Rebel Soul

“We should go to Quixote’s!” AJ exclaims. “You know, for nostalgia’s sake.”

Brock gives her a dopey smile. “I’ll never say no to having you grind on me, firecracker.”

In the past, I’d have fake gagged and told him he was a sap, but now…now I totally see the appeal. “I’m down if you are,” I say to Stacia, who is already nodding. “Great, then let’s go.”

We settle our tabs and head for the nightclub where I first saw my future baby mama.

“Shit, I wish your cousin still worked here,” AJ says as we all eyeball the crazy long line.

“Wouldn’t that be nice.” Stacia pouts. “You know, I haven’t heard from him at all since he deployed.”

AJ frowns. “That sucks. Where is he?”

My girl shrugs. “Don’t know. It’s top secret or some shit.”

Without an in, we head to the back of the line. Luckily, it’s fast moving, and it only takes us fifteen minutes to make it to the front. At the door, a big, burly bouncer checks our licenses, only charging Brock and me the cover charge.

Stepping into the club is like entering an alternate reality. Colorful strobes flash overhead as old school R&B booms through the sound system. There are people everywhere, even though it’s still early.

The girls immediately drag us out onto the packed dance floor. As Usher croons about having it bad, I pull Stacia into me, her back to my front. With an index finger hooked through belt loops on either side of her ripped-up black jeans, I move her hips to the beat and press my lips to her neck.

“You’re wearing the same shoes,” I tell her, shifting one hand to rest on her bare belly. When she came downstairs, dressed to kill, in her jeans, black lace crop top, and blue velvet pumps, I almost swallowed my tongue.

“What?” she asks. “I wear these all the time.”

I twirl her to face me, palming her ass and sliding my leg between hers. The song changes to a slow jam, and we sway, barely moving but locked together. “The first time I saw you was here; you and AJ had come to dance. Her and Brock got into it. You had on blue lipstick, black leather, and these shoes. You looked like every fucking fantasy I ever had come to life.”

I see Stacia gasp rather than hear it with all of the noise. “You remember that?”

I hover my lips over the corner of her mouth. “How could I not? You’re unforgettable, Stacia Kellan, completely and utterly unforgettable.”

With that, I seal my mouth to hers, showing God and everyone in this club just who she belongs to.

Chapter Thirty

Stacia

We dance through a few more slow songs before “What’s Luv” booms out of the speakers. I twirl back around and press my ass into West’s groin, rolling my hips as I tease him.

From behind me, he murmurs the iconic Fat Joe line about not being a hater in time with the song. I can’t help but smile as I sway my hips seductively, grinding back into him. After all, he loves the way I shake my ass and doesn’t want me to stop, right?

Another song passes and by the time it ends, I’m parched. “I need a drink,” I tell him, nodding toward the bar.

Not two minutes after we approach the bar, Brock and AJ find us. “Shots!” my best friend shouts. “We need to do shots!” She doesn’t wait for a reply as she flags down the overworked bartender and orders a round for the four of us.

The bartender gets to work, pouring a small measure of tequila into each shot glass before pushing them our way. AJ thanks him and slides some cash his way.

We each pinch our glasses between our thumb and index fingers and raise them in a toast before tossing them back. Except the second the scent of the amber liquid hits me, I find myself throwing my glass to the floor and covering my mouth.

Nausea rolls over me, hot and fast. My stomach churns, and my head swims as sweat dots my forehead. “Shit, baby, are you okay?” West asks, bracing me as I sway on my feet.

I pinch my eyes shut and lean into him for support while I wait for the sensation to pass. “Yes. No. Fuck!”

He rubs a soothing hand up and down my back. “Get her a water,” he says to someone, and a few seconds later, he’s guiding me down onto a barstool and pressing the cool glass between my hands. “Drink this. Small sips.”

I do as he says, and the feeling starts to pass. “Not to be a party pooper, but can we go?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are you okay?” AJ asks, helping me back to my feet.

“I…I think so. I don’t know what happened. I just felt really sick all of the sudden.”