Oh, what a shame. Guess they couldn’t fuck last night after all.
The room went dead quiet. Camila’s cheeks flushed pink. “Why do you care?”
“She’s done drinking.” His Alpha authority rolled through the room like thunder. “Anyone who pushes her will answer to me.”
The threat hung in the air. No one dared challenge him.
I watched with bitter amusement as Camila reached for the glass playfully. He held it high above his head, and she lost her balance, tumbling into his chest. His free arm wrapped around her waist automatically.
“Careful,” he murmured, voice soft with shared memories. “After all these years, your balance still sucks.”
She giggled, lightly punching his chest. “You’re so mean, Darrell.”
The room erupted in laughter and whistles. Their chemistry was undeniable, electric.
Just as Darrell opened his mouth to respond, his eyes accidentally met mine across the room.
The look I gave him could have frozen hell itself.
Darrell’s eyes snapped to mine across the room, and the blood drained from his face.
He jerked his arm away from Camila so abruptly she stumbled sideways. Two quick steps backward put distance between them, but the damage was done. Everyone had seen how naturally he’d held her.
The whispers started immediately. I watched him navigate through the crowd, his jaw tight with embarrassment. When he reached me, he dropped into the chair beside mine with forced casualness.
“Hey.” He touched my knee. “Having fun?”
I took a sip of wine. “It’s been educational.”
His fingers drummed against his thigh – a nervous tell I’d learned to recognize. He kept glancing around the room like he expected someone to call him out.
“You seem tense,” I observed.
“Just… pack politics, you know?” He forced a laugh. “Always complicated when old friends visit.”
Old friends. “Right.”
Darrell studied my face with the intensity of someone trying to solve a puzzle. I could practically see the gears turning as he searched for the reaction he expected – tears, accusations, jealousy.
“So…” He leaned closer. “You have anything you want to say about tonight?”
The question carried an edge of challenge. He was testing me, probing for the emotional breakdown he knew how to handle.
I smiled. “No. Why would I?”
“Really?” His eyes narrowed. “Nothing at all?”
“Should I?”
The confusion on his face was almost comical. This wasn’t the script he’d written in his head.
“Sable.” His voice dropped lower. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“Do you?”
“You’re upset about Camila. About what people might say.”
I finished my wine. “Are you upset about something?”
“No, I just…” He fumbled for words. “I thought you might be feeling… I don’t know. Jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous?”
The question hung between us. Darrell stared at me like I’d grown a second head.
“Because…” He gestured vaguely toward where Camila was laughing with Marcus. “Because of how things looked.”
“How did they look?”
“Fuck, Sable.” His voice cracked with frustration. “Where’s the fire? Where’s the fight? Why aren’t you…” He stopped himself.
“Why aren’t I what?”
He said nothing. But I knew what he meant. Why aren’t you breaking down? Why aren’t you giving me the messy emotions I can manipulate?
For three years, he’d counted on my insecurity. My desperate need for his approval. My fear of losing him.
Tonight, he was looking at a stranger.
“Want to keep playing?” I gestured toward the group reforming around the coffee table.
“Yeah.” His voice came out hoarse. “Sure.”
The bottle spun again, this time stopping on Camila. She clapped her hands together like a delighted child.
“Truth or dare?” Emily asked.
“Dare, obviously.” Camila’s smile could have powered the city. “I never back down from a challenge.”
Someone shouted out suggestions. Others laughed and called for something scandalous. But it was Ryan who delivered the killing blow.
“Kiss any guy in this room. Your choice.”
The room erupted in wolf whistles and cheers. Camila stood gracefully, her hips swaying as she surveyed her options. Every male eye followed her movement.
“Such tough choices.” She bit her lower lip in an exaggerated show of consideration. “They’re all so handsome.”
Darrell sat rigid beside me. His hands clenched into fists on his thighs.
Camila walked slowly around the circle, pausing behind each man’s chair. When she reached Darrell, her fingers trailed across his shoulders.
“Tempting,” she murmured.
His breathing hitched. The sound sent ice through my veins.
But then she moved on, continuing her circuit until she reached Marcus. She stopped behind his chair and placed both hands on his shoulders.
“You’ll do perfectly.”
Marcus grinned and turned in his seat to face her. “My lucky night.”
That’s when Darrell exploded.
“No.”
The single word cracked through the room like a whip. He shot to his feet so fast his chair scraped backward.
“The game’s over.”
Camila’s eyes widened with false innocence. “But Relly, it’s just a game.”
“I said no.” He crossed to her in three quick strides and grabbed her wrist. “We’re leaving.”
“Hey!” Marcus protested. “She picked me fair and square.”
Darrell turned on him with Alpha authority blazing. “Touch her and I’ll break your fucking neck.”
The threat silenced every voice in the room. Camila allowed herself to be pulled away, but I caught the satisfied smirk she thought no one would see.
They headed for the stairs leading to the private rooms. Darrell’s grip on her wrist was possessive, claiming.
“Where are you going?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
Darrell paused without turning around. “To talk. Privately.”
The door upstairs slammed shut with finality.
I reached for another glass of wine with steady hands. The group sat frozen, uncertain how to process what they’d witnessed.
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