Sordid (Sordid 1)

As he dealt out the next round, his fingers lingered on my card. “You look like you don’t want to play anymore.”

I pressed my lips together. “I’m kind of a lightweight.”

Luka’s dark eyes glittered and an invisible hand tightened around my lungs. His expression was seductive and sinister. Scary, and yet . . . enticing. It kept me rooted in my chair as he dealt the cards.

Thank God. I had a ten showing and an eight hidden. Across the table, Luka’s up card was a three.

“I’ll stay,” I said.

He pulled one more card from the deck, and as a pleased smile teased his lips, a shiver rolled down my back. He turned his cards face up. Twenty.

My eyes pinched tightly shut as I gulped the mouthful down and tried not to gag. The tequila seemed to scald more with each swallow, and tasted like gravel. I pushed back from the table to stand—

“One more.” His voice was firm, like this wasn’t a request.

I blinked. “I can’t do another shot.” Three was probably already too many.

“One more,” Luka said. His gaze pinned me in place. “If you lose, you can do something else instead.”

“Like what?”

He appeared to consider his options before speaking. “You let me give you a tour.”

It was such a strange request. He thought this was a punishment? I drew in a breath and tried to find the downside to his offer. Since there wasn’t one, I slid back into the seat. The room had grown crowded and louder in the short amount of time we’d been sitting at the table, and another pair was waiting to take our place, so Luka didn’t waste any time.

I had mixed feelings when I won the hand. I watched my excuse to hang around him longer disappear as he poured the shot into his open mouth. When it was done, he looked . . . disappointed?

It came from me without thought. “I’ll still go on that tour.”

He paused.

A slight smile drew across his face and disappeared when he stood, gesturing toward the door. It was so loud he raised his voice over the roar of the party. “Let’s get going, then.”

I followed him out of the game room and into the entryway, jostling between people in various states of drunkenness. Costumes ranged from silly to slutty to almost non-existent. Luka stopped at the bottom of the stairs and I ran into the back of him. He was like a wall.

“Can’t go upstairs,” a guy dressed as a cowboy said. He stood beside Luka, his arms crossed over his chest.

Luka said nothing. He stood motionless, staring down the cowboy, who seemed to wilt under Luka’s intense gaze.

“Wait a minute.” The cowboy’s arms uncrossed and his posture changed quickly. “You’re Vas’s brother?” He moved to the side to let Luka pass. “Sorry, my bad.”

“If Vasilije starts looking for me,” Luka said, “tell him to text. I’ll be upstairs.”

Luka’s head turned and he peered over his shoulder, wordlessly commanding me to follow him up the steps. He didn’t live here at the frat house, apparently, so why did he offer to give me a tour? I trailed behind him, confused, teetering on my heels as we climbed the steps.

Since noise traveled upward, it wasn’t any quieter when we reached the landing at the top of the staircase. Luka’s focus swung from one end of the empty hallway to the other, then turned to me.

“Do you know where you’re going?” I asked, only half teasing.

Fingers rested gently in the hollow of my back and urged me to the right, down the darkened hallway which was lined with closed doors. He strode beside me, heading for the door at the end, and although the music grew quieter, my nerves grew louder. Being alone with Luka was exciting and terrifying.

He grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing a room I hadn’t expected.

Chapter

Two

There was no sign of this being a typical college kid’s room. Luka waited for me to go inside, so I stepped hesitantly through the doorway. A queen-sized bed took up most of the far wall, a dresser occupied the left side, and on the right, a large, brown leather couch. The room was clean, nicely furnished, and the bed made.

“This is the resident advisor’s room,” Luka said. “And it concludes the tour.”

“What?”

As I whirled around to face him, Luka shut the door, closing us in together. My heart leapt in my chest and raced. Oh shit, I’d been stupid. So, so stupid. I took a step back defensively, needing space.

“Whoa.” Luka’s deep voice was hushed and his arms held up in surrender. “This is the furthest place in the house from the party. We might actually be able the hear each other in here.”

“Hear each other what?” Anxiety flooded my voice.

He took a breath. “I can open the door if you’d feel more comfortable, but it’ll be louder, and I want to talk to you.”