6. Six

I made sure to wait until the perfect moment to step in. Watching that man put his hands on Mateo has me almost stepping in too soon and blowing my whole plan. My blood boils as he continues to touch him. I should be the only one allowed to put fear into Mateo"s eyes. The person who teaches him a lesson of what happens when you make stupid choices. I have to keep reminding myself that I"ll get my turn soon enough.

My jaw clenches when the man reaches for his neck. He"s gone too far now. I push my way through the crowd of people, ignoring their reaction to me roughly shoving at them. I send the asshole to the floor and don't stop there. Mateo watches me tentatively and I enjoy it way more than I should. It"s the perfect way to earn Mateo"s trust. To make him assume I"m a better person than I am.

Walking away is harder this time with the way his eyes hold mine captive. I"m tempted to take what I want from him right then and there. To cover the newly forming bruises on his neck with marks from my fingers. The timing isn't right. I need him begging for it. I need him to be desperate and a pathetic mess. Judging by the way he watched me walk through the crowd, I am on my way. I head up to the second floor and grab a drink at the upstairs bar. I watch him dancing below with his cousin and his movements are imperfect and off beat, but mesmerizing.

The amber liquid swishes in my glass as I continue to make sure no one else steals my chance at sweet revenge. Quickly standing from my chair, my fingers clutch tight around the glass as I watch some asshole dance between Mateo and his cousin. His mouth is on Mateo"s ear and whatever he"s saying is earning him plenty of smiles.

Slamming the cup hard on the table, I lean on the railing and dip my head low enough to get a better view of where the other man"s hands go as he grinds against Mateo. I didn"t come this far for some Dawson"s Creek asshole to take what should be mine. If anyone is going to steal his innocence and give him the first taste of what he"s been missing from another human being, it"s going to be me. This will only work if it is.

I no longer know or care what song is playing. It could be the most annoying song in the world, and I wouldn"t notice. His curls are wild and flowing around his face as he continues to spin around. His smiles and laughter brighten his face, making him appear more free than I know he is.

The other man has his fingers below the waistband of his jeans and there"s a strange gnawing in my stomach. I"m going to have to make a little more effort if I want to be the only one he wants to dance with. He isn"t following or searching for me in the club yet and he should be. If he can easily find a replacement, it means I haven"t cemented myself into his thoughts enough. I might need to leave a little more of myself behind on his body too.

Tossing his head back, Mateo"s lips parts and the laughter shows in his eyes. I"m ready to rip it all away. To be the one to rob him of every good left in him. Too blinded by lust and pleasure, he"ll enjoy every minute of it too. I lick my lips when he tilts his head back revealing the smoothness of his neck. Why I have the sudden urge to taste and mark his skin there, I have no idea.

A hand lands on my shoulder and when I turn around, I am met with a server in a short dress, eyeing me up and down. "Can I get you another drink?"

Her English is too perfect for her to be from here, but then again so is mine. It has to be. Hers is completely free of an accent though and mine tells anyone who meets me that Spanish is my first language. I set my cup on the tray after downing what"s left of my drink. "No, I"m good."

Before she can respond, I"m sliding in between the occupied tables and hurrying down the stairs. The same song is playing as I wrap my fingers around the back of the man"s hood and yank him away from Mateo. "You"ve danced enough with him for the night. It"s my turn."

He wants to argue. I can tell based on the obvious war in his eyes. "Yeah, whatever man. Have at him. He isn"t what I"m here for anyway."

His sore ego has him lying out of his ass. Sure thing Varsity Blues. He glances between me and an oblivious Mateo who has yet to realize he"s lost his dance partner. Tossing his hands forward, the stranger heads toward the bar. Mateo spins around and his eyes are closed as he"s feeling the music around him. No, he"s nothing like the rest of his family. Mateo dances to the beat of his own drum while savoring any temporary joy he finds.

Opening his eyes, he stops dancing. "What…you weren"t here before."

"No." I step closer. "I wasn"t."

"What made you come back?" he shouts over the music, his eyes wild and face flushed.

"You look like you needed a new dance partner after your first one took off."

Glancing around him, his forehead wrinkles. "I wasn"t even aware he was gone. My cousin–"

My head nudges toward a flirting Maria resting her hand on the shoulder of some tall, lanky man with a full beard.

"I think she"s doing just fine."

He nibbles on his lower lip. "Well, I do like this song."

"Then we shouldn"t allow it to go to waste." I hold out my hand, and he quickly takes it with zero hesitation in his eyes. I spin him around a few times before leading him into my arms. I rub all over his body the same way the last guy did, taking claim of every spot he touched so that my hands will be the last ones he remembers. My face rubs into sweaty neck as he pushes his ass against me, and his hips move in circular motions, teasing my cock.

The next song playing is slower and Mateo turns to face me, pressing his front to mine as we follow the rhythm of the beat. He smells like a variation of cake flavors mixed with sweat. It shouldn"t smell as good as it does and his cock grinding on mine has my body betraying me. It has nothing to do with him. I"d be turned on by any good-looking man who danced on me this way. As much as I hate to admit, he is very attractive. In more ways than one. He"d have to be to be marrying a man like Santiago.

As I"m caressing the hardness between his legs, Mateo is being pulled away from me. His cousin"s eyes dart between us, laced with concern. "Mateo, I need you to come escort me to the lady's room so I"m not harassed on my way there."

Mateo"s Adam"s apple bobs in his throat as he nods. "I"ll be back," he tells me. His eyes are heated, pleading "wait for me." They stay on me until he and his cousin disappear to the back of the club. Running my hands through my hair, I glance at the exit. This is my chance to leave. This time he"ll struggle to dance with anyone who isn"t me. I left him wanting too much. Way more than the last guy did.

The cool air hits my face and I tug my coat tighter to my chest, hurrying to the darkened parking lot. When I reach my car, something falls from my pocket and I bend down to retrieve it. It"s the white rose. Or what"s left of it. Closing my fist around it, I crane my neck at the sound of a soft voice behind me. "I don"t understand why you would follow someone only to keep disappearing on them."

He speaks again but this time louder and with more confidence. "Who are you and why are you here?"

I swallow the lump in my throat, unable to pull my eyes from his bobbing Adam"s apple.

"I"m the man who was just leaving. If you are smart, then you will let me. Go back inside, princesa. You shouldn't be out here alone." I wait for him to argue, and he will too. His act of rebellion tonight is proof he"s tired of being told what to do. At least when he doesn"t want to be. It"ll be different when we"re together. He"ll get more from my demands than he has with anyone else. They"ll come off more as guidance, and he"ll feel good when making me proud. So much, he"ll want to do it over and over.

"But I"m not alone. You"re here." He inches closer and I let him, my feet cemented to the ground. He"s more alone than he realizes. Wandering around what he thinks is some enchanted forest, handing himself right over to a hungry wolf.