Page 20 of Brutal Reign
If it’s revenge she wants, then she got it the second she showed up tonight. River’s already a stunner in her everyday casual attire, but in the painted-on pleather leggings and tight black cropped tank she’s wearing tonight, the girl’s a fucking knockout. Every eye in this place turned her way the moment she walked in, and mine have barely left since.
She clearly has no idea how much attention she draws by simply existing. She’s flirting more with her girlfriends than any of the guys lurking around her, as if oblivious to the fact she could have them dropping to their knees with so much as a bat of her lashes. River Jacobsen is a far cry from the little tomboy who used to run wild with Ace and me. She’s the hottest girl in the room.
Judging by the way Ace has been silently stalking her every move since she got here, he’s noticed the same thing. Both of us are well aware that we’re playing a dangerous game in spending this much time around the girl who almost drove us apart. Out of sight, out of mind almost works when you commit to it, butinsight makes the mind harder to ignore.
“Wanna grab a drink?” I ask Ace as he slides the crossfaders, the thump of the bass beat dying out as a slower song begins to play and he sets the next in the queue.
“Yeah,” he mumbles in response, still staring off into the crowd.
I follow his line of sight to see that his tactic worked– only the lovers in the room remain on the dance floor, the crowd slowly dispersing to wander back to their high-top tables or in the direction of the bar.River included.The poor sap she was dancing with looks like someone just ran over his dog as she leaves him to rejoin her friends, and for a second, I almost feel bad for him.
Almost.
Nah, I don’t really give a shit.
“C’mon,” I grunt, jerking my head toward the doorway to exit the booth.
The two of us make our way down, threading through the crowd to get to the bar. It thickens the closer we get, but a major perk of being a rising Alpha is that people move the fuck out of your way when they see you coming. It doesn’t take us long to get to the front of the bar, and one glance toward the server is all it takes for glasses of top-shelf whiskey to be placed in front of either of us.
I immediately reach for mine, knocking it back and draining the entire contents in a single swig. The liquor burns a path down my throat and settles in my gut, warming me from the inside as I drop my glass back onto the counter and tip my head to the bartender in silent demand for a refill.
“Here comes Chandler,” Ace murmurs, his gaze aimed over my shoulder as he brings his own glass to his lips.
I roll my eyes with an annoyed groan, not bothering to turn around and look. I can already smell the cloying scent of her perfume, and moments later, she announces her presence by snaking her hand around my waist from behind. She tucks it up under the hem of my t-shirt, fingertips brushing against my hard abs.
“About time you came down outta that booth,” she purrs, pressing her body against my back.
I shove her hand out from underneath my shirt, stepping closer to the bar and picking up the fresh drink the bartender just delivered for me. Ace snorts a laugh, shaking his head as he takes another sip of his own.Glad he finds this so amusing.
His eyes are heavy-lidded as he swallows down another swig of whiskey, a lazy smile curving his lips when he lowers his glass. He’s stoned as fuck right now, but unlike most people,it doesn’t make him oblivious to his surroundings. I swear it only intensifies his focus. That mind of his is always working; constantly calculating every situation. Ace doesn’t do anything without intent.
“You’re killin’ it with the music tonight, Ace,” a doe-eyed brunette says as she sidles up to him, batting her lashes flirtatiously.
She doesn’t stand a chance. Like me, Ace is known to prefer blondes.
“Thanks,” he replies smoothly, knocking back the rest of his drink. He wipes his mouth off on a tattooed forearm before glancing past her as he sets his glass on the counter. “Who’s your friend?”
The girl’s cheeks pinken in a flush as she steps aside, gesturing to the blonde girl in question. “This is Tillie.”
I recognize the name from training camp, but all these chicks look different tonight with their hair done up and the heavy makeup caked on their faces. Tillie shuffles in to take her friend’s place and Ace tosses an arm over her shoulders, cutting me a smirk as he leans down to whisper something in her ear. Probably securing a hookup for the end of the night.
Ace is a silent killer with the ladies; I’ll bet he pulls more tail than Beau and Ares combined. Not that he’d ever confirm it. He doesn’t flaunt his conquests around like the two of them do, keeping his dirty deeds relegated to the shadows except for the rare occurrence when the same girl catches our eye.
Sharing is caring, right?
Except we don’t care; not really. Not about the girls whose names we rarely even bother learning. We’ve only ever cared about one girl, and we drove her away a long time ago, before it could destroy us.
Ace gives Tillie a wink as he slides his arm off her shoulders, grabbing a fresh drink off the bar before he turns to head back tothe DJ booth. He bumps his shoulder into mine, lifting his chin in acknowledgement as he passes me, and I return the gesture to let him know that I’ll be back up there soon. I have no idea what he just said to Tillie, but suddenly she’s giggling like an idiot, clinking her glass with her friend’s.
Yeah, my boy’s about to get his dick wet tonight.
Can’t say the same for myself. Chandler has planted herself at my side, trying to hang all over me while I pointedly ignore her presence. I swear, every time I’m around this girl, she’s pawing at my flaccid cock. She’s attractive, but nothing about her gets me hard.Too desperate.The only advantage is that she’s established herself as queen bee amongst our recruit class, so as long as she’s hovering, the other girls keep their distance. Not that any of them do it for me, either.
Chandler’s fingertips skim the waistband of my shorts and I snap a hand out, closing it around her wrist before she can go any further. “No,” I snarl, cutting her a glare.
Her flirtatious smile melts, a flare of silver igniting in her irises as her wolf pushes to the surface. “C’mon, Seb, we’ve been doing this dance for too long now. It’s about time we finally give in, dontcha think?”
A chuckle rumbles from my chest as I shake my head, hardly believing how fucking delusional this chick is. Edging away from her, I pivot to lean back against the bar, raising my glass to my lips as I glance out over the crowd. It’s no surprise that my eyes find River immediately.