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9 Shots

I regret everything!

Here I am, standing in front of the bathroom mirror, attempting to do something with my hair and failing miserably. I'm trying to get ready to go to a club that I don't even want to go to, and it's not going well.

I was caught off guard at Saturday's market when Claire came to pick up with Jace. I was tired as usual and talking with Jude when, surprisingly, Jace gave him a quick nod when he said hi to me. Claire thought I looked stressed and invited me out to a club with them. Of course, I side-stepped the invitation, saying I already made plans with Jude, but she extended the invitation to him as well and, as if the cosmos were out to get me, Jace quickly agreed.

Jude had eyed me suspiciously when I said we had plans and he got me back by agreeing to go to the club, as it 'sounded more interesting.'

I could throttle him. But it was my lie that tripped me up, so here I am preparing to pay the consequences.

Before long, there's a knock at the door and Jude comes in. His dirty blond hair is perfectly styled and he has a dark blue button-up shirt on with black slacks, making his blue eyes glimmer.

Wow, he cleans up nice!

"Damn Jude," I exclaim, eyes wide. "I'm clearly underdressed." I look down, suddenly very self-conscious about my black skinny jeans and flowy scoop neck green top.

"Stop. You look great and stop looking so nervous. Claire's right. You do need to loosen up and have some fun," he says with a wink. Jude looks more excited than I would expect, given his history with the rez members.

"I'm surprised you're so gung ho. Usually, when the rez members are involved, you're less than happy."

Jude locks his gaze on mine and arches a brow. "Well, it's a chance to see you out of your element, and teach you a lesson for using me as a scapegoat."

Busted.

"I panicked and you let me down." I try to guilt him, turning my honey-brown eyes on his for added effect.

"Nice try," he chides. "Relax. It's just a club with a group of people you already know. I promise not to throw the first punch tonight and behave," he laughs. "Besides there will be drinks and dancing you won't even have to talk if you don't want to."

"I suck at dancing. I'll stick to drinking and talking. In fact, drinking sounds like the winner," I grumble as I give myself a once over and touch up my makeup.

No sooner do we make our way out the back door, than two vehicles pull in-a dark SUV and a four-door red pickup. Jace steps out of the truck, looking polished in his grey button-up shirt and black slacks. "You guys ready?" His grey eyes twinkle with mischief.

"Absolutely," Jude exclaims as I give a small nod. He sees my hesitation and practically drags me to the truck.

Jace hops back into the driver's seat, while Jude opens the passenger seat for me and jumps in the back seat. I click my seatbelt on and we're off with Xavier, Claire, and Sara in the SUV.

In no time, we pull up to the club Eclipse. The base is booming even outside and the line stretches around the corner.

At least I will get to warm up in line before having to deal with the masses.

"We'll drop you off at the doors, park, and meet you inside," Jace explains as he pulls up to the VIP drop-off zone. I furrow my brow, not following and he continues with a wink, "We're on the list, no lines. Connections have benefits."

Jude and I get out and walk over to Claire and Sara, who are dressed to impress. Sara has a short, tight red dress on, and Claire has black leggings and a royal blue off-the-shoulder blouse held up with a gem studded necklace.

"Wow, you guys look amazing," I say, looking them over. "I so underdressed," I mumble, feeling my cheeks heat.

Claire flashes me a reassuring smile. "Relax girl, you look great. Showcases your curves quite nicely." She rakes her eyes over me, blatantly checking me out and wiggling her brows. I latch on to her kind words trying to keep my nerves at bay.

She grabs my hand and I blush, taking off after Sara. Jude falls into step behind us, coughing to suppress a laugh. Sara walks purposefully up to the front of the line, past all of the jealous gawkers and straight up to the surly bouncers.

"Chris Glass' party, we have three more coming–two are parking, the third will be a bit later," Sara informs the bouncer as he lets us in.

I stick to the middle of our small group as we make our way in–praying no one else can hear my racing heart over the loud music. The dimly lit club is full of people dancing and drinking as the rhythmic beat pounds away.

Once we make our way past the dancefloor, Claire leads us to a semi-secluded corner booth. Jude takes one look at me and tells me he'll be right back before beeling for the bar.

This was such a bad idea!

"So what's his story?" Sara asks, nodding at Jude. "Are you guys dating or...?" she trails off as he comes back with a tray of shots. I don't miss the way her eyes linger as she openly checks him out.

"No. We're not dating. I don't really date." She raises a brow at that, but nods and continues checking him out. I gladly take the shot offered to me, and once Xavier and Jace join us, two rounds quickly disappear. They take our orders and head back to the bar for refills.

"Who's coming later?" I ask Sara, suddenly remembering her conversation with the bouncers.

"Chris had some stuff to deal with, he said he'd be by later," she says matter-of-factly.

