at Seth, dumbfounded. He frowned when Seth’s face went blank. “You just had a stroke, didn’t you?”
The man released him and stepped back. “Looks like you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Huh?”
“Love.” Seth tipped his head toward the bar. “She’s headed to the dance floor.”
If Griff wondered how the look on his face translated, the way the people nearest him scrambled away provided a pretty universal interpretation. It took only a second to find Bailey because she’d taken the bar show straight to the floor. He watched her move against the stranger. Hands above her head, she rubbed her ass against the guy’s zipper.
“Girl can sure as hell move.” Seth unabashedly adjusted his cock.
“I can’t do this.” Griff turned away.
“Can’t do what, exactly?”
“This.” He gestured blindly over his shoulder. “I have to do...something.”
“Looks like it’s now or never.”
“Huh?”
“She’s with another guy on the dance floor.”
There was only one reason she’d be with the guy.
She was going to feed.
* * *
Bailey moved against the stranger’s body, trying desperately to lose herself in the music. No thinking, just experiencing. She didn’t know how else to survive what had to happen.
The guy slid his arms around her waist and ground his erection against her. She hadn’t done more than glance at him, but she found herself hoping for his sake that he was good looking. Otherwise? His sweaty, groping, rhythm-challenged self didn’t stand a chance with a normal woman. Which she wasn’t. Not anymore.
No thinking. She blindly grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the exit.
“What’s the rush?” he shouted.
“Dying to get in your pants.” How miserably true.
He yanked his hand from her grasp.
A hard shove sent her sprawling.
“Better be hella good-looking or his genealogy chart just flatlined,” she grumbled, pushing hair out of her face as she stood. It didn’t really matter what he looked like, though. She couldn’t go through with this. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t—”
The music shut off. She paused. The crowd had closed ranks and gone still. Seth’s leviathan form knocked people aside as he headed toward her. And where Seth was , so was ... She turned with a sense of horror and heartache.
Her jaw dropped. Griff, typically cool and aloof, had the guy by the throat, their faces inches apart. “Touch her again and I’ll make sure you’re shitting in a bag before sunrise. We clear?”
“Don’t.” What should have been a command came out flat. Only the residue of pride she managed to scrape together helped her meet Griff’s gaze when he looked at her.
He tossed the guy away before taking a step toward her.
She stumbled away, hands held out. “You have no right.”
“I’m seizing the moment.”
“What moment?”
Another step toward her. “This one.”
Seth’s voice whispered past her ear. “Roll with it.”
She glanced at the djinn , an irrefutable friend. He nodded. Turning, she sucked in a breath. Griff stood mere inches away. The smell of his arousal saturated the air. So that’s all this is. “I danced this dance, Griff. Never again.”
He flinched. It was a small reaction, but undeniable all the same.
Seth cleared his throat.
“I’ve got this,” Griff ground out. “You can stop mothering me.”
Seth shook his head, one corner of his mouth curling up. “I’ll stop mothering you when you grow up. Until then? You’re stuck with me.”
Griff rolled his eyes before refocusing on Bailey. “Don’t leave with him.”
The crippling hurt, the one that had been there since he walked away, intensified. Could a broken heart make someone bleed out? “I have to go,” she croaked.
“Choose me instead.”
Traitorous tears slipped down her cheeks. “Don’t do this to me.”
He held out a hand. “Please.”
She took a steadier step back, shaking her head. “No.”
Griff closed the distance between them and took
The man released him and stepped back. “Looks like you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Huh?”
“Love.” Seth tipped his head toward the bar. “She’s headed to the dance floor.”
If Griff wondered how the look on his face translated, the way the people nearest him scrambled away provided a pretty universal interpretation. It took only a second to find Bailey because she’d taken the bar show straight to the floor. He watched her move against the stranger. Hands above her head, she rubbed her ass against the guy’s zipper.
“Girl can sure as hell move.” Seth unabashedly adjusted his cock.
“I can’t do this.” Griff turned away.
“Can’t do what, exactly?”
“This.” He gestured blindly over his shoulder. “I have to do...something.”
“Looks like it’s now or never.”
“Huh?”
“She’s with another guy on the dance floor.”
There was only one reason she’d be with the guy.
She was going to feed.
* * *
Bailey moved against the stranger’s body, trying desperately to lose herself in the music. No thinking, just experiencing. She didn’t know how else to survive what had to happen.
The guy slid his arms around her waist and ground his erection against her. She hadn’t done more than glance at him, but she found herself hoping for his sake that he was good looking. Otherwise? His sweaty, groping, rhythm-challenged self didn’t stand a chance with a normal woman. Which she wasn’t. Not anymore.
No thinking. She blindly grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the exit.
“What’s the rush?” he shouted.
“Dying to get in your pants.” How miserably true.
He yanked his hand from her grasp.
A hard shove sent her sprawling.
“Better be hella good-looking or his genealogy chart just flatlined,” she grumbled, pushing hair out of her face as she stood. It didn’t really matter what he looked like, though. She couldn’t go through with this. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t—”
The music shut off. She paused. The crowd had closed ranks and gone still. Seth’s leviathan form knocked people aside as he headed toward her. And where Seth was , so was ... She turned with a sense of horror and heartache.
Her jaw dropped. Griff, typically cool and aloof, had the guy by the throat, their faces inches apart. “Touch her again and I’ll make sure you’re shitting in a bag before sunrise. We clear?”
“Don’t.” What should have been a command came out flat. Only the residue of pride she managed to scrape together helped her meet Griff’s gaze when he looked at her.
He tossed the guy away before taking a step toward her.
She stumbled away, hands held out. “You have no right.”
“I’m seizing the moment.”
“What moment?”
Another step toward her. “This one.”
Seth’s voice whispered past her ear. “Roll with it.”
She glanced at the djinn , an irrefutable friend. He nodded. Turning, she sucked in a breath. Griff stood mere inches away. The smell of his arousal saturated the air. So that’s all this is. “I danced this dance, Griff. Never again.”
He flinched. It was a small reaction, but undeniable all the same.
Seth cleared his throat.
“I’ve got this,” Griff ground out. “You can stop mothering me.”
Seth shook his head, one corner of his mouth curling up. “I’ll stop mothering you when you grow up. Until then? You’re stuck with me.”
Griff rolled his eyes before refocusing on Bailey. “Don’t leave with him.”
The crippling hurt, the one that had been there since he walked away, intensified. Could a broken heart make someone bleed out? “I have to go,” she croaked.
“Choose me instead.”
Traitorous tears slipped down her cheeks. “Don’t do this to me.”
He held out a hand. “Please.”
She took a steadier step back, shaking her head. “No.”
Griff closed the distance between them and took
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