“You are,” he said, pulling me to him and our lips collided, but I refused to open for him. His hands pierced my hair. He pulled away, his forehead touching mine. “Sorry, but I need you. I missed you and you need me,” he whispered in my ear and I moaned as he sucked at my earlobe. “More than ever.”
His hand ducked under my skirt, his finger trailing up my thigh.
“No.” I pushed at his hand. “You’re not touching me.”
“Don’t be mad at me, baby,” he drawled, taking hold of my hands and trying to kiss me again.
“No, James, you’ve been gone a year. You need to give me answers?”
“I will, but not here. It’s not safe in here.”
My hands were still in his, burning with his betrayal. We were good together. I trusted him. He promised to look after me; he promised me the world.
I pushed on his chest, and he dropped away.
“Tilly,” he grunted.
I held my palm to his face. “No, I’m not falling for your bullshit anymore.”
He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the restroom, down the corridor and towards the exit. He pushed the door with his shoulder.
And when I got outside, he jammed me between him and the wall. “I’ll tell you everything, but not here.”
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything. God, I missed you, Tills. I need you. I’ve got a place,” he said. “You’ll get a job easy. It will be just me and you.”
He pushed closer and nipped my lower lip, covering the skin with a quick lick of his tongue.
I pulled away. “Stop kissing me,” I hissed.
“Sorry. I’m going to make it up to you. Come back with me to my hotel. Then we can make plans.”
I shook my head. “Not tonight. Give me the hotel details and I’ll have a think about it.”
“No Tilly, we don’t have time,” he hissed.
“Call me with the details. I’m going back to Isla.”
James stood silent for a long moment and sighed as the bouncer walked over to us. He knew he couldn’t drag me away and get away with it.
My eyes fluttered closed. I opened them wide.
“Okay, I’ll call you,” he said, his stare telling me he wasn’t happy, but he knew there was no way I was going to relent this evening. “I’ll give you a day or two to think about it.”
He pursed his lips in annoyance. Not that I cared. I spun and walked back into the club. But the movement was quick and my stomach turned. Feeling intensely nauseous, I rushed to the bathroom, threw myself on my knees and hurled my stomach contents in the toilet bowl.
My eyes dropped once, twice, feeling heavier and heavier, and I fought to keep them open.
“He fucking drugged me,” I slurred to myself as a fog cascaded over me. I stood and pressed my weary body against the door to jam it shut. But the strength in my body ebbed away, and I lowered myself to the floor as I tried to fight as much as I could.
But as I fought the darkness that was enveloping me, I knew I was losing the battle. With my last act of strength, I raised my arm and fumbled against the lock.
I waited for the click as it slid across and the moment I heard it, I finally allowed myself to succumb to the fog.