It was Dallas who had brought us closer during those long nights when Liam couldn’t find a comfortable position to fall asleep. He’d started turning down the sleeping pills as soon as he could, and demanded pain medication that was less powerful. He was taking his addiction recovery very seriously this time around and I was beyond proud of him. We would talk until Liam would fall into an exhausted sleep and I would watch over my friend, staying there not just because of my need to see Dallas, but in case he happened to wake up and needed to talk again.
Liam seemed to be making it his goal to help me get Dallas back, and I was thankful to have at least one of her friends on my side. “Thanks, man.”
“I expect to be the best man,” Liam said and grinned as he pulled a clean shirt on over his head. “You know, if you ever get that far.”
Liam went back to the bus, but Wroth, Marissa and Dallas along with Linc were already waiting in the limo when I climbed in with Zander thirty minutes later. “Where’s Nat?” Zander asked as he shut the door behind him.
“She said she had a headache,” Dallas informed him. “Try not to be to broken-hearted.”
“Fucking Dev!” Zander growled under his breath before pulling his cellphone out and punching something in with angry jabs.
I stretched behind me and rapped my knuckles on the partition that separated us from the driver, letting him know we were ready to go. Moments later we pulled into traffic headed for Club La Vela. Every time we were in Panama City we went to Club La Vela. Each time was a different experience with all the different theme rooms and bars. And as long as we stuck to the shadows we could be anonymous for as long as we wanted it.
As the limo moved along I let my eyes drift to the blonde bombshell seated across from me. Dallas was dressed to kill in a skirt that was a mere millimeter from showing the world the ass that I worshiped. The top she had on was a baby blue that matched her eyes and the stiletto heels she was wearing were a pair of my favorites from when we had first gotten together a few years ago. I’d bought her those heels on the spur of the moment when I’d seen her glance at them while we had walked down Fifth Avenue. She hadn’t looked long, but I’d seen the look in her eyes before she had glanced away.
That night, after she had worn the heels out to some club I couldn’t even remember the name of, she had kept those fucking amazing shoes on while I had made love to her on my bed.
Seeing my gaze was lingering on her shoes, Dallas lifted one foot, making the anklet she had on sparkle in the dim lighting of the limo. “You like?” I nodded dumbly because my mouth was suddenly as dry as a desert. “Some rock god bought them for me. I probably should have tossed them out, but I couldn’t for some reason. They’re far too beautiful to throw away.”
“The rock god has great taste,” I growled catching hold of her ankle and pulling it onto my lap so I could inspect the anklet she had on. “Where did you get this?” I demanded, my tone sounding harsher than expected. It looked expensive and the little charm that I recognized as being the same as the tattoo on the back of Dallas’s neck was telling me that it was a personal, almost intimate gift.
“Some hottie gave it to me for Christmas.” When my eyes narrowed on her she laughed. “It was Harper.”
I relaxed and started rubbing little circles around the anklet. “It looks good on you.”
I felt her shiver and noticed the goose-flesh popping up along her legs as I skimmed my hands over her calf. A moment later she pulled her foot away and shifted in her seat.
“You can cut the sexual tension with a knife in here.” Zander put his phone away. “Think I will hit the hard stuff and find a few chicks to take my mind off of shit.” The limo pulled up in front of the club and he jumped out before the driver could open the door for us. “Later, fuckers.”
Wroth got out next and helped Marissa and then Dallas out before moving toward the VIP entrance. This side of the club was nearly deserted except for the hulking bouncer standing with a clipboard and a headset in his ear. After Linc had climbed out I finally moved and shut the door behind me. The humid Florida air filled my lungs but did nothing to help alleviate my painful condition. Dallas had made me hard as titanium and there was no way I would be dancing tonight without hurting myself.
The bouncer said something to Wroth, but his eyes were glued to Dallas. His eyes, which looked beady in his huge-ass head, raked her from top to bottom, stopping on all the good parts in between that I was going to touch at every opportunity tonight and every other night thereafter.
“Hey dickhead,” Dallas glared at the bouncer that easily outweighed her by two hundred pounds as if he were some insect she could crush beneath her killer heels, “my eyes are up here. You want to keep yours in your head, I suggest you keep them on something that doesn’t have another man’s name tattooed on it.”
In the dim lighting I watched as the bouncer’s face turned stony, the only sign of his embarrassment was his ears turning blood red. He averted his eyes and opened the VIP door. Marissa was smothering a giggle as Wroth pushed her in ahead of him. Linc followed behind them, but grabbed ahold of Dallas’s elbow and pulled her along behind him, muttering something under his breath that made Dallas grumble back in a whiny tone. As I followed I shot the bouncer a cold glare.
The others were already heading for the bar when I caught up with them. I waved the bartender over and told him to start a tab under one of the fake names I alternated between, then handed over my credit card that had the same name on it. The skinny guy with long blond and blue hair swiped the card once and gave it back to me. “What will it be?”
I nodded toward the VIP room. “Keep the beers flowing, and the bottled water. For now, whatever the lady wants.”
Dallas turned from chatting with Marissa at that. She raised a brow at me but gave the bartender her order of rum punch. The skinny bartender’s eyes lingered on her top as she spoke to him and the growl that escaped me must have been menacing because he jerked his eyes away and started tossing the drink together.
“Please tell me you will be okay if I go find some fun,” Linc said beside Dallas. “This place is swarming with my kind of a good night.”
“She will be fine,” I rushed to assure the muscle head. “And anything you want to drink just tell the bartender. The tab is under Henry McGill. Don’t forget that we leave for the next show at six.”
I could see the conflicting emotions cross Linc’s face. He wanted to go and find a hookup, but he didn’t want to leave Dallas alone with me. My word wasn’t going to be enough for him, which should have pissed me off, but didn’t. He was just looking out for his friend and I respected that.