10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Avery

A thens Club lit up like a beacon, and I floated toward it like a moth every time.

And to my surprise, Myles had joined me. Even if he slogged a few steps behind me like he'd gotten marched here involuntarily. There had been no coercion involved. Maybe a little persuasion, but I was dead serious about getting the chance to rub myself all over him. If he was game, I'd reached peak horny, which tossed reason out the window. The good intentions I'd had about not sleeping with my roommate felt weaker and weaker each time we hung out.

And if the events on the dance floor led to anything further tonight…well, I was ready to dive in.

It had nothing to do with Mom saying earlier today that she'd forgotten about my wellness bazaar and wasn't sure about her plans. Or that my siblings had given noncommittal answers as well. My blood pumped hot, a little recklessness seeping through my veins.

Out of the realm of bad decisions, sleeping with my roommate wasn't even on the list. Sure, there could be some uncomfortable repercussions, but we were adults. If problems arose, I trusted Myles enough to talk things out.

That was a miracle in and of itself, considering we hadn't known each other for long.

"It sounds loud in there," Myles said as we neared the entrance, the heavy thump of the bass reverberating from here. The door was open, and the dim lighting from inside spilled out onto the asphalt where a bouncer stood waiting.

"That's because it is. Loud enough to lose yourself in."

"Who would want to do a foolish thing like that?" he grumbled. Tonight, he'd gotten his black attire out: a tight tank top that showcased his flat chest, a hot-as-fuck black leather choker, and dark green cargos that highlighted his spectacular ass. I'd tossed on one of my mesh shirts over a black tank and tight black pants along with heavy black boots. Today was more of a masc day, but I had clubwear for whatever I felt.

I blew a kiss to the bouncer, Len, who waved us in. The second I stepped inside, music blasted at top volume, and I let the sound reverberate through my bones. Already the urge to hit the dance floor rode me strong, but I wasn't about to leave Myles. His shoulders scrunched up, since he was clearly out of his element.

My chest warmed. And yet he'd stepped out of it for me.

"Come on," I said, reaching down to thread my fingers through his. At the contact, his eyes widened, and those gorgeous lashes fluttered. "Let's go get stamped."

I handed over the cover for both of us and lifted our joined hands for the girl behind the counter. She smirked, but I didn't care if I was being cheesy as fuck by not letting him go. I wanted Myles to feel comfortable, and if that meant gluing myself to his body the whole night—well, clearly, I could handle the hardship.

When I led us through the door, the sounds and lights washed over us. The club night every week offered a baptism of sorts, a chance to set my sins aside and cleanse myself for a brief window of time—before sinning again. The bars lined either wall, lit up by a crimson light that added to the vampire-chic ambiance, and they were slammed as usual. Most of the crowd had congregated on the main floor, and the twisting bodies, the arms tossed in the air, the sheer euphoria of music and movement and flashing lights beckoned me.

Myles had slowed, his hand growing clammy in mine, but he kept pace behind me. I stopped and leaned in, so close my lips almost brushed his ear. The other perk of clubs was the noise. Not being able to hear anything let you get up close.

"Want to grab a drink or hit the dance floor?" I squeezed his hand.

His throat bobbed with his swallow. "Drink."

Disappointment flashed through me. The longing to get out on the dance floor was intense, but I wanted to spend tonight with him too. Once he got comfortable, I might be able to coax him out.

"Come on." I tugged him toward the bar. When I'd first started going to clubs, the bars seemed intimidating, and I'd avoided them, but now the bartenders knew me, so getting a drink was easy. Close to the end was a gap, and I let go of Myles's hand to squeeze in. I glanced back at him. "What do you want?"

"Beer is fine." He shoved his hands into his pockets, forming the perfect goth boy hunch. Fuck, he needed to stop being so fucking cute, or I would crawl all over him.

Miranda was closest to me tonight, and she slid on over.

"Beer and a water." I snagged a few crumpled bills from my pocket and put them on the counter. As much as I loved to doll up when I was in a femme space, figuring out where to put my shit was hard. At least on masc days, I had pockets. She brought over a Sam Adams lager and a water for me, unscrewed the bottle of Sam Adams, and passed both over. The coolness of the drinks imprinted on my palms, making the temperature difference in here clear. With all the bodies on the dance floor kicking out heat, I'd be sweating fast.

When I whipped around, I almost keeled over at the sight before me.

Myles watched a lanky guy in black pants with chains robot-dance in front of him to Funker Vogt, maintaining aggressive eye contact while keeping his space. The look of confusion on Myles's face was priceless, and I had to swallow back my cackle.

