Three beers in, and Selina had begun to realize Aubrey was serious.
After arriving to find the woman up to her usual tricks, number scrawled on a napkin and all, any tendrils of hope that had begun to unfurl were snuffed out. However, when Aubrey sat and people watched with her for hours, swapping jabs back and forth and trying to tempt her out on the dance floor, something shifted. Aubrey had long ago tossed the napkin with the number into the trash, and she lingered close enough that their elbows and thighs kept bumping into each other. The fresh scent of sage and lemon coming from the woman dizzied Selina’s mind.
Selina lifted her wrist as if she was checking her nonexistent watch. “You’re running out of hours to bring someone home.”
Aubrey shrugged and sipped on her rum and coke, the second drink of the night. “There’s no law that says I have to drag a woman home with me nightly. You make it sound like I’m the sex addict version of Jack the Ripper.”
Selina’s lips quirked in amusement. “If the shoe fits.”
“You take that back,” Aubrey said, lobbing a light punch at her arm. “I’m waiting for you to take to the dance floor. I’m told I can be quite persistent.”
“Persistent is one word for it. Others include obnoxious, stubborn… need I keep going?” An open grin broke out on her face this time, the sort she usually restrained around Aubrey Moore.
Aubrey’s jaw dropped, and she stared at her like she’d descended from an alien planet.
Self-consciousness flushed through Selina. “What, did I get something on my face? Lipstick smear?”
“So that’s what a real smile from you looks like?” Aubrey said, a little breathless. “I knew you were beautiful, but… damn.”
Selina’s cheeks heated in response. When Aubrey threw out slick lines, she had no problem evading them, but the genuine surprise she expressed? Words dried on her tongue, and Selina wasn’t sure what to say next. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest at the wonder on Aubrey’s face when she looked at Selina, and how those chestnut eyes peered right into her tonight. The more Selina had begun to see of the real woman beyond the cockiness and swagger, the more she’d found herself ensnared.
“Finish your drink, Moore,” Selina said, her voice a bit gruff as she made the desperate attempt to distract. “Let’s head out to the dance floor.”
Aubrey’s eyes lit up. “I thought you were never going to dance in front of me,” she teased before taking a big gulp of her rum and coke.
“What’s to say I’m not going to just stand there and watch you?” Selina responded, cocking an eyebrow. She clung to their back-and-forth like a lifeline right now. She had every ounce of resistance in her arsenal for the womanizer who took a different girl home every night but none for this woman who dropped earnest compliments like grenades.
“I’d be fine with your eyes on me,” Aubrey responded, her voice husky and her gaze heated.
Selina’s mind spun as desire kicked her square in the chest. This version of Aubrey ignited an attraction she hadn’t experienced in years, the incendiary, throat-squeezing, heart-pounding type she only read about in books. Which was dangerous because Aubrey Moore could shatter her heart in a thousand pieces with no remorse, but Selina couldn’t seem to help herself while they were down here in Rehoboth, the ocean and summer breezes casting a spell over her.
One week. They were going to be here for one week before circumstances returned to normal, and they headed back to Wilmington where she had to watch Aubrey plow through the women in her bar. She could hold out one week without crossing too far over the line.
Aubrey placed the empty glass onto the bar counter and tilted her head toward the dance floor. “Promises were made. Let’s head out.”
The closer they got to the back, the more the red beams glowed brighter, flashing with the throb-throb-throb of the music. The throngs of people grew more difficult to navigate around, so when Aubrey reached back to grab her hand, Selina went with it. Together, they dodged past a sea of elbows and swinging hips, the stench of sweat, Black Orchid, and Eau de Chanel wafting through the people around them.
Aubrey led them over to the fringes of the crowd with enough space to move so they wouldn’t be flush against every other body dominating the dance floor. A massive fan blew breezes onto the dancers, and the cooling gust sent a shiver racing up Selina’s spine. Once they stepped onto the lacquered tiles, her body felt the beat of the music as it traveled through her, begging to extend out through her arms and legs.
Despite the sudden urge to dance, part of her didn’t want to. Once she swung her hips for a little bit and Aubrey realized she wasn’t about to hop into bed with her, the woman would get bored. Then she’d be off, chasing after the next lonely blonde by the bar. As much as Selina hated to admit it, she’d enjoyed Aubrey’s company this week.
