Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
It's like he's imprinted himself on my very soul.
I shake off the melancholy thoughts and force myself to focus on the here and now.
On Allegra's smiling face and the euphoric rush of the alcohol and adrenaline.
Tonight is about friendship and freedom, not pining over a man I can't have right now.
We dance for hours, until our feet ache and our throats are raw from singing along to every song.
When we finally stumble off the dance floor, flushed and giddy,
Allegra pulls me in for a sweaty hug.
"Best night ever," she declares, her words only slightly slurred. "I love you so much, Iris. Promise me we'll always have this, no matter what happens in our lives."
My heart clenches at her words.. "I promise, Allegra. Nothing and no one will ever come between us. You're my sister, my soulmate."
She beams at me, eyes glassy with emotion and inebriation. "Sisters forever," she says solemnly.
"Forever and always," I echo, meaning it with every fiber of my being.
We decide to hit up one more club before calling it a night, still riding the high of our epic girls' night out.
As we wait in line outside the velvet ropes, I take a moment to check my phone.
No texts or calls from Viper, not that I was expecting any.
We occasionally text, but for the most part it’s radio silence.
I feel a pang of disappointment but quickly squash it down.
Tonight is about me and Allegra, not my forbidden feelings for her father.
Speaking of... I glance over at my beautiful best friend, radiant in the glow of the streetlights.
She's chatting animatedly with the group of people ahead of us in line, her laughter carrying over the din of the crowd.
I won't let my selfish desires ruin the most important relationship in my life.
Allegra deserves better than that.
She deserves a loyal friend, not a backstabbing Jezebel sleeping with her dad behind her back.
So, I vow then and there to put some much-needed distance between me and Viper.
To stop indulging in our clandestine encounters, no matter how much my traitorous body craves his touch.
It won't be easy, but it's the right thing to do until we can tell her.
God, we have to tell her.
For Allegra, for our friendship, and for my own sanity.
I'm drawn out of my contemplation by Allegra grabbing my arm excitedly as we reach the front of the line. "We're up next!" she squeals. "Let's show 'em how it's done."
I flash the bouncer a flirty smile as he checks our IDs.
"Ready to tear up the dance floor?" I ask Allegra with a wink.
"Born ready, baby," she laughs.
And with that, we saunter arm-in-arm into the club, ready to make more mischief and memories.
I feel lighter somehow, freed from the burden of my illicit desires.
Tonight, I'm just Iris—bold, brazen, and unapologetically myself.
And for the first time in a long time, that feels like more than enough.
The two of us down two more shots of tequila each and make our way to the dance floor.
We’re dancing the night away and it feels like we’re in an episode of Sex in the City.
At least, it does until a set of rough hands grab me from behind, spinning me around and away from Allegra.
I'm ready to unleash hell on whoever dares manhandle me, but the words die on my tongue when I see who it is.
Lyon.
My ex from hell.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
"Well, well, well," he drawls, his grip on my upper arms tightening to the point of pain. "If it isn't the Siren of Satin Dreams, in the flesh."
I know Lyon.
I know him all too well.
He’s trying to make me feel like absolute shit, but I will not give him the satisfaction.
"Let go of me, asshole," I hiss, trying to wrench free.
He just laughs, cruel and mocking. "Still got that fiery spirit, I see. No wonder a certain someone’s so hung up on you."
At the mention of Viper, my blood turns to ice in my veins.
Allegra doesn’t know and all of this could go to shit if she overhears him.
Panic claws at my throat, but I force it down, masking my face with an unbothered expression.
I can't let Lyon see he's gotten to me.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say evenly. "Now let me go, before I make a scene."
Lyon's lips curl in a sneer, his eyes glittering with malice. "Go ahead, sweetheart. Scream your pretty little head off. No one's going to hear you over the music."
He's right, damn him.
The bass is so loud it vibrates in my bones, the strobe lights disorienting.
We're just two more bodies in the writhing throng, anonymous and insignificant.
But I'll be damned if I let this prick intimidate me.
Summoning every ounce of bravado I possess, I rear back and slap him across the face, putting all my strength behind it.
The crack of skin on skin is lost in the pounding beat, but the sting in my palm is satisfying as all hell.