive smile, pulled Lio in, making him want. He nearly cried when the song ended. Would Bel want to sit down now?

The next song started slow and sultry. Couples embraced, swaying in time to a haunting melody. Bel held out a hand. "May I?"

May he what? Didn't matter. He could do anything to Lio that he wanted. Lio nodded and found himself enfolded in the powerful arms he'd been admiring. He put his arms around Bel, letting his world narrow down to the music, his partner, and this moment. Nothing else mattered. He was just a man, holding another man and enjoying the closeness. If only they could stay this way.

The music changed to something faster, but Bel still held Lio as they swayed to their own private rhythm. Bel's hands wandered lower on Lio's back. "Is this okay?" he asked, breath gusting against Lio's ear.

More than okay. Lio gasped at the feel of Bel's large hands sliding down to his ass, lifting him until their mouths were a mere inch apart. Lio wanted—no, needed—Bel's lips on his more than he needed air.

Bel closed the distance, caressing Lio's lips with his own. Lio's knees would've buckled if Bel hadn't held him up.

They danced, kissed, and danced some more. Song after song kept them moving, some fast, some slow. They merely provided background noise. Nothing mattered but Bel's hands on Lio, his touch, his kiss. Damn, what a kiss, starting slow and building to devouring. Bel could kiss Lio forever, but it still wouldn't be enough.

Sweat beaded on Lio's face, and his leg muscles protested the constant motion. "I think I need a drink," he shouted over the music, though reluctant to break the spell he and Bel had woven together. Maybe they could rest and come back.

Bel pulled him close for one more kiss. "I'm right behind you." They retreated to their table. Arianna and Jessa gave them knowing smiles.

"I knew you'd like this place," Jessa said, holding up her phone, which displayed the time as one a.m.

Wow! Lio would've sworn that much time hadn't passed.

Jessa rose, tucking her phone into her bag. "Unfortunately, we need to get back to the compound, but let me know when, and I'll bring you back anytime."

"Anytime but next weekend," Arianna said. "Mine and Devon's anniversary." She glowered at Jessa. "Be there at six."

Jessa's smile never wavered. "Will do." To Lio and Bel, she confirmed, "Anytime but next weekend."

Lio held Bel's hand on the ride back, humming the tune of a slow dance and reliving the kisses, the caresses, and the feeling of being the center of Bel's world. He smiled so wide his face hurt. But that had been on the dance floor, in a club, with so many others doing the same. Would being back out in the world change things?

Lio rested his head on Bel's shoulder. Bel inclined his head to plant a kiss on Lio's hair. Maybe things would change, but only to get better.

If Lio had to stay in this place and live out his life in Emilio's body, he could do that—as long as Bel stayed with him.