Bite Marks (The Lycans 5)

They’d always be just a little farther back than I wanted, and I didn’t know how to fix that.

She finally pulled to a stop in front of the club, and I could already see the line was stretched around the building. I’d never been to Sinner before, the newest club in the city. And I wasn’t confident I’d actually get in tonight, not when it looked like there were so many people anxious to visit the top-tier nightclub.

But then I saw Sasha pretty close to the front of the line and couldn’t help but smile and shake my head. Of course she’d gotten here early enough she was probably one of the first in line.

After thanking my driver and getting out, I wrapped my arms around myself again as a gust of wind came from my left, pushing my long hair over my shoulder. Sasha spotted me and waved me over excitedly, her boldly red-painted full lips spreading across her straight, white teeth. She had her black hair piled up into a high ponytail, her olive-hued skin showcasing gold highlighter along her cheekbones and the tip of her nose. In other words, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

I wasn’t a woman who got jealous or envied other females over superficial things, but if I ever was going to be that type of person, Sasha would drive me there. Hell, I’d seen her without a stitch of makeup on and hungover as hell, and she was still beautiful, even with bags under her eyes.

I didn’t miss the nasty looks I got from some of the people waiting in line as I stepped up right beside Sasha. She gave me a quick hug, then stepped to the side slightly, and that’s when I saw the man standing beside her. He was tall and toned, his body like a swimmer’s. His dark hair was almost black in color, swept back from his forehead and highlighting his deep-brown eyes and sharp features. He had the same tanned complexion as Sasha, and now that I was really looking at him, I could see some facial similarities between them—the full lips, high cheekbones, and thick black lashes.

“Kayla, this is my cousin Salvatore. He’s here from Italy for work.”

Salvatore stepped forward and clasped my hand in both of his much larger ones before leaning down and kissing my skin, his gaze never leaving my face. I felt my eyes widen slightly, my brows no doubt up to my hairline. He smirked, a dimple popping in his cheek.

“Bellissima,” he said with a deeply accented voice before straightening and slowly letting go of my hand. “Sasha downplayed how beautiful you are.”

I looked over at Sasha with an arched eyebrow. She’d clearly been talking about me with him, and I didn’t question it because I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what was going on here. She was trying to set me up.

I looked back at Salvatore, his smirk still in place as he watched me intently. It was very clear he knew exactly how attractive he was, and he no doubt was used to a long line of women vying for his attention.

Before anyone could say anything else, the line was moving, and we were getting closer to the front. I listened as Salvatore took a call, and although I didn’t understand Italian, I was transfixed by the beautiful lilt of it.

Sasha started talking about one of the classes we were in together, but economics was not what I wanted to focus on right before I got drunk and danced without inhibitions.

When we finally got to the front of the line, I peeked around the corner and saw a set of heavy-duty doors being pushed open for the patrons to enter the club. The interior looked smoky, visibility a little hidden by the crush of bodies and low light. The doors shut, blocking the interior out again, and I straightened.

We stood in line for another five minutes before the massive bouncer stepped to the side and pulled aside the red velvet rope for us to enter. Sasha was all but bouncing as she led the way, Salvatore taking up the rear. She was about to push one of the thick doors open when it swung inward on its own. She looked over her shoulder at me with a massive grin on her face, like she’d just seen the greatest optical illusion or magic trick.

I was awestruck at the interior of the club. I’d expected it to be pretty incredible given the hype I’d heard about it, but the reason I was so awestruck was because it wasn’t flashy like many of the other nightclubs I’d been to.

No, Sinner was all dark aesthetics and downplayed elegance, as if the owner didn’t give two shits if someone hated it, because this was what they’d envisioned.