Hexed (The Gwen Sparks Series Book 4) (26 page)

She was testing my willpower, shaking her ass in that dress. I sat at the bar, facing the dance floor and watched as men eyed her. To be fair, they were also eyeing Mariana, Bree, and Lauren, but I didn’t give a shit about who was watching them. Gwen caught my eye and smirked as she rolled her hips. Despite my sour mood at watching men eye-fuck my girlfriend, I smiled back. She was so damned beautiful with the lights pulsating against her hair and body, shadowed and highlighted at the same time. I loved watching her let loose and have fun, knowing how much stress she’d been under. And, while I wouldn’t admit it to her, tonight had been a good idea. I hadn’t seen her this carefree in a long time.

I raised my glass of Jack to my lips and watched Gwen over the rim. A man with slicked back dirty blonde hair worked his way toward her, his eyes landing right on her cleavage. My grip tightened around my cup. I was trying very hard to keep my temper under control, but if he so much as laid a finger on her, his hand would be broken before he even noticed I was there. Luckily, Lauren shoved the guy out of the way. The man began dancing behind Lauren, grinding his dick against her ass. She spun around to face him just as another guy danced his way up behind Gwen. When his hand landed on her hip, I saw red. Just as I stood, Gwen’s eyes found mine, and she shook her head. Turning to the man, she said a few words and pointed in my direction. The man’s eyes traveled through the crowd and landed on me. Whatever he saw, it caused him to fade into the crowd. Smirking, I finished the rest of my Jack, set the glass onto the bar, and made my way over to her. I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I had no problem standing there and letting her grind her ass against me.

“Having fun?” I asked, sidling up behind Gwen. I placed my hands on her hips and tugged her against my body, leaning down to press a kiss to the crook of her throat. She tipped her head back and sagged against me, her hips still gyrating to the hip-hop shit blaring through the speakers.

“A lot,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at me with a smile. I eyed her glass, noting it was still half-full. If Fiona and Ethan made their way home tonight, we didn’t need Gwen drunk while performing the spell.

“Have I told you how sexy you are?” I whispered in her ear. “And how much I like watching you dance?” I gripped her hips tighter when she grinded against me. “I may need a private show later.”

Turning to face me, she placed a hand on my chest and looked up. “That can be arranged.”

“Mind if I cut in?” a voice said behind me. My muscles stiffened, knowing who I’d find once I turned around.

“How the hell did you find us?” I asked, still not turning around. I kept my grip on Gwen and stared over her head at the mixture of gyrating bodies.

“Aiden?” Gwen said, peering around my body.

The vampire moved behind Gwen, forcing me to acknowledge him. His eyes took in her dress, and an approving smile stretched across his face. When his gaze reached my hands gripping her hips, his jaw ticked, which made me smirk.

“Looks like she hasn’t forgotten everyone,” Aiden said, flicking a quick look at me.

“Actually,” Gwen said, “I recognized your voice from the phone call the other day. I don’t remember anything about you.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked again, taking satisfaction when Gwen moved to my side.

“Lauren said she spoke to you,” Aiden said. It pissed me off that his eyes kept wandering to Gwen.

“She did but now is not the time to discuss it,” I told him. “As you can see I’m having a night out with
my
girl.” The grin that fell against my lips wasn’t intentional, but it pissed Aiden off all the same.

Aiden took a step toward us, his eyes falling to Gwen again before snapping up to me. “Yeah, I heard you two were together. Tell me, how does it feel to be a rebound?” His mouth quirked up at the side.

I ground my teeth until my jaw hurt, fisting my hand at my side. Tonight Gwen wanted to have fun and forget about stress; I would not cause a scene with Aiden. The problem was, I’d been waiting months to kick his ass. I didn’t want to rip his soul from his body, just a good ol’ fist fight to put him in his place.

“There a problem here?” Reece sauntered up next to me, Jerrick and Braden in tow. I appreciated their support but didn’t need their backup to handle Aiden Blake.

“You travel with an entourage now?” Aiden asked, eyeing each man. “I feel honored you feel the need for backup.”

What a cocky son of a bitch. It was only by sheer willpower that I was able to remain standing next to Gwen instead of striking Aiden down. Lauren made her way over and stood near Aiden, giving me an apologetic shrug as though sorry for taking sides. When Bree and Mariana joined our gang, Mariana smiled flirtatiously toward Aiden.

“Who’s this?” Mariana asked, her voice seductive.

“Aiden Blake,” Aiden said, extending his hand. When Mariana laid her hand in his, he bent at the waist and pressed a kiss to it. What a douche.

“Gwen’s ex Aiden?” Mariana asked. How the hell did she know about Aiden or that he had dated Gwen?

“One and the same,” Aiden replied, winking toward Gwen. Mariana shot a devious glare toward Gwen, a flash of determination in her eyes. I already knew what that spark meant, and I welcomed it. If Aiden was occupied with Mariana, then he wouldn’t be focused on Gwen.

“Can we go home?” Gwen asked, looking up at me. When I nodded, she glanced back at Aiden. “All of a sudden I’m not feeling all that well.”

Aiden watched her, his features undecipherable. “I’ll meet you guys back at my place. There’s a lot we should discuss.”

“I think we’ll stay at the apartment tonight,” Gwen replied, turning and pushing through the crowd.

“Looks like whether she remembers you or not, she doesn’t want anything to do with you,” I told him, turning and following Gwen out.

“FIONA, SLOW DOWN,” I said into the phone. “Who did you see?” Dorian and I were about a block from my apartment when she called me in a panic.

“No,
I
didn’t see anyone,” Fiona clarified. “Micah called me to tell me he saw Patrick.”

