Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
We all clean up and then head to the local bar.
We could be being followed, there is a high chance of that, so Alarick is careful on his journey there, making sure to keep an eye out and see if anyone is behind us. We arrive and the bar is just starting to become busy. People are walking in and out, music is playing, and the smell of pizza wafts out.
I need this more than I realized until this very moment.
We all get out and with another check around, we head inside.
After finding a booth, we order a round of shots and after a few of those burning our throats, we relax a little. I’m squashed into the seat next to Cohen and I can feel his body pressed against mine, his hard biceps moving when he lifts his arm to take a drink. There is a funny fluttering feeling in my tummy, a feeling I’m not overly familiar with. I like it, though. I like how it makes me feel.
My mind continues to wander back to the night he was making love to me, and how good it felt. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and the more I do, the more I want him. More of him, everything he has got to offer.
“We should dance!” Waverly cries, throwing her hands up.
“Bikers don’t fuckin’ dance,” Mykel mutters.
“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. It’ll do you good.”
“Didn’t do me good in New York, won’t do me good now.”
Waverly rolls her eyes. I can’t help but smile at the two of them; they’re perfect together. She is the best woman you could pick for Mykel. They match in a way that I long for.
“I’m up for a dance.” Briella grins. “Let’s do this. C’mon, Merleigh, Avi, let’s go.”
Fuck it.
I used to love a good dance.
I stand and climb out of the booth, sliding past Cohen. I don’t miss the deep growl he gives me when my ass rubs against his chest on the way past. I like the power that gives me, the deep feeling in my chest that gives me the kind of confidence I haven’t felt in a very long time.
I haven’t danced in a long time, and gosh, I have missed it.
We reach the dance floor and start moving right away. I sway my hips, throwing my hands up, and a huge smile breaks out over my face. I haven’t felt so free in such a long time. Briella dances beside me, and her laughter fills the room as she takes my hand and spins me around. “I’ve missed this,” she yells over the music. “We used to dance all the time.”
“Yeah,” I yell back. “I’ve missed it too.”
The smile she gives me is so genuine it makes my heart ache. I didn’t realize just how much I’ve needed her until this very moment. My walls have been up so high that I’ve not let any emotions in. That wasn’t healthy, and I’m beginning to realize just how close I came to losing everything because of it.
“I’m so glad you’re back, Avi,” Briella throws her arms around me.
The first time she did this, I wanted her hands off me.
This time, though.
Well, it doesn’t feel so bad.
I hug her back, and then we both laugh and continue dancing. Only when we’ve exhausted ourselves do we finally slow down and go back to the table for a drink. All the guys are on another round, and all of them seem a whole lot more relaxed now than they did half an hour ago. Waverly was right, we all needed this.
“We should go to a club,” Briella cries when she slides back into her seat. “I want to dance the night away.”
“Yes!” I yell. “Yes, let’s go.”
Alarick glances at Briella, a small smile spreading across his face. “This is goin’ to be messy later, ain’t it?”
Briella giggles. “Probably.”
“Well then, let’s get to it.”
We all stand and shuffle out of the club. The moment we reach the sidewalk, the fresh air tickles my face and I realize I’m pretty well on my way to being smashed. The truth is though, I don’t mind. I really don’t mind. It feels incredible feeling like this. This is something I never thought I’d experience again.
We walk down the street, chatting and laughing.
Cohen and I walk side by side and as the streets get quieter, I can finally hear him when he talks to me.
“I like this side of you,” he tells me, facing forward as he walks.
“I like this side of me, too.”
“Glad to see it comin’ back.”
So am I, believe me.
“I feel like since I’ve been back, we’ve skipped over so much replacing it with utter hatred. We were friends once, right?”
He side eyes me and nods. “Once, yeah.”
“Can’t we be again?”