The night air hit my face as I pulled into the parking lot of Castello Bar. A smirk played on my lips while I cut the engine. I had actually pulled it off. I locked my door, smoothed down my red dress, and strutted toward the entrance, the bass of the music inside already vibrating through the doors.
The bar was packed, washed in dark red neon lights and the scent of liquor and alcohol. My friends were clustered near the booth by the VIP area, but my eyes immediately searched the crowd for Max.
I spotted him near the main counter, leaning back with a shot glass in hand. Relief washed over me. I pushed past two guys standing in my way and walked up to him.
"Max," I called out, reaching for his arm.
He turned, his eyes trailing down my red dress before a lazy smile spread across his face. He downed his shot, set the glass on the counter, and pulled me into a tight grip, pressing his lips against my chest right over the fabric of my dress.
"You look hot, babe," he murmured into my skin. "As always."
I giggled, my hands running through his dark hair. "I had to fight my way out to get here."
"Did your dad give you a hard time again?"
"Something like that," I answered, pouting my lips. "He tried locking me in my room with some weird looking guy he hired to babysit me."
Max laughed, resting his hands on my hips. "A babysitter? For a twenty-three-year-old?"
"I know, right? But I handled it." I leaned against him, feeling safe again. "I locked that bastard in my room and took off."
Max opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes suddenly shifted past my shoulder. His posture went rigid, his brow pulling down into a hard line.
"If you locked him in your room, then who the hell is that guy staring at us like he wants to break my neck?"
My heart skipped a beat. I turned around slowly.
Standing by the edge of the bar lounge, leaning casually against a pillar with his arms crossed, was Rey.
I froze. My mouth fell open as my brain struggled to process the sight of him. He wasn't even wearing the black shirt from earlier; he had swapped it for a fitted grey crewneck that hugged his chest, but his eyes were the exact same ice-cold blue. He looked completely relaxed, except for the dangerous edge in his stare aimed straight at Max.
How the hell did he get out? How did he find out I was here? And how the hell did he get here so fast?
My blood ran cold. The smug victory I felt in my car completely evaporated. I took a half-step back, my eyes wide.
"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered.
Rey caught me looking at him. He didn't move from his spot, but a slow, wicked smirk spread across his lips. He raised his hand, casually tapping his wrist where a watch would be, letting me know my little trick hadn't done a damn thing.
Max frowned, looking between me and Rey. "Is that him?"
"Yeah," I muttered, my stomach knotting up. "That's him."
"What is he, a stalker?" Max scoffed, turning back to the bartender.
“I do not know but right now I want to smash his head with a glass. This idiot fucking followed me!”
Max moved closer, hugging my waist. “No, babe, don’t let him ruin tonight. Ignore him. Here, drink this." He slid a small glass filled with liquid toward me.
I looked down at the shot, my nose wrinkling. "Max, you know I don't drink tequila. I hate hard liquor."
"Are you really going to reject what I’m giving you?" he said, his tone instantly losing its warmth.
"I really don't want to—"
"I said drink it," Max cut in, his grip on my waist tightening a little too hard. "Don't act like a prude in front of everyone."
I stared at him, hurt by the sudden sharpness in his voice. I didn't want to make a scene, especially not with Rey watching every single move from a few feet away like a hawk.
Max was always used to having his way and when it doesn’t go as he wants, he throws a fit.
With a fake smile, I snatched the glass, closed my eyes, and threw the liquid down my throat.
It burned like fire going down. I choked, coughing hard as the harsh taste coated my tongue.
"See? That wasn't so hard," Max said, but his voice sounded oddly distant now.
Within seconds, my head started spinning. The lights in the bar blurred into long streaks of red and yellow. My legs felt heavy, and a strange, dizzying heat washed over my entire body. I stumbled slightly, reaching out to grip Max’s chest for balance.
"Max... something is wrong," I slurred, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth. "I feel sick..."
Instead of helping me sit down, Max's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. I felt his hand slide down past my waist, squeezing my hip rough enough to leave a bruise.
"You're fine," he muttered near my ear. "You just need to relax."
