And it had nothing to do with wanting to be so close to Dallas.

Without realizing it, my gaze went to her. It didn’t matter where she was in the room, I always knew exactly where she was. Right now she was sitting by the window with a cup of soup in her hands. Linc had made a huge pot of her favorite soup and brought it to share with us for dinner tonight. I’d never been so happy to have a bowl of soup in my life. Freaking fast food for the last week was not my idea of fun anymore.

Her hair was up in a messy bun because she hadn’t left the hospital either and it needed washing. Face, makeup-free. Clothes, wrinkled but clean since Linc and Natalie had been bringing her fresh outfits every day. To my tired eyes, Dallas had never looked more beautiful. Not even the first night I had made her mine.

I remembered every moment I’d ever had with Dallas, but the one that stuck in my mind the most was the first night I had kissed her. It was also the first night I had possessed that tight body of hers. She had been wearing this little outfit, something I was in no way unused to, but on her it had blown my mind. I’d been chasing after her for a while by that point, determined that if I couldn’t get between her legs then I didn’t want anyone else. That night she had finally let me catch her…

“Are you sure about this place?”

I turned to glance at Shane and Harper over my shoulder as we entered the night club. “I’ve been here a few times. It might look seedy on the outside but it is above par on the inside.” That was one of the things I liked so much about Club Ventuno. Gabriella had brought me here the first time and I had been just as skeptical as Shane was.

As we finally got through the small corridor and into the actual club, we went from seedy to legendary. The club was full, but not so packed that you felt like you were gonna be swallowed by the crowd. The lighting was dim, so no one could tell exactly who you were from across the room. A DJ was mixing some kick ass dance music from a platform in the back corner while a bar as long as the room was wide took up the other side of the dance floor.

We went straight to the bar for drinks but as soon as I told the bartender what I wanted, I turned to Harper. “When is your friend gonna get here?”

Harper’s violet eyes widened. “I thought you would have given up by now. She’s not interested.”

I snorted, unable to believe that was true. I’d been chasing after Dallas for five weeks now and while she rolled her blue eyes at me and ran her sexy mouth, I could see the fire in her eyes that she tried so hard to keep banked. The girl was enjoying me chasing after her almost as much as I was the actual chase. It was a new experience for me. Refreshing, even.

I fucking loved it.

Shane pushed between me and Harper and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how obvious he was. The fucker had it bad where this chick was concerned. He was possessive as hell and hadn’t strayed once in the last month or so. It was mind boggling to see Shane Stevenson not fucking anything with a pussy, but he seemed really happy for the first time since… Well, since I’d met him.

“Dallas should be here by now. She and Linc left ahead of us.” Picking up his bottle of Corona he pushed the wedge of lime into the beer and took a drink before tilting his bottle behind me. “She’s dancing with some tool over there.”

I turned my head slowly and the sight of the blonde bombshell made my breath actually catch. Fuck, she was beautiful. Hair curled and teased was flying around her shoulders as she moved to the beat of the music. Her skirt just inches from showcasing if she was wearing panties or not. While her possible lack of underwear was in question, the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra was more than obvious as she lifted her arm and wrapped it around the fucker’s neck that stood behind her, grinding her ass into his junk.

Seeing the tool that Shane had pointed out touching her like that made me see red. It was another new experience for me because I never got jealous. But there I stood ready to tear some complete stranger a new one because he had his hands on my girl. Before I could stop to think about what I was doing I was across the club and pushing the guy away from Dallas.

Dallas turned around, surprise flashing over her face at my show of violence. I had been in my share of bar fights, and more than a few times Emmie had had to bail my ass out of jail right along with one of the Demons. Right then, with a new kind of rage boiling inside of me, I was ready to go back to jail.

Dallas’s dance partner stepped up into my face, breathing hard and just as pissed off as I was. But when he got a good look at my face, saw who I was, his face split into a grin. “Dude! You’re Axton Cage.”

My glare didn’t lessen. “Dude!” I snarled. “Get the fuck away from my girl!”

The grin left his face and he lifted his hands in surrender before slowly backing away. “Sorry, man. Didn’t know she was taken.”

Dallas punched me in the chest. “What the fuck was that? Huh? I was havin’ fun, dickwad.”

With the guy now out of my sight, I relaxed a little and grabbed onto her hips, pulling her hard against me. “So have fun with me instead,” I rumbled against her ear. “Dance with me.”

I knew the instant she finally gave in. Her body began to relax and then her hips started to sway to the music. When her arms hooked around my neck, she let out a sigh, as if I were inconveniencing her, but I saw the smile she was trying to hide from me.

Three songs, two margaritas and a beer later, Dallas was mine for the taking. And I took.

I took everything she had to offer me that night and came back begging for more. But she took too, and I haven’t been the same ever since.

As if sensing my eyes on her, Dallas lifted her head from her dinner. When that clear blue gaze locked on mine, I felt the usual jolt of awareness and my body woke up. My heart started racing, and lower…

Emmie scooted away a few inches and I glanced over at her, breaking eye contact with Dallas. She had a knowing smile on her lips. “Well then…” I opened my mouth to apologize but she shook her head. “It’s okay. Not the first time I felt your boner.”

I cringed, because she was right. Before I’d gotten my head straight I’d kissed Emmie. It had been one hell of a kiss and my body had reacted pretty quickly. But the thought of her like that now just made my stomach queasy. It felt almost incestuous.

“Are you two still fighting?” Emmie asked, quickly changing the subject. Her big green eyes went to Dallas.

“I hadn’t seen her since Lana had the baby until the other night. She ripped me a new one and I’ve been licking my wounds ever since.” I grimaced, remembering that night all over again. That night I knew the likelihood of ever getting Dallas back was slim.