Chapter 4: The Provocation

One tall guy with dark hair moved in front of me. He wasn’t bad looking. He matched my rhythm, his hands hovering near my waist. I kept dancing, letting the heat of the club and the alcohol push me. My eyes scanned the upper level for a second. There he was. Killian. Still in the shadows, watching like a hawk. His grey eyes burned even from this distance. Good.

I turned my back to the stranger and pressed closer to Sofia, laughing as we grinded together playfully. The guy behind me got bolder. His hands finally landed on my waist, fingers gripping the leather. He pulled me back against him lightly, moving with me to the music. I didn’t pull away. My heart raced faster. This was dangerous, but I wanted to see what Killian would do.

The stranger’s breath brushed my neck. “You dance like fire, beautiful,” he murmured.

I smiled but said nothing. My eyes stayed locked on the VIP section. Killian had stepped forward now, hands clenched at his sides. His jaw looked tight enough to break. The vein in his neck stood out. He looked ready to kill.

Heat flooded between my legs. Knowing he was watching me like this, seeing another man’s hands on me, made me wet. I rolled my hips slower, teasing, letting the stranger think he was getting somewhere. His grip tightened on my waist, sliding a little lower toward my ass.

Sofia raised an eyebrow at me, smirking. She knew exactly what I was doing.

I danced harder, my body moving like liquid against the stranger. The leather dress felt tighter, my nipples hard and sensitive. Every beat of the music sent another pulse of want through me. I imagined Killian’s rough hands instead of this guy’s. His scarred fingers digging into my hips. His thick cock pressed against my ass instead.

Killian moved through the VIP area like a storm coming. His cold grey eyes never left me. I bit my lip and held his stare, challenging him while the stranger’s hands roamed a little more boldly over my waist.

This was it. I wanted him to snap. To stop treating me like Dante’s little sister and take what we both knew belonged to him. I was getting turned on more just by the thought.

I pushed back against the stranger just enough to make it look real. His hands slid lower. I didn’t stop him.

Killian looked like he was about to kill the guy dancing behind me. His body was tense, ready to move through the crowd. I could see the fury and hunger mixing in those grey eyes.

My heart pounded harder than the music. The stranger leaned in closer, lips brushing my ear. “Damn you're so hot.”

Before I could answer, I felt the shift in the air. Killian was coming. Killian moved like a predator through the crowd, eyes locked on the man’s hands on my waist. My body burned, waiting for what he would do next.

I stayed right where I was, dancing, waiting. Letting another man touch me just to push my brother’s best friend past his breaking point.

The night was about to get dangerous. And I couldn’t wait.

The stranger’s hands gripped my waist tighter, his breath was hot on my neck, my leather dress moved higher up my thighs from all the dancing. I kept my eyes on the section above, watching Killian.

The stranger didn’t even see him coming at first. His hands slid lower on my hips, fingers brushing the bottom of my short dress. “Come on, baby, let’s find a quieter spot,” he whispered in my ear.

Then Killian was there.

He didn’t shout. He didn’t push. He just stopped two feet away and stared the guy down with those icy grey eyes. The temperature around us dropped. The stranger froze, his hands slipping off me fast like he’d touched fire. One look from Killian was enough. The man muttered something and backed away into the crowd, disappearing like he wasn’t event there.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Killian’s eyes snapped to me. No words. Just raw fury and something darker, hunger. He stepped forward, his big hand wrapping around my wrist. His grip was strong, rough, sending sparks straight between my legs. I gasped as he yanked me forward.

“Killian...” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.