Aubrey leaned in, her lips brushing against her ear. The sensation made her shiver. “If you’re too embarrassed, I can start dancing first,” Aubrey taunted.
Selina shot her a pointed look but didn’t dignify her dig with a response. Instead, she sucked in a deep steadying breath and let the music flow through her. Dancing came as second nature, something she did while cleaning at home, at the club, or even behind the bar on slower nights when a song she loved came on.
Selina swung her hips in time to the beat, and from there, the rest of her body followed. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling out the song, the rhythm, the way her body’s expression wanted to unfold, and all of her training snapped into place. The bass picked up, and she sank into the melody, beginning to twist and writhe to the music with every movement under her control. She swayed back and forth in time, her foot tapping out the beat as she followed the flow.
Selina’s eyes snapped back open even though she didn’t stop moving, her arms weaving up as her hips twisted down. The red lights cascaded over her to the beat of the music, and she glanced over at Aubrey, who stood there unmoving beside her. The woman studied her with the sort of focus reserved for works of art in galleries, and her entire body flushed, her skin feeling tighter under the intense gaze.
Truth be told, she didn’t hate having Aubrey’s sole attention.
Truth be told, she’d been curious about what that would be like ever since Aubrey started showing up at Renegades and charming women out of their seats and into her bed.
Truth be told, the curious desire that welled inside her was addictive, which meant this path was destined for a wreck.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to leave me dancing alone,” Selina said, stretching a hand out in invitation.
Aubrey slid her palm across hers, and Selina took control. In a few fluid movements, she brought Aubrey flush against her as she continued to dance to the music, the undulating flow something she’d love to lose herself in. This close, heat sizzled between their bodies, the red lights flashing over Aubrey’s corded thighs exposed in her short black dress, which was sporty, like everything she wore.
“Damn, woman,” Aubrey murmured in her ear. “Cass wasn’t exaggerating. You know how to move.” The hushed tone in her voice, like she’d stumbled upon a revelation, sent a shiver up Selina’s spine.
“I’m not prone to extravagant lies,” Selina responded, stepping away and then drawing them flush again. Aubrey moved in time with her, following direction better than expected. “Unlike someone we both know.”
Aubrey’s lips quirked. A sheen of sweat glistened on her shoulders and the slope of her neck, and the desire to lean in and lick a droplet off rose in Selina something fierce. They danced an inch apart, breath puffing between them and the tension crackling like a campfire. When Aubrey’s gaze rose to meet hers, the breath snagged in Selina’s throat. She dated women she’d been head over heels for, but she didn’t think anyone had ever looked at her like that.
Aubrey stared at her like she had on the first night. They’d gazed out to the horizon to where the scorched sky met with the blackened waves that were consuming, all-encompassing.
Selina took the next rise and fall in the music to twirl herself around, breaking their gaze before she combusted. Even with her back to Aubrey, she could feel the woman’s presence an inch from her, swaying along with the music. Selina continued driving her hips side to side, swinging them around in time with the song. A second later, Aubrey’s hands settled on her hips, tentatively resting as if asking for permission.
Oh, holy hell. If the space between them had been intense, it couldn’t compare to this woman’s touch. Selina thrust her ass back to the heavy bass line of the music, and Aubrey’s hands settled firmer on her hips, her palms imprinting through the flimsy fabric of her dress like brands. Selina’s underwear was soaked, but at least that she could hide. Not like she could admit how turned on this woman made her.
Her heart thumped to the same dark beat as the music as she twisted and turned, grinding against Aubrey like she wasn’t dropping paper into open flame. The woman swayed behind her, the steady pressure of her palms causing Selina’s pussy to ignite. She rarely indulged in this closeness with anyone outside of a relationship.
Her ass brushed back against Aubrey again, and the woman let out a low, almost indecipherable moan. The sound shot a burst of lust through Selina’s veins. If this went any further, she’d be dragging Aubrey to the bathroom, damn the consequences, and begging the woman to fuck her until she forgot her principles. All she could think of was the steadying hands on her hips, the jolt of skin-to-skin contact when their bodies brushed together, and Aubrey’s maddening scent mingling with sweat.