"Shit, does he know Jude's here!?" I blurt out, not wanting to see a repeat of the last time those two met up.

She scoffs at my reaction. "Relax, he knows. He always says he'll come later, but almost never does."

Her words offer little comfort. Between the noise, crowds, and energy I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed; the last thing I need is Chris pushing me over the edge.

The guys return with another round of shots along with beer and mixed drinks. I happily take the whiskey and Pepsi Jude offers, drinking half of it in one gulp. He flashes me a crooked grin, but wisely says nothing.

"Oh! I love this song!" Claire jumps up, her eyes locked on mine, pleading for me to go with her.

"Don't look at me." I throw my palms up and laugh. "I'm far too sober to try and dance yet."

She slides two shots my way and pouts. I throw them both back with a chaser and shrug. "Nope, still fine. Go before you miss it." Claire frowns but caves and takes off with Sara.

"Damn girl, you part sailor or something?" Jace teases, sliding another shot in front of me.

"I've never had problems holding my booze, if that's what you mean." I shrug, but by this point, I've had four shots and a mixed drink, so that warm fuzzy feeling is creeping up fast. "Think I should probably get a pop or water or something though," I laugh. Jude heads to the bar for me and Xavier heads over to the girls on the dance floor.

"Thanks, Jace." I squeeze his hand, earning his signature grin.

"No problem, elf." Jace nods over to the bar where Jude waits for service. "He actually seems like a pretty cool guy."

"He is. It's nice to see him out having fun." I can't help the smile that creeps across my face, his energy tonight has been completely different. He's always well-natured, but tonight there's a resounding sense of joy and contentment coming off him in waves.

Jace pauses, looking thoughtful at my words before adding, "I don't know what happened or what was said at your place that night, but Chris said to give him a break. If I'm being honest, not many people fare that well in a fight with him."

I shudder, remembering the savage fight.

"Hey there, get out of your head. I was just trying to say I don't think you have to worry about them anymore." He gives me a soft smile and lets go of my hand as Jude returns with the drinks.

After a couple of songs, the girls come back with Xavier in tow for a rest. As the night wears on and the drinks steadily disappear, I start bobbing along with the music. Claire catches my movement and before I know it, we're all on the dance floor. I'm not quite drunk enough for this but sway along with the beat, anyway.

Jude moves up closer behind me as he dances and leans in. "Don't overthink it. Just let your body move with the beat. Just relax, ignore everyone, and have fun."

He grabs my hand, spins me, and I can't help but burst out laughing. We continue dancing for the rest of the song and the next one. Slowly, I feel all my tension melt away and throw myself into the beat.

Claire shouts something, so I turn to see what she wants, but before I can see who she's looking at, I feel a familiar presence standing very close. I freeze and spin, staring straight into those hazel eyes that have haunted my dreams.

"Chris," I whisper as my heart flips in my throat.

"Hey." He smiles, eyes lingering on me before he greets his friends and even says hi to Jude. I turn away to hide my blush. Our group has gotten tighter to be able to hear each other, and he's so close I can feel the heat from his body.

I turn to duck out of the group and head back to the booth, but Chris gently wraps his hand around my upper arm, stopping me in my tracks. "Don't run away on my account," he whispers in my ear.

That simple phrase throws me right off balance, leaving me struggling to remember my own name. "I-I wasn't. I'm just not a very good dancer, so I was going to get another drink," I stammer. "I'm thirsty."

He smirks down at me and passes me his drink. "Problem solved. Now you can get back to dancing," he turns me back to Claire and Sara, who both give me a funny look but quickly go back to dancing. "You know, dancing usually requires you to move." His proximity wipes my mind clean while my body has completely forgotten how to function.

Dancing was easier with Jude.

I frown at that realization, forcing myself to snap out of my trance, and go back to swaying my hips. The song changes again and I close my eyes pushing everything else out but the music and start moving with the beat.

Before long, I feel Chris slide his hands on my hips and move against me. I freeze for a minute, stunned by the contact, but somehow this feels so natural. Not letting myself dwell too long, I slowly start moving again. By this point, the alcohol has me loosened up; the beat is great, and I just don't care as I really start to swing my body to the rhythm.

Pretty soon he has taken charge of the dance, leading my hips with his hands as we move to the beat. With his chest pressed firmly against my back, I can feel every muscle flex as he snakes an arm around my waist.

Chris' proximity and the alcohol are dizzying. I find myself leaning into him for support and comfort. He dips his head down to the crook of my neck and inhales deeply, sending shivers down my spine and tightening my core.

Subconsciously, I tilt my head giving him full access as I melt against him. I can feel his smirk against my skin as his lips graze my neck sending stronger shivers down my spine. My legs feel like jello as he pulls me tighter against his chest.