"No... stop," I stammered, trying to push his chest away, but my arms had no strength left. "Max, let go..."
His hand moved lower, grabbing my thigh and pulling up the slit of my dress. I winced, panic shooting through the heavy haze in my mind. He had never touched me like this in public. He knew I hated it.
"I said stop!" I tried to yell, but it came out as a weak breath.
"Shut up, Amelia," Max grunted, leaning down to force his mouth onto my neck.
Before his lips could touch my skin, a shadow fell over us.
A large hand grabbed Max by the collar of his jacket and yanked him backward with brute force. Max stumbled back into a table, drinks shattering on the floor.
"The fuck is your problem, man?!" Max roared, scrambling up.
Rey stepped between us, his frame completely blocking Max from my sight. His shoulders were tense, his jaw locked tight enough to snap bone.
"Get your hands off her," Rey said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a deadly weight that made the surrounding crowd go quiet.
"She's my girlfriend, asshole! Mind your own fucking business!" Max yelled, reaching for a broken glass on a nearby table.
Max lunged forward, but Rey didn't even flinch. He sidestepped the wild swing, grabbed Max by the forearm, and slammed his fist straight into Max's face.
The crack of bone echoed over the music. Max gasped, blood instantly spurting from his nose as he staggered back. Rey didn't give him a second to breathe. He stepped in, landing a brutal knee to Max's stomach, followed by a heavy left hook that sent Max crashing hard onto the dirty floor.
I watched the fight through a fog, my hands trembling as my vision began to narrow into black edges.
Max lay groaning on the ground, clutching his face, but Rey stood over him, his breathing heavy, his knuckles already red. He looked like a man possessed, his eyes dark with a wild rage that terrified me.
"If you ever touch her again," Rey growled down at him, "I won't stop at your face."
My knees gave out completely.
Before my body hit the floor, strong arms caught me under my knees and back, scooping me up like I weighed nothing at all. I slumped against Rey's broad chest, my head falling into the crook of his neck. His scent filled my lungs, cutting through the sickening smell of alcohol.
"I've got you, Princess," he muttered softly against my hair, all the anger leaving his voice in an instant.
He carried me out of the bar, ignoring the stares of the crowd. He laid me gently across the back seat of his car, making sure my dress was pulled down over my thighs before closing the door.
The drive home was a blur of passing streetlights. My body was burning up from the inside out, a deep, restless ache settling between my legs. The tequila—or whatever Max had put in it—was completely driving me insane.
By the time the car stopped in my driveway, I couldn't take it anymore.
Rey opened the rear door and reached in to lift me out. As soon as my feet touched the floor of the foyer inside the house, I stumbled forward, pressing my hands against his chest to keep from falling.
"Hey, take it easy," he said, catching my arms to steady me. "I'm taking you to your room."
"No," I whimpered, sliding my hands up to his neck. My fingers dug into his shoulders, pulling him down toward me. "I don’t want that. I want a kiss, Rey... please."
He froze, his body going rigid under my touch. "You're out of your mind right now. Go to sleep."
"I don't want to sleep," I whispered, leaning up until my lips were barely an inch from his. The heat coming off him was driving me wild. "I want you."
Rey’s jaw worked heavily. His eyes darkened, scanning my face, dropping down to my mouth before snapping back up. "You don't know what you're saying."
"I do," I breathed out, grabbing his hand and pressing it directly against my hip, feeling the hard muscle of his fingers against my skin. "I want a kiss, Rey. Right now."
A ragged breath escaped his throat. The cold, unreadable bodyguard persona cracked, replaced by something dark and primitive. His grip on my waist tightened, pulling me flush against his hard frame until there was no space left between us.
"Don't play games with me, Princess," he rasped, his voice rough as sandpaper. "Because I won't stop if you ask me to."
I saw his eyes darken and took it as a cue. He wanted it, he wanted me.
"Exactly what I desire," I whispered, and slammed my lips against his.
Rey’s control snapped in half immediately. I took my lips off him for a second.
“Amelia, we sh–
I didn't let him finish before I pulled myself deeper into his body and slammed my lips against his again.