Chasing Red: Chapter 1

The dance floor glowed as red and green laser beams shot out from the rotating lights in the ceiling. It was Friday night, and the club was packed with people dancing and jumping to the DJ’s throbbing music. The floor pulsed beneath my feet, and the heat radiating from the mass was inescapable. My eyes roved over the tightly packed crowd. They reminded me of penguins huddled in the cold—on crack.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Cameron yelled in my ear, giving me a friendly punch to the arm. His ice-blue eyes glittered in the dim light. “That was the fourth chick you turned down tonight, and we just got here.”

I shrugged. Saying that I was bored with the meaningless sex and monotonous flirting seemed pretty pathetic. All right, the sex I didn’t mind, but I was feeling restless, looking for something else lately. A challenge, maybe. The thrill of the chase.

I chugged my beer. “If you ate the same shit every day, you’d get bored of it too,” I replied.

Justin barked out a laugh. His blond, gel-soaked hair stayed in place as he comically motioned with his head and then with his beer to the dance floor. “Check that out, man. Holy shit!” he exclaimed, letting out a high-pitched whistle.

In the middle of the dance floor, a girl was dancing—no, scratch that—gyrating so sensuously that I couldn’t help but stare. She moved like… Sex comes to mind. Her short, tight dress covered her hourglass body like a second skin, seducing the dozens of eyes turned on her.

And it was in make-me-sin red. Damn.

I might have drooled a little as she bent over and did something dreamy with her hips. Her long ebony hair swayed against her tiny waist, and her legs looked a mile long in those spiky heels. There was something captivating in the way she danced, a defiance that flowed with the silky movements of her body. I felt my heart skip one fast beat against my chest when she looked up and our eyes met.

“Shit. I’m going to take this girl home with me,” Justin yelled excitedly.

That was low and annoying enough to distract me. I hated cheating, and Justin had a girlfriend.

Cameron shook his head at Justin, looking up when a redhead asked him to dance. He laughed and whispered something in her ear. The redhead giggled. Cameron nodded to me and they left.

“Hello, team captain.”

A soft body sidled up to me, reeking of intense floral perfume. I looked down into the heavily made-up eyes of Claire Bentley. I can appreciate the magic makeup does to a girl’s face, but not when she looked like she was punched and was now sporting two black raccoon eyes.

“Claire. How’s it going?” I gave her a small smile, but it only encouraged her to grab on to my arm.

Ugh, no. Why did I sleep with her again?

“Oh, you know, nothing much.” She batted her eyelashes, pushing her breasts into my side. I couldn’t help but glance quickly at her cleavage. Her breasts were staring at me. Ah, one drunken night and those lovely things must have been enough reason for me at the time.

The strap of her dress slid down her shoulder. She looked up at me from beneath her lashes, and I wondered if that was a practiced move. Still, I thought it was kind of sexy. If she were someone else, I might be interested. My eyes strayed past her shoulder to the dance floor, searching for that girl in the red dress. Claire’s grip on my arm tightened, yanking my gaze back to her.

“You owe me a drink, Caleb. I dropped mine when you walked by.” Her tongue snaked out to touch her top lip.

I hid my wince. She was trying too hard, and I didn’t want to be trapped in her claws all night. Racking my brain on how to shut her down without offending her, I desperately looked around for Cameron or Justin. Neither was in sight. Assholes.

“Hey, baby.” My eyes widened in surprise as the girl I’d been shamelessly ogling on the dance floor earlier wrapped her arms around my waist, maneuvering me out of Claire’s grasp. When her eyes shifted to mine, I forgot how to breathe.

She was stunning.

“He’s with me,” she told Claire, but her eyes were still locked with mine. I was mesmerized by the way her mouth moved. Her lips were wide and full, colored a very, very hot red. “Aren’t you?” Her voice was soft and low, reminding me of dark rooms and hot, smoky nights.

I felt my heart leap inside my chest for one insane second—it might have been a full minute or two. She wasn’t beautiful in the classic sense. Her face was striking and eye-catching, with high, sharp cheekbones and long, dark brows above catlike eyes filled with secrets. I wanted to know every one of them.

When I didn’t respond and just stared, her brows drew together in confusion. The dusky gold of her skin glowed under the dim light, making me wonder how it would feel. I caught her arms quickly before she moved away, placing them around my neck. I was right. Her skin was soft and smooth. More was all I could think.

Leaning close to her, I let my lips brush her earlobe and whispered, “Where have you been?” A smug smile split my lips as I felt her shiver. “I’ve been looking for you my whole life.” Leisurely, as if I had all the time in the world, I glided my mouth from just under her ear to the hollow of her throat.

Before I could do anything else, she stepped away.

“She’s gone. You’re safe,” she said, smirking. “Now you can buy me a drink for saving you.”

I placed my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her again. I already missed the feel of her in my arms. “Sure, what would you like?”

She shook her hair back, and I couldn’t stop watching her. I was captivated. “Something strong. Tonight, I want to be someone else. I want to…forget.”

That was my cue. I slid my hand around to the small of her back, pulling her toward me so our faces were only inches apart. “You can be anyone you want with me.” Her scent seduced me. It was addicting. “Why don’t we leave this place and go somewhere I can help you forget, Red?”

Her eyes turned cold before her palms flattened against my chest. She pushed me away. “Nice meeting you too, asshole.” She turned on her heel, waved, and left me staring after her like a lost puppy.

What the hell just happened? Did she just reject me?