I stepped up to his side, offering him the beer. He tipped it back, his gaze not leaving the guy dancing right before him…for him? I wasn't quite sure, but at this point, I was here for the show too. I lifted my water to my lips, the cool liquid a blessing compared to the heat from the dance floor. Already I wanted to strip off my mesh shirt and go down to my gauzy tank top. I didn't often go shirtless anymore because after I started mild estrogen and got my little A-cups, I felt a ways about flashing them to the world.

Myles tipped back the beer even faster as the guy continued dancing, but I knew the song, and it was reaching an end. The second the final beats played, the guy stopped his dance, bowed, and walked off without a flourish. No words exchanged.

"See, this. This is why I don't do clubs." Myles lifted his beer bottle. "I just panic-drank my entire beer."

A laugh ripped from my chest, deep and raw. Fuck, I knew coming here with him would be fun. Somehow I enjoyed everything we did together more because of his company. Wild, considering how short of a time we'd known each other.

"If you've almost finished your beer, that means it's time to hit the dance floor." I stepped into his space and hooked my finger in the front of his tank top. His nostrils flared. The look he delivered was incendiary. "I promised to get up close and personal, and I'm all about keeping my promises."

His lips were mere inches from mine, barely any space between us, and far too easily my mind traveled to the other night on the balcony. I could've sworn he had been about to kiss me, but my stupid phone had ruined the moment.

Myles brought the beer to his lips again and tilted it back. "Finished."

Goddamn, that was so hot.

He set the beer bottle on the bar and returned to my side. "I guess I'll get this whole dancing thing over with."

The song changed into a few introductory notes I knew by heart.

"Baelfire? Oh fuck yes, we're dancing to this." I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor. My heart thumped in time to the song. It was one of my favorites to dance to, dark and pulsing, with a great electronic beat behind Baelfire's intense vocals.

"Shit, I love this song," Myles said, a few paces behind me.

"No way, really?" Whenever I thought I had a grasp on him, he pulled out a new surprise, another facet that drew me in deeper. As I approached the dance floor, the wave of heat blasted my way, but I scanned for an opening. Along the side wall opposite the platforms where the dancers were—I already tugged him into the fray.

I bypassed other people dancing their hearts out with the ease of familiarity, ducking and weaving my way to an open spot. Myles clutched my hand, but I didn't lose him as we crossed the dance floor. Once we got to the area I'd sought, I let go of his hand and turned around to face him.

Myles's eyes were wide, his shoulders tight, and his hands were jammed in his pockets.

No, that wouldn't do.

The sensual vocals of Baelfire's music poured out of the speakers, and I didn't resist the urge to dance any longer. I sank wholeheartedly into the dark, pulsing beat, his low, sexy voice traveling straight through my system.

I swayed and twirled in front of Myles so my back was to him. I glanced over my shoulder. "Grab my hips."

His throat bobbed with his swallow, but a second later, warm palms wrapped around my hips. God, the firm grip, the feel of them there made me wish the layers of clothes weren't separating us, but I moved to the beat of the song, losing myself to the steady pulse. I wanted to grind against him, to exult in the press of our bodies together. His touch lit me on fire, and he started to sway with me. Even if he might not be full-out dancing, he captured the soul of the melody, and that was what I loved here.

I tilted my head back, lifting my arms as he pulled me against him, closing the distance between us. Fuck, yes. Adrenaline coursed through me like the first sip of coffee in the morning, and I moved to the sensual rhythm of the song. My ass brushed his front once, twice, and when his fingers curled hard into my hips, I was addicted. He clutched at me like he owned me, and damn did that turn me on. Some days I wanted to pursue, and others I wanted to be pursued, but I always wanted to feel the spotlight way this man lit me up.

How when it was the two of us dancing, the rest of the dance floor faded away.

All the frenetic energy muted compared to the inferno blazing between us, and I surrendered to the feel of his breath on the back of my neck, his bulge grinding against my ass.

The dark beat of the Baelfire song thrummed through me, and sweat prickled on my skin as I ran my hands over the gorgeous guy who I'd never expected to touch me like that. Myles was bold here, and I really fucking liked it. My cock woke up at the touch, but I couldn't handle turning around quite yet. Part of me didn't believe any of this was happening—the club, Myles's possessive grip on my hips, the way he ground against my ass like he tried to fuck me through my clothes. My lashes fluttered, and I basked in the scent of sweat, the flicker of the lights from above, and the thrill of his hands on me.

