The city glowed under neon lights, its heartbeat louder at night. The group's bus rolled into the entertainment district, and as soon as the sleek, modern club came into view, cheers erupted.
"Tonight, no rules!" Jace shouted from the back, pumping his fist.
"Correction," Harper cut in, smirking at Lila. "Tonight, we finally get you to dance."
Lila shook her head immediately, but her friends weren't having it. By the time they all changed and gathered in the lobby, Harper whistled. "Girl… you're not hiding in a corner tonight."
The stares began the moment Lila stepped out. She wore a black dress—sleek, hugging every curve, the hem brushing mid-thigh, the neckline low enough to make her brothers back home faint if they saw. A slit ran high up her leg, showing a flash of skin with every step. She hadn't dressed to seduce anyone, but she didn't realize how dangerous she looked.
"Holy…" Jace blinked. "Ethan's gonna kill someone tonight."
Ethan, standing at the far end of the lobby, already looked like he wanted to. His jaw clenched, hands buried in his pockets as his stormy gaze raked over her. The other boys noticed too, exchanging wary glances.
Inside, the club throbbed with bass. Purple and blue lights cut through the haze, and bodies moved on the packed dance floor. The group claimed a VIP section, cushioned seats circling a low glass table already filled with drinks.
It didn't take long before Harper and the others tugged at Lila's hand. "Come on!"
"I don't dance in public," she tried to protest.
"Then tonight, you do," Maya grinned, dragging her toward the floor.
The music shifted, deep and rhythmic, the kind that seeped into your veins. At first, Lila only swayed, hesitant. But the longer she let the beat sink in, the more natural it felt. Her body remembered what her heart tried to hide. Years of secret practice, of stolen hours in dimly lit studios, poured into each step.
And then she moved.
Every eye turned toward her.
Her hips rolled with perfect precision, her hands slicing the air with grace, her hair whipping around her shoulders as she spun. The floor seemed to part for her. Boys stopped mid-conversation, drinks forgotten. Whispers rippled through the crowd—Who is she?She dances like fire.That girl in the black dress…
Harper and Maya laughed, egging her on, but even they could hardly keep up. Lila owned the floor like she'd been born for it. Every beat hit her body like second nature, every flick of her wrist and turn of her waist executed with fluid, intoxicating control.
From the VIP section, Ethan's stare never wavered. His hands gripped the edge of the couch until his knuckles turned white. Every sway of her hips, every arch of her back pulled him tighter into a madness only she could create.
When one particularly bold guy from another group edged closer, trying to sync his movements with hers, Ethan snapped.
He was on his feet in seconds, cutting through the crowd like a blade. The guy barely had time to smirk at Lila before Ethan's hand shoved him back.
"She's taken."
The man bristled. "By who?"
"By me."
The look in Ethan's eyes silenced the dance floor within earshot. The boy stumbled away, muttering curses, but no one else dared to step closer.
Ethan turned to her, chest rising and falling with barely checked fury. His hand snaked around her waist, pulling her against him so suddenly she gasped.
"You think I'm going to sit there and watch you let them drool over you?" His voice was low, dangerous, vibrating against her ear. "You're mine, Lila. Every look, every step, every first time—you're mine."
The music shifted again, slower now, sultry. Her friends whistled and teased from the sidelines, but Ethan didn't give her a chance to step away. He pressed her body flush against his, one hand splayed over the bare skin of her back.
"Dance with me," he growled.
It wasn't a request.
Lila's breath caught, her heart pounding. She wanted to argue, to remind him that she wasn't his. But when his eyes locked onto hers, burning and unyielding, her body betrayed her.
She moved with him.
Every sway became a battle, every turn a surrender. His grip was firm, guiding, but his touch was fire, sparking heat everywhere it landed. He spun her, pulled her back, their bodies colliding in a rhythm that belonged only to them. The club blurred away until there was nothing but the music and his hands.
When the song slowed further, his lips brushed the shell of her ear.
"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" His breath was ragged, his control fraying. "You walk into a room, and I can't think straight. You dance like that, and I want to tear the world apart just to keep you hidden."
Her throat tightened. "Ethan—"
"No." His voice was rough, final. "You don't get to tell me to calm down. You don't get to push me away when every inch of you already belongs to me. Even if you don't admit it yet."
The song ended, but he didn't let go. His forehead pressed against hers, sweat mingling, breath shallow. Around them, the crowd erupted in applause—some for her, some for them. But all Lila could hear was the thunder in her chest, the dangerous promise in his eyes.
And she realized—Ethan wasn't going to let her go. Not now. Not ever.