"You smell so good," he whispers, nuzzling my neck, and setting off goosebumps in his wake.

I reach up to his neck, stilling him as I finally find my voice. "I think I need to go sit down for a bit." Chris reluctantly releases me, keeping his hands loosely on my waist to regain my balance, then follows me back to the booth where everyone is already seated.

I gladly take the drink Claire slides over to me, downing half of it in a single gulp. "I thought you said you didn't dance," she teases. Her knowing grin warns that she didn't miss a thing.

My cheeks burn as I focus all of my attention on my drink. "I don't normally–not that I ever go to clubs or anything." All the drinking and dancing have caught up to me. I'm past warm and fuzzy and am a bit dizzy–I'm definitely drunk.

"Maybe you just needed the right partner," Jace teases from across the booth with a knowing smirk. I'm sure I could rival a tomato now...

"You okay? You look tired," Chris says from beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder. I look up and his hazel eyes are soft as they search mine.

"I'm just a little tired, it's been a long day. I think it's caught up to me is all," I mumble and he nods.

Claire stretches almost cartoon-like as Xavier gathers her in his arms. "Actually, I was just saying to Xavier I'm ready to go, too. We could give you a ride?" She practically melts the man with her mere presence; it's so cute I can't help but smile.

I see both Jude and Jace frown, clearly not ready to call it a night. "Stay, enjoy yourselves. I'll catch a ride with Xavier, just try to stay out of trouble," I laugh at their relief.

As I get up to follow Claire and Xavier, I stumble, feeling a bit light-headed. Luckily, Chris is there to steady me before I fall. Once I regain my balance, he escorts me to the car, keeping a hand on my lower back for support. The entire way out, I can't tear my attention away from the heat spreading from his palm through my thin shirt and how easy this feels.

Xavier opens the passenger seat for Claire while Chris puts me in the back seat, buckling me in before walking around and getting in himself. As soon as the car starts to move I feel myself begin to drift off.

"Just go home, Xav," Chris instructs.

"No, drop me off first," I murmur, fighting my heavy eyelids. "I'm fine."

"Shhh," Chris whispers, brushing my cheek with his thumb. My body instantly reacts by leaning into his caress before my mind has a chance to protest. "You're drunk and I'm not leaving you home alone–don't argue with me on this."

I sigh but relax into his soothing contact, tucking perfectly into his side. Something about his presence puts me strangely at ease and between him and the soft music I quickly slip into a easy sleep.

-----

Strong arms scoop me up, startling me awake. "Put me down," I gasp, fingers knotting into his shirt for dear life.

Chris shakes his head and chuckles. "Go back to sleep. We don't want to wake the whole house up, do we?"

I bury my head in his chest and nod. I'm too tired and feeling fuzzy to fight with him. He carries me into the house and up the stairs to the top floor, where we part ways with Xavier and Claire who are wrapped lovingly around each other.

He gently sets me down on the bed and rustles around in a dresser, fishing out a set of clothes. "Do you need a hand changing, or are you good?" A mischievous glint sparkles in his eyes as he watches me.

I blush, grab the clothes, and take off to the bathroom. There's a t-shirt, a tank top, boxers and sweatpants, covering all the bases. I settle on the tank top and sweats, though I look like a child in them. Even rolling the sweatpants waist several times leaves it pooling around my ankles while the tank top hangs mid-thigh.

Cracking the bathroom door, I peer out and see Chris is already changed and ready for bed. He's only wearing sleep pants that hang dangerously low, leaving his broad, muscular chest on full display. I swallow hard, taking in his god-like form. I've never been a forward woman, but I can't take my eyes off of him.

He smirks, catching me checking out his body, and leans back against the wall. "See something you like?"

I can't help the giggle that comes out as I blush and look down. My heart races in anticipation as I hear him push off the wall and move closer. Chris stops so close that I can feel the heat radiating off of him. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, then tilts my chin up to look at him.

"I think I like drunk Jess–you're less closed off," he says softly, hazel eyes locked on mine like he's looking at me for the first time.

"I'm the same person," I reply with a pout, which earns me a chuckle and a nod. "You're less intimidating like this too..."

He closes the gap and puts his other hand on my hip. His touch feels like fire on my skin–it frightens me how much I like it.

"Do I intimidate you?" he whispers huskily, drawing my gaze and looking deep into my eyes.

"Sometimes," I whisper as my heart skips a beat.

He lowers his head to the crook of my neck, breathing deeply before whispering, "What about the rest of the time?" I shiver under his attention, but push away, desperate for some space and just blink at him.

Chris shakes his head and lets me go, reaching around to pull back the blankets for me to crawl in. He turns off the light and settles onto the couch. The sweatpants bunch up uncomfortably, so I slip them off and fall into a deep sleep.

Just before I'm out, I hear him say, "Sweet dreams."

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