I didn't want this song to end. I ran my palms along his thighs, trying to bring him closer as if we could meld our bodies together. Lust rampaged through my system, and my breaths came out heavy, my skin covered in a sheen of sweat from the heat around me, from the inferno eating me up from the inside out.

This had to be some fever dream, some imagining of mine. Myles, my sweet, awkward, sexy-as-fuck roommate, couldn't be grinding against my ass, his hands a brand on my skin. Except we were here in the middle of the dance floor. The world could be ending around us, and I wouldn't budge from this place.

The final notes of the song resounded through the club, and I all but sagged against Myles. As a new beat pumped through the speakers, I turned around to face him.

The sight had me swallowing my tongue.

His dark brown hair was tousled, his ice-blue eyes fevered and filled with lust. His hands hadn't left my hips even when I moved, and the grip tethered me, making this a reality. His tank top was plastered to his chest, and I wanted to peel it off him, to lick up his torso and taste the salt of his sweat. I wanted to slide between his legs and suck until he came.

"Fuck, Avery," he murmured. With the roar of the other voices, the stomps of feet, and the heady thump of the music, I more saw than heard his words. Tension bubbled through the air between us as I swayed back and forth, back and forth in his grasp, and I wanted to lunge forward and close any space that remained. To claim his lips until we both got lost in sensation.

If I could deliver a mere fraction of the feelings he summoned in me, the sheer, breathtaking anticipation, the soaring longing, I'd die happy. Somehow, this man had worked his way into my bloodstream until he'd become as vital to me as air, as water, as dance.

And sharing this with him tonight meant more than I could express. The fact that he'd tried stepping out of his comfort zone for me, fuck, not many offered a gesture like that. Even my family didn't make me feel as visible, as valid as he did.

We swayed together, not looking away. Bodies writhed around us, feet stomped, arms flung up, everyone losing themselves in free expression. But tonight, I wanted to get lost in something else.

Tonight, an undeniable heat burned through me, one I wanted to let consume me.

I stepped back, my hands on Myles's shoulders and his on my hips as we danced closer to the wall. When my back thumped against it, I came to a solid stop. He still clutched me, his pupils blown with a hungry look. A sinful thrill rippled up my spine. My gaze zeroed in on his lips, impulse overriding any other thoughts.

I leaned in and kissed him.

Myles tightened his grip on my hips, and his response was instantaneous. He kissed back just as hard, his lips lush and his mouth hot. I'd made out with countless people on the dance floor, but I had never felt like this before. He tasted like the crisp beer he'd drunk, and my body sparked to awareness as if I'd been sleeping my entire life and had just woken up.

Kissing Myles was like the quiet moments of waking up on the first day of summer vacation as a kid and realizing you were free. It was the thrill of finally reaching your destination after a long plane ride. His lips to mine were every late night I'd spent filled with yearning, the velvet darkness transmuting me into something bigger, something more expansive than I could imagine.

I gasped, losing myself in the feel of his hands on my hips, his lips caressing mine. He licked into my mouth, kissing me with a possession that made my knees weak. I trembled at the sensations rolling through me—the way our bodies crushed against each other, the heat that bloomed between us, the lust that struck like lightning. The heavy thump of the bass pounded all around me, but it mirrored the frenetic beat of my heart. His beard scraped against my chin as I dove in, loving the contrast with his soft lips.

Myles wrapped his hand around my nape, clutching it tight as he guided me back to his mouth again and again. My cock grew even harder, and the urge to spin him around and drive into him stole my breath away. I wanted to tumble around in the sheets with him, to take him apart with my mouth, my teeth, my dick until he was panting and trembling. His tongue stroked mine, and I pulled back to bite his lower lip.

Fuck, he was delicious.

My hands were on his shoulders, and he kept me pinned against the wall, one hand on my hip and the other wrapped around my nape, but our breaths puffed into the mere inches between us. Strands of Myles's hair plastered against his forehead, and his eyes were wild with lust. The white and red strobe lights flashed, changing the pattern across his features, but the way he looked at me was one I wanted—no, needed—to remember.

Myles looked at me like I was the sole thing on earth that mattered, and I'd been searching for this intensity my entire life.

To not feel like an option, a side character, a bit part, but the only one.

"Want to get out of here?" I asked.

"Only if it's into your bedroom," Myles said, his eyes gleaming with a sexy light.

Fuck yes.

I didn't bother responding but grabbed his hand and led him toward the door.