She pressed her fingers over her mouth so that the laugh wouldn’t turn into a drunk-girl guffaw, and Ren wrapped his arms around her waist and set his chin on her shoulder. “Maybe a little Guns N’ Roses, old man?”
Hayes flipped him off as Grace got ahead of them and waved them all toward the dance floor and stage. Hayes sniffed. “There is more chance of this place getting hit by a comet than me singing karaoke.”
Ren laughed and grabbed Cora’s and Hayes’s hands. “Come on, this will be fun.”
“I’m with Hayes. This is a bad idea.”
But Ren was already pulling them into the press of bodies on the dance floor. The smell of sweat and lust suffused the air and mixed with the alcohol humming in her veins. They got jostled and lost hold of one another. Ren had to step in front of her. She put a hand on his shoulder to create a train and reached back for Hayes.
He glanced down at her hand in surprise.
But she didn’t want to overthink it. Let her friends see what they see. She wiggled her fingers. “Come on. You’re gonna get lost.”
Hayes’s big warm hand closed over hers, making her feel tiny in comparison. “Lead the way.”
Having her hand on Ren’s muscular shoulder and the other clasped in Hayes’s hand helped them stay together but left her without much protection from the undulating bodies around her. The club played real music in between the karaoke performances and the patrons seemed to want to take advantage of the good music while they had it. Dancing people closed in around her. Hips bumping her, hands grazing. The physical effect wasn’t unpleasant, especially mixing in with the good buzz she had going from the tequila. Her skin seemed hypersensitized, every nerve ending aware and hungry as limbs and fabric brushed over her.
She closed her eyes, letting the sway of the crowd take her for a second while still holding on to her two buoys. The song was hypnotic with a pounding beat, the grinding rhythm of sex and sin. But before long, she could feel the sea sweeping her up in the motion. Her hand slipped from Ren’s shoulder and her other arm bent at an uncomfortable angle. Hayes released her, saving her from twisting it the wrong way.
She felt adrift but free all at once. Strangers danced against her, a mix of voices and music and fun. She put her hands above her head and let the music take her. Thump. Thump. Thump. The beat vibrated beneath her feet. But when someone bumped into her hard and she almost lost her balance, her eyes popped open.
Flashing lights were all she could see for a moment and then blurred faces as people moved around the dance floor. Whoa. Her head was spinning. She grabbed blindly, trying not to topple over. Too much tequila. Not enough air. But no one was standing still and it was like trying to grab bobbing boats.
She listed to the left a little too sharply, one of her shoes catching on a sticky spot on the floor, and she felt the fall coming with no way to stop it. But before she could sprawl onto her ass, Ren was there in front of her and Hayes behind. Hayes grabbed her waist and Ren pulled her against him. “Easy there, Benning.”
“Shit.” She braced her hands on his shoulders and the warm wall of Hayes closed in behind her. “Glad I didn’t wear those heels. Sorry.”
“No worries. We’ve got you. We won’t let you fall.” His face was only a few inches from her, his body pressed up along hers. The three of them moved without thought to the music, the two leading her effortlessly and keeping her on her feet.
“Better?” Hayes asked, voice close to her ear and sending a shiver down her neck.
Her feet were under her again. “Yeah. Much.”
Ren grabbed her hand. “Let’s go sing while you’re still buzzing. Then it’s soda for you for the rest of the night.”
She pressed her face to his shoulder. “No singing. Hayes, tell him not to make me sing.”
Hayes laughed behind her, the sound warm and rich against her ears.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ren said. “No playing the big guy for sympathy. For anything else we do tonight, you can always say no. But this part is a foregone conclusion. Don’t leave me with karaoke blue balls.”
She snort-laughed. “You should go solo.”
“Not happening. Don’t make us put you over a shoulder and drag you up there.”
The song ended and Hayes stepped back. She turned to look at him, giving her best puppy-dog look. “Please save me.”
He smirked. “You’re cute when you beg. Maybe we’ll see more of that later.”
Her lips parted, the suggestion receiving a resounding yes from her libido, but she tipped her chin up. “Low blow, Hayes.”
Ren grabbed her hand. “Come on, time’s a-wastin’.”
She stumbled a bit in her boots.
“Hold up.” He stopped their progress and for a brief, shining moment, she thought maybe he’d let her off the hook. But instead he bent down.
“What are you doing?”