Chapter 17 Try Being with Me
Briar's POV
Rowan's eyes stayed locked on the VIP section, her expression shifting into something appreciative and predatory. "That waist-to-shoulder ratio, Jesus Christ, you can't get that kind of proportion from a gym membership alone. That's pure Alpha genetics doing the heavy lifting."
I felt heat creep up my neck as the memory of Lucian playing basketball surfaced unbidden, the way his shirt had pulled tight across his shoulders when he'd reached up for a shot. "Yeah, he definitely looks like he's in good shape."
Rowan turned to look at me with one eyebrow raised, clearly not buying my attempt at nonchalance, but before she could call me out her entire body went rigid. She grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of my seat with sudden urgency.
I stumbled after her as she pulled me through the crowd, weaving between bodies until we were lost in the mass of people moving to the heavy bass. I had to shout to be heard over the music. "What the hell was that about?"
Rowan didn't answer, just kept dancing with exaggerated enthusiasm while her eyes darted toward the entrance every few seconds. I followed her gaze and saw a massive Beta in a dark suit scanning the crowd with professional efficiency.
Five minutes later the Beta appeared next to our original table, leaning down to speak to the people who had claimed our seats. I watched him gesture toward different sections of the club, clearly asking questions, and then he turned in our direction.
Rowan grabbed my arm again but the Beta cut through the dancing bodies and stopped directly in front of us. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the music. "Excuse me, Miss Ashford. Your father asked me to bring you home."
Rowan's face flushed with anger and embarrassment, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. She stepped forward until she was practically nose to chest with the much larger man and jabbed one finger into his sternum. "I don't have a curfew, Garrett. I'm a grown woman and I can stay out as late as I want."
Garrett's expression didn't change, patient in the way that suggested he'd had this conversation many times before. "Your father was very clear about his expectations for tonight, Miss Ashford."
I moved to stand beside Rowan and tried to keep my voice reasonable. "She's not causing any trouble, she's just having a few drinks with a friend. Can't this wait until morning?"
Garrett's eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to Rowan. "I'm sorry, but those aren't my orders."
Rowan let out a sound of pure frustration and spun on her heel, heading for the exit with Garrett following close behind. I hurried after them.
Rowan whirled around to face Garrett. "I don't even have the freedom to relax at a bar anymore? What's my father paying you, because I'll pay double if you just forget you saw me tonight."
Garrett sighed and reached for Rowan's arm but she twisted out of his grip and her hand came up fast to crack across his face. Then Rowan's expression shifted from satisfaction to alarm as her ankle twisted under her in the stupid high heels she'd insisted on wearing. She went down hard on the concrete with a cry of pain, and I dropped to my knees beside her immediately.
Garrett crouched down on her other side, his hand already going to his phone. "Miss Ashford, I need to take you to the hospital to get that ankle looked at. Your father said you needed to come home tonight, and I'm going to make sure you get there safely even if we have to stop at the emergency room first."
Rowan was clutching her ankle with both hands, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't argue when Garrett carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the SUV. I walked alongside them until he had her settled in the back seat, then stepped back and watched the vehicle pull away.
Then I walked back into the club. The noise hit me like a physical wall and I made my way back to our abandoned table and dropped into my seat. The bartender appeared with a fresh bottle of tequila and I poured myself a generous measure and threw it back in one swallow.
I was halfway through the bottle, the alcohol burning a familiar path down my throat with each shot, when movement in my peripheral vision made me turn my head. Lucian was in the VIP section lifting his glass in my direction, his lips moving in a silent invitation that I could read perfectly even from this distance. Come sit with me.
My heart kicked hard against my ribs and suddenly I couldn't breathe properly, my mind flooding with images that crashed over each other.
The tequila made everything feel distant and immediate at the same time, and somewhere under the alcohol a voice in my head whispered with vicious satisfaction. Why should I spend the rest of my life crawling at Julian's feet?
Julian paid unusually close attention to Lucian, and maybe it was because Lucian had the kind of looks that couldn't be bought or manufactured. If Julian knew I was sitting here right now considering walking over to Lucian's table, if he knew I was even thinking about it, would he lose control completely? The idea sent a sick thrill through my chest.
I stood up slowly, and took a step toward the VIP section. Lucian watched me approach without moving, his gray-green eyes tracking my progress.
Kai was passed out on the couch beside him, snoring softly, which meant we were effectively alone despite being surrounded by hundreds of people. I stopped in front of Lucian's table and for a long moment we just looked at each other, and then I sat down across from him without waiting for an invitation.
The alcohol made my vision slightly hazy but it also stripped away the careful control I normally kept locked around my thoughts, and I found myself staring at Lucian with an openness that would have mortified me sober.
I reached across the table and my fingers found the lapel of his suit jacket, letting my hand slide higher until my fingertips brushed against his collarbone where his shirt fell open. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Lucian didn't pull away from my touch but he didn't lean into it either, his expression shifting into something that looked almost amused. "Do you want me to have one or not?"
I met his eyes directly and let all the reckless defiance I was feeling bleed into my words. "You already know the answer to that."
His hand came up to wrap around my wrist, his fingers warm and firm as he pulled my hand away from his collar with gentle but undeniable strength. His voice was quiet. "Let go, Briar."
I felt my fingers tighten reflexively against the fabric of his jacket. Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly and then he was pulling me forward across the table, using my own grip as leverage until I was half sprawled over the surface with my face inches from his.
His breath was warm against my ear when he spoke again. "If I said I didn't have a girlfriend, what exactly would you do about it?"
I turned my head until my lips were almost brushing against the side of his neck, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his skin. The words came out before I could stop them, bold and stupid and completely honest. "Then maybe you should try being with me instead."
Lucian went very still and I felt his gaze on my face, heavy and assessing. He was smiling but there was something else underneath it now, something deeper and more complicated that I couldn't quite read through the tequila haze.
I started to lean closer and my nose bumped against his jaw, the contact sending a jolt through my entire body. Lucian's hand came up to press against my forehead, his thumb resting just above my eyebrow, and he pushed me back with the same careful strength he'd used to pull me forward.
His gray-green eyes locked onto mine. "Briar, I don't have time to play along with whatever impulsive experiment you're trying to run tonight."