The feeling was so unfamiliar that all I could do was watch her until she disappeared in the crowd. She swayed a little, like she’d had too much to drink. I almost ran after her to make sure she was all right, but she’d probably just spit at me. I figured her friends would take care of her.

But what the hell did I do wrong? She was sending all the right signals that she was interested. Maybe I should have actually gotten her the drink first.

“Caleb!” Another girl yelled behind me, but I was no longer in the mood for anything but my bed.

Funny how I had been wishing for a challenge tonight, but when one stared me in the face, I screwed it up like an idiot.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the refreshing air as I stepped out of the club. I had parked my car at the end of the lot and walked hurriedly to it, afraid someone would see me and drag me back inside. I’d rather chew my arm off than go back in there.

My steps faltered as I spotted the silhouette of a woman leaning against one of the filthy brick walls of the club parking lot. She’d probably had too much to drink. I would have been happy to leave her in peace, but when I glanced at her again, I noticed a man leering at her from a few feet away. My protective instincts kicked in as the man straightened and walked toward her.

The woman shifted, and the dim light from the streetlamp touched her face. My pulse kicked up a notch as I recognized her—Red.

I didn’t need to think twice and went straight for her. The man hadn’t noticed me yet because his gaze was concentrated on her. On the prize. The only prize he was getting tonight was a bloody nose if he didn’t stop and turn his ass around.

When his hand closed around her wrist, I nearly growled. The anger surprised me, but I had to shake it off or this night would turn into a shit show. I took a few steps forward, and the man froze. He finally saw me.

“Hey, baby! Where have you been?” I exclaimed, fighting to keep my voice light as I approached. I refused to look at her face for fear of what I’d see there. If she looked even remotely scared, I was going to hit this dumb shit in the face. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” I touched her shoulder and nodded at the dirtbag, meeting his gaze straight on. “I got her now.”

When he refused to let go of her, I straightened to my full height, widened my stance, and turned my hardest do-not-fuck-with-me gaze on him. The pervert let go and moved back a step, two, three, until he whipped around and started running in the opposite direction.

“Dumb shit,” I said under my breath.

“What d-did you call me?”

Surprised that she’d heard me, I studied her face. How drunk was she?

“Not you. Although I guess dumb is debatable. What are you doing here alone?” My hands shot out to hold her up as she swayed on her feet again. “Whoa. You all right?”

It had been too dark inside the club to notice, but now I could see her face was pale, her eyes glassy. Without waiting for her reply, I scooped her up in my arms. She let out a weak protest.

“Do you need to throw up?” I asked, shaking her a little when she didn’t respond.

That wasn’t a smart move on my part, I realized. She moaned in distress, covering her mouth with her hands, as I headed to my parking spot. When she looked like she wasn’t going to puke, I settled her carefully inside my car.

“I just got this car. You’re not going to throw up in here, are you?” I started the ignition. She looked like she’d passed out already. “Where do you live? I’ll drive you.”

“H-homeless,” she whimpered, surprising me that she’d responded. “Kicked out of my p-place.”

Leaning against the headrest, I took a deep breath and rubbed my face. Homeless? Now what? I could drop her off at a hotel and pay her lodging for a few days so she’d have a place to stay while she found a new place. It was more than a stranger would do. But then I glanced at her and that plan evaporated.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing even and shallow, but even in sleep, she looked troubled. This girl who was so fierce on the dance floor looked so vulnerable now. Her face seemed familiar to me, like a barely remembered picture from a long time ago, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before. I wouldn’t forget a face like hers.

My brother, Ben, always liked to point out that I was a sucker for damsels in distress, and when I decided to take her to my apartment, I proved him right. I told myself she would not be safe in a hotel, especially in her current state. God knows what would have happened outside the club if I hadn’t shown up.

It was spring, but the temperature was still dropping a few degrees at night. Fog covered the windshield and the windows of my car. When she shivered, I turned the heater on full blast, shrugged out of my jacket, and covered her with it. She was going to have a hell of a hangover when she woke up in the morning. We were a few minutes away from my apartment when she suddenly jerked up in her seat, covering her mouth.

Shit, no.

She threw up all over my car.

I nearly cried. My brand-new car! The sound of her retching was bad enough, but the smell was so putrid I nearly gagged myself. Desperately opening the windows and sunroof, I let out the breath I was holding and frantically gasped for air.

“Damn, girl. One good deed and—”

She threw up again.

“Maaan!”

Pissed, I debated if I should drop her off at a hotel. I didn’t know this girl. Even my savior complex had a limit.

But I knew I couldn’t do it.

Resigned, I guided my car into my apartment building’s garage, parked in my spot, and warily approached the passenger seat. Holding my breath, I cleaned her as much as I could with an extra towel I kept in my car for basketball practice, then picked her up in my arms. She stank to high heaven.

I carried her through the lobby, and the concierge pressed the elevator doors for me since my hands were full. “Your girlfriend had too much to drink, sir?”

“Now, you and I both know I don’t do girlfriends, Paul.”

He chuckled.

As soon as I keyed in the code to my apartment, I went straight to the guest bedroom. She whimpered when I gently laid her on the bed, curling up like a little kitten. “Mom,” she sobbed.

Glancing at her face, I hesitated beside the bed. Whatever this girl had gone through hadn’t been pleasant. I knew I should probably clean her up and change her clothes, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it when she discovered a stranger had stripped her. I might lose an eye or a hand if I did. Better not risk it.

Her breathing eventually evened out. I don’t know how long I stayed there watching her sleep.