“Who’s Patrick? And why didn’t Micah call me?”

“Ugh! This memory loss thing sucks,” she complained. “Patrick works for the NAWC as a
guard
, and Micah said he tried calling you.”

“I was at a dance club,” I explained. “I must not have heard my phone.” While I was talking to Fiona, Dorian turned down a street leading away from my apartment.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“If Patrick is in town, we’re not going back to your apartment. Is Fiona at Aiden’s?”

“Are you at Aiden’s?” I asked Fiona.

“Yeah, and he and Lauren just pulled up. Are you guys coming here?”

“Are we going to Aiden’s?” I directed the question to Dorian. I really didn’t want to see Aiden. I didn’t know what it was, but being in his presence caused a strange tingling sensation to erupt through my body. It was as though those pesky butterflies were drunk off their asses and fluttering in haphazard patterns. Plus, the possession in his eyes when he looked at me unsettled me. I couldn’t remember why we’d broken up, but I knew he shouldn’t be looking at me like that when I was clearly with Dorian. I’d been so tense in the club, afraid the two men would attack each other, and I’d be caught in the middle. Luckily, both men held back their tempers and I was able to escape before it escalated. Unfortunately, my stress-free night was unsuccessful.

“Depends,” Dorian said, his fingers flexing against the steering wheel. “Do they have the stuff for the spell?”

“Why don’t I just put it on speaker so I can stop playing the relay game.” Pressing the button, I said, “Fiona, you’re on speaker. Do you guys have all the ingredients for the spell?”

“Everything except the lemons and distilled water,” Fiona replied. I could hear voices in the background. By the tightness in Dorian’s jaw, he noticed them, too. Aiden’s voice was smooth and accented, recognizable. Even over the phone, it held a hint of power over me. I blamed the bond, having read in the Magick Encyclopedia that those bonded had a certain level of awareness and attraction to each other. Since bonded people were attuned to each other, our bodies were tricked into believing there was something there when—at least in Aiden’s and my situation—there wasn’t. I may not remember either Dorian or Aiden, but in the few short days since I lost my memory, Dorian had gained my trust, and okay…my attention.

Peering over at him, I smiled slimly when I remembered how he’d sidled up behind me on the dance floor, the grip on his hands on my hips as he tugged me against his body, and the soft caress of his breath as he whispered against my ear. Yeah, I was completely into Dorian.

As though he could feel my eyes on his, Dorian looked over at me. A wrinkle formed against his forehead before he stared back at the road.

“Hello?” Fiona’s voice broke through the silence of the car.

“The lemons and water are at Aiden’s,” I said. “We’ll be there in a few seconds.”

“See you soon.”

Pressing the END button, I dropped my cell into my purse and leaned my head back against the seat. I stared out the window as quaint little houses skipped past. Flora really was a cute little town. I mentally told myself that someday I would own one of these houses, trade in my small apartment for a small, but cute, house. As silly as it was, it gave me something to look forward to, even if I didn’t know how long my future would be.

Warm fingers slid across my thigh, squeezing gently. I closed my eyes and absorbed the sensation of Dorian’s skin against mine. In this moment, I desperately wanted to remember him. I was jealous of my former self for having those memories, knowing all the ways he’d touched me. I wanted to remember how I felt when I saw him on that rainy night. Did my heartbeat speed up when our eyes connected? Did time stand still? Did we exchange words, smiles? What came after that, how did we cross paths again?

The car stopped, and I knew we were at Aiden’s. I kept my eyes closed for a few seconds longer before lifting my head. I stared at the dashboard in fear that Dorian would see the anxiety written all over my face. It felt as though we’d been waiting months for Fiona and Ethan to gather the supplies for the spell, when really it had only been a couple days. I hadn’t realized how much stock I’d put into this working until this moment. I had kept a positive mind, told myself that everything would work out and come morning, I’d be back to normal. But what if the spell didn’t work? What if we’d put all our eggs in this basket and the damn thing broke?

I heard Dorian shift and then his fingers were guiding my face to look at him. All of the earlier tension had been erased and now only concern crossed his features. Was he worried about the same things I was?

“Whatever happens tonight,” Dorian said, his voice low and soft, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll go to the ends of the earth for you, cupcake. It’s you and me.”

My vision blurred with tears, one slipping down my cheek until it dropped off my chin. I felt so silly for crying, but it felt as though we were at a precipice. We would either fall over the edge or be yanked back and saved.

“Thank you,” I told him, sniffing and getting control over myself, “for everything, Dorian.”

A crooked smile bent his mouth. “That sounded genuine.”

I laughed, remembering when he first found me on the street and how he’d chastised me for not being grateful. Gosh, that felt like eons ago. So much had happened between then and now.

“It was,” I told him, feeling a lingering tear slip down my cheek. “You’ve been…more than I ever expected.”

Dorian reached over and brushed the tear away, his fingers sliding down to clasp the back of my neck. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes. I concentrated on our breathing, a soft hush of air mingling between us.

I jumped when two knocks sounded at the window. When I began to turn my head to see who was interrupting this moment, Dorian held my head toward his and kissed me. When his tongue flicked against the seam of my lips, I opened my mouth to him. The first contact of his tongue against mine caused me to reach up and fist his jacket to keep him from moving away. With a single kiss, he was able to chase away the doubt clouding my head. In this moment, it was just him and me and the sensations our bodies created when they touched.

“Uh, guys,” Fiona said from behind the glass, “we’re on a bit of a schedule here.”

Breaking our kiss, Dorian and I both exhaled with shaky breath.

“Ready?” Dorian asked.

“Not really.” I smiled, and then we both exited the car.