Duru Ulusoy
With a huge smile on my face, I watched my friends flirt with Kerem's friends in their own different ways. Feeling warmth at my back, I held my breath.
When he leaned toward my ear and asked, "Why don't you turn around too, Sunshine?" I turned my face just enough for him to hear me and replied in a mocking tone,
"Who said I wanted to see your face?" He sighed deeply and answered tiredly.
"You have every right to be mad at me, but there are things you don't know…"
"Hold it right there, Hotshot. I came here tonight just to have fun. Whether it's with you or someone else, I'm determined to get what I want. Now, are you going to go along with this, or should I find myself another partner?"
In truth, my only goal tonight really was to have fun—but contrary to what I told Kerem, I wanted it to be with no one else but him. I was sick and tired of the uncertainty that had been dragging on for weeks, and of calculating the consequences of every move out of fear for the future.
I'd decided that this night would be about just us, far from emotional confrontations and confusing arguments.
Of course, it was impossible to deny that alcohol played a significant role in this bold decision.
To prove I was serious, I waited briefly for a response, then took a step forward. When he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him, I smiled in satisfaction, pleased that my threat had worked. He leaned toward my ear again and muttered in a low but firm voice,
"Do you really think I'd let anyone else get this close to you?"
I smiled knowingly at his reaction and turned fully toward him.
"Then dance with me."
When he realized from my tone that this request could turn into more than just a simple dance, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Not giving him time to think any further, I kept my gaze locked on his and began dancing at a steady pace, moving in sync with the energetic yet sexy rhythm of the song—perfect for the dim space lit only by constantly shifting bright lights.
When I reached one hand back and wrapped it around his neck, I noticed the dark look that appeared in his eyes. Realizing I'd gotten what I wanted and that the body pressed against my back was growing tenser with every movement, I turned forward and closed my eyes.
Ignoring how the excitement of our first real intimacy was making my heart race faster than ever before, I kept dancing.
Bringing his lips close to the spot just below my ear, down my neck, he murmured in his sexy voice,
"I'm warning you—you're playing with fire."
Despite the shiver that ran through my entire body at his touch, I opened my eyes, turned slightly toward him, and smiled mischievously.
"Really? I was sure I was playing with the Devil."
From the movement of his lips against my skin, I could feel that my answer made him smile. When he finally gave up trying to resist and matched my rhythm with ease, as if we'd been dancing together for years, my lips curved upward as I turned to face him.
When our gazes met, the pull between us became so intense that no matter how close we were, it still felt like it wasn't enough. He must have felt the same, because he pulled me a little closer and wrapped his hands around my waist, resting them on my stomach. I placed my hands over his arms and slid them down to his hands, interlacing our fingers.
With that, the contact between our bodies increased, the pressure against my back growing stronger, and a sweet ache spread through me. When I leaned my head against his shoulder and let him take some of my weight, he pressed his lips to my neck, took a deep breath, and murmured slowly,
"You win, Sunshine."
When I turned my face toward him so he could see the satisfied smile forming on my lips, it vanished under the intense, provocative look that greeted me.
To keep myself from giving in to the dangerous fantasies flooding my mind, I bit my lip hard. When his attention shifted to my lips, I dropped my gaze to his. Even though our bodies were close enough to touch completely, the distance between our lips—just enough not to meet—was starting to feel like torture.
He leaned in slowly until our noses touched, lifted his eyes to mine again, and held my gaze.
God. Just his look alone was enough to make my whole body tremble with excitement. In a husky voice heavy with desire reflected in his eyes, he murmured,
"But being like this with you feels too good to care that I lost."
In a voice just as husky, I replied,
"Since I won, may I claim my prize, Hotshot?"
When I looked back at his lips so he'd understand what I meant, he released our hands, turned me fully toward him, placed one hand in the small of my back and the other on my cheek. The moment he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, I finally lost the last fragments of willpower that alcohol hadn't already claimed.
Wanting more, I slid my hand from his chest to the back of his neck, threading my fingers through his hair and pulling him closer. Encouraged by my move, he let out a pleasure-filled groan and deepened the kiss. When the hand on my cheek slid down to my waist and he tugged at my lip with his teeth, I parted my lips to give him what he wanted. As one hand roamed my back and the other pulled me against him from just above my hip, it felt like a fire unlike any I'd known before engulfed my entire body.
I finally understood why they say lust is the devil's language.
When he slowly pulled back and rested his forehead against mine, I looked at him without hiding the pleased smile on my aching lips. Both of our chests were rising and falling rapidly from being out of breath. He brushed the strand of hair that had fallen over my face behind my ear and murmured, his voice rough from the kiss we'd shared just moments ago,
"There's something I need to tell you."
Without taking my dreamy gaze off his eyes, I murmured,
"What is it?"
He sighed and waited for his breathing to steady before answering.
"I'm still not sure if saying this is a good idea, because I don't know where this will lead, but…"
Whatever he was about to say was clearly difficult for him. He paused, closed his eyes, and took another deep breath. When he opened them, he continued in a more confident tone.
"Duru, I—"
Before he could finish, we froze as a loud voice shouted from behind us.
"Well, well, well. Dinçer, what a pleasant surprise!"
I shifted my gaze past Kerem's shoulder to look at the person who'd called out to him. It was the guy Kerem had nearly strangled the first time we all went to bar together, just because he'd talked to me.
Can.
His last name was something like Kara, but I couldn't remember it exactly.
But still… what was the problem this time?
Kerem Dinçer
Letting go of Duru, I shut my eyes in frustration and tried to calm myself by counting to ten in my head—but I knew even counting to a thousand wouldn't help. I was so angry that I hadn't even noticed the lights turning on or the music stopping.
When I opened my eyes, turned around, and snarled, "No one is taking you from me this time, Karakurt!" my eyebrows shot up at the unexpected sight in front of me.
I pulled Duru behind me as I watched Can, who was frowning in confusion, clearly not understanding what was happening.
Rüzgar stepped up beside me, leaned slightly toward me without taking his eyes off the scene ahead, and spoke quietly.
"I just remembered the important thing we forgot—we're at the bar we trashed last year. I think they're still a little pissed at us."
As I examined the nearly twenty men standing across from us, sticks in their hands, I muttered mockingly,
"You think so?"
At that moment, Demir stood behind me and spoke in a tone low enough that the men couldn't hear.
"We've got a problem."
"What problem could be more urgent than the twenty guys standing in front of us?"
"They've blocked all the entrances and exits, bro. We can't get the girls out."
"Adonis?"
Before I could respond to Demir, I turned to Bora, who was standing on my other side, looking elsewhere with a confused expression.
"What is it, Curly?"
"Was that statue there before?"
"What statue, man?"
"What the hell is a statue doing here, idiot!"
"This is not the time to be talking nonsense, Curly."
"Right there, damn it."
Unable to resist Bora's insistence, the three of us turned toward where he was pointing. The moment we saw the massive man—nearly two meters tall, every inch of his body bulging with muscle—we all said the same word at once.
"Fuck…"