She needed to pull away before she lost her mind.
The song came to an end, and Selina took the chance to step away from Aubrey, breaking the connection between them. Honestly, she could’ve done that all night, but not without those sensations going to her head and pushing her to make decisions she’d regret. Just because Aubrey offered a few genuine moments didn’t mean the woman suddenly wanted to update her relationship status. And Selina didn’t want to waste time on hollow one-night stands or flings that whizzed by like the stop on a train.
Selina wiped her arm across her sticky forehead. She leaned in closer to Aubrey. “I’m going to catch some air and a smoke.”
The unsaid lingered there. Aubrey had gotten what she’d been waiting for—the chance to see Selina dance, and it wasn’t going any further. Selina sucked in a sharp breath of the heavy air, bracing herself for the woman’s inevitable exit.
Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest. “Is this your weak-willed attempt to ditch me, Beckett? Like you’d be so lucky.”
Selina’s heart thumped a little harder. “If you want some smoke-filled fresh air, you’re welcome to join.”
“Well, when you put it like that, who could resist?” Aubrey responded, a charming grin on her lips. Selina’s head spun, not from the dancing or the heat, but from the sheer proximity of this contradicting, confusing woman. She shook her head and began to weave her way around the crowd. This time, she reached back to grab Aubrey’s hand, their palms pressing together.
She carved through the crowd, popping out by the door where the fresh air and steady stream of newcomers continued to enter in. Selina’s heart beat harder than ever and not just from exertion. The feel of Aubrey’s palm pressed against hers was heady, reminding her of their initial night here and the way they’d held hands and walked along the shore.
She slipped out through the door to find an open spot against the wall to lean. A moment later she snagged the cigarette pack and lighter from the inside of her boot, and Aubrey settled beside her.
“Where did your friends go?” Selina asked as she lit the end of her cigarette and sucked in the first steadying drag. As if the nicotine stood a chance at calming the mambo her nerves danced.
“Where did yours?” Aubrey asked back, a grin playing on her lips. Their eyes met, an electric current buzzing between them. They both knew they’d spent the entire night together, losing track of their friends the moment they connected. Aubrey wasn’t admitting it out loud, and there was no way Selina would—not when she was trying to hold onto the threads of her common sense before they snapped.
“Touché,” Selina said. She flicked ash on the ground before bringing the cigarette to her lips again. Aubrey’s stare bored into her, lingering on her mouth in a way that coursed right down to her core. Selina knew sex would be on the table if she asked, but honestly, one-night stands didn’t make her clock tick. She needed connection and security, and the older she got, the harder those things were to come by.
Aubrey’s eyes lingered on her, and when Selina looked up, their gazes met. The slight sheen of vulnerability in Aubrey’s had been there ever since the other night when she’d gotten the phone call from her sister.
“Any word on….” Selina let things trail off as she took in another drag of her cigarette.
“Nada,” Aubrey responded, tapping the back of her head against the wall as she stared at the sky.
“Well, that’s a shit situation,” Selina responded. “Sure you don’t want a drag?”
Aubrey’s eyes lingered on her lips again, but she shook her head. “Sorry, sweetheart. My line of work requires healthy lungs.” Her mouth shut for a moment and then she opened it again. “Thanks for asking without making a big deal. The wait’s been agonizing, but spending all this time with my archnemesis has taken the edge off a lot.”
Selina arched a brow. “Glad to be of service. I can deliver some extra barbs if masochism’s what you need.”
Aubrey flipped her the middle finger, a goofy smile taking over her face. That look there was more dangerous than all the charm the woman levied. In these quiet moments, Selina’d somehow gotten to know Aubrey Moore better than most, and she couldn’t turn the clock back and forget that side of her.
“Some company wouldn’t be the worst,” Aubrey commented, giving her a sidelong glance. “You’re pretty damn distracting, Selina Beckett.”
Her lips curled into a grin. “I aim to please.”
Far too fast, the jabs and the disdain had softened between them. Even if nothing came out of this, even if she needed to wall herself away from Aubrey Moore for months afterward, she’d enjoy this truce while it lasted.