Viv:
The lights were low, the bass throbbed through the floor, and sweat clung to the back of my neck. I’d done three sets already and my body moved on autopilot, hips swaying, heels biting into the stage. The usual crowd hollered and tossed cash, men drooling over a fantasy they’d never get to touch.
They weren’t why I danced tonight.
My eyes scanned the room for a reason to care—until I saw him.
Knox.
Leaning back against the bar in his worn black hoodie, sleeves pushed up his forearms, the jagged line of his jaw shadowed by a fresh cut of scruff. His eyes were locked on me, dark and steady. No drink in his hand. No company. Just him.
Watching me.
Only me.
My stomach flipped. The kind of flutter you feel when danger whispers your name and you don’t run. You lean in.
He didn’t bl
