There were parts of my body at risk of freezing off that I hadn’t even realized existed. It was after ten at night and I was standing outside a nightclub in the middle of downtown, shifting from foot to foot on a pair of ridiculously high stilettos as I tried to rub heat into my bare arms.

“For the love of God, Corrie, can we just go? The line’s barely moved in the past twenty minutes, and I’m freezing my ass off.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “No. We aren’t leaving. We are young and hot, and we’re going to have fun tonight if I have to drag you kicking and screaming into this club, damn it!”

After the latest showdown with Garrett the day before, Corrine had gotten it into her head that I needed a night out to blow off some steam. She’d called Bernie to babysit Liddy and insisted we go out for a night of drinking and dancing. Seeing as the last time I’d let my hair down and actually had a little fun was the night I’d inadvertently gotten pregnant, I felt I was past due for me to get out and live a little. I just hadn’t realized that a night out meant standing outside in the cold for damn near an hour, hoping to get into some exclusive club while surrounded by dozens of scantily clad, barely legal girls.

I’d never felt so out of place in my life. Standing next to all those women with their tight little bodies and flat, stretchmark-less stomachs, I felt so much older than my twenty-six years.

“I feel like I should be lecturing these girls about the horrors of unprotected sex and how to make good choices,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth as the line shuffled a few inches forward. “I suspect at least one out of five will be walking away from tonight with some sort of venereal disease.”

“Will you stop it?” Corrine hissed, smacking me in the arm. “You sound like a mom.”

“I am a mom,” I continued to whisper. “And I look ridiculous. I mean, look at me!” I waved my arms down my frame. When we left my apartment earlier, I thought I looked good, but now I felt really overdressed in the tight black pencil skirt that hit me at mid-thigh and the white ribbed tank top I had tucked into it. I’d felt daring earlier, wearing such high, strappy heels and a black lace bra that showed through my top, but now I just thought I looked like a librarian in comparison to the chicks around us.

“I mean, look at them.” I tilted my chin at a group of girls to our left. “I’m pretty sure that one’s wearing a scarf as a skirt, and that other girl is using a headband as a top.”

“Ohmigod, this is so stupid.” Corrine huffed and grabbed my hand. “Come on.”

My heels clacked against the sidewalk as I hurried to keep up while she dragged me toward the entrance of the club. “What? Wait. Where are we going?”

She jerked us to a halt in front of the huge guy manning the door. I could have sworn his neck was as thick as both of my thighs put together. I nearly swallowed my tongue at the sight of him. Talk about intimidating. The dude looked like he could pound me straight through the cement with just his fist.

“Hey. Hi. Hello there—”

“Name,” the beast-man cut her off, not taking his eyes off the clipboard in his hands.

We both looked at each other and shrugged in confusion. “Uh…,” she continued, but the giant spoke again.

“You with the band?”

“Band?” My brows shot up.

“We just came to dance,” Corrine added, finally drawing the big guy’s attention from the list of names. He gave each of us a leering up-and-down appraisal before stating, rather oddly, “You’ll do. Go on in.”

And just like that, we were in. The streetlights from outside gave way to bright beams of neon colors and loud techno music. If I felt out of place standing outside, it was nothing compared to how awkward I felt inside. It was safe to say motherhood had given me the mentality of an old lady.

“That was weird,” I stated loudly as Corrie grasped my hand and began pulling me toward the bar.

“Who cares,” she yelled over the music. “We didn’t have to pay a cover charge. You know what that means?”

The wicked look on her face made the hairs on my arm stand on end. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” She grinned slyly over her shoulder while we navigated through the huge crush of people. “Shots!”

We made it to the bar, squeezing through the bodies piled three deep, all eager to get drinks. Once we got to the front, she waved frantically for one of the bartenders. “Corrie, I don’t know if shots are a good idea,” I continued to yell over the music.

“Of course they are!” she declared, then turned to the cute guy standing across the bar top from us. “Two shots of Patron silver.” The cutie nodded and placed two shot glasses on the wooden surface. “This is exactly what you need, babe. Tonight’s all about letting your hair down and being a little reckless. You need to de-stress. Nothing better for that than tequila.”

She gave the bartender a wink and picked up the shots, handing one to me and clinking them together in cheers. I let out a breath, knowing deep down that she had a point. I was only twenty-six, damn it; I deserved to live a little. And that was just what I was going to do.

Corrine cheered me on as I threw the liquor back, wincing at the burn trailing down my throat, and slammed the glass back onto the bar. I quickly bit into a lime slice to kill the horrid taste of the tequila. She ordered two more shots each, and we’d just finished downing the last when the beginning chords of Twenty One Pilots’ “Lane Boy” started blaring from the speakers.

“I love this song!” Corrine yelled. “Let’s dance!”

I happily followed after her as we worked our way toward the center of the dance floor. Once there, I threw my hands up and lost myself in the beat of the music. It had been too long since I allowed myself to let go and enjoy life. I used to love going out dancing. I used to love a lot of things I’d forgotten about once I entered the world of motherhood. It was nice to be reminded that I still knew how to have fun.

One song bled into the next as Corrine and I shimmied and moved around on the floor, laughing and singing along with the songs until a thin sheen of sweat covered my skin. I reached behind me to lift my heavy mass of hair off my shoulders, holding it up as I continued to sway my hips from side to side.

“Hey!” Corrine shouted over the music, drawing my attention. “I need water. You coming?”

I waved her off and kept dancing. “Go without me. I’m gonna stay here.”

She nodded and started to move away. The noise of the people all around suddenly got louder, and from the corner of my eye I noticed them turn their attention to a closed-off area to the far left of the dance floor, but I was too engrossed in the song, and a little too buzzed to pay much attention. Pushing everyone around me out of my mind, I closed my eyes and lifted my arms in the air once more, letting my hair drop as Tove Lo continued to sing. I was so lost in my own alcohol-addled head that the pair of hands coming to rest on my hips gave me a start.

I spun around to face the guy who’d touched me with such familiarity. “Hi,” he said over the loud music. His smile was nice, making his average face look a bit more handsome.

“Hi,” I replied, a sense of discomfort washing over me at his close proximity.

“You’re a great dancer,” he continued, his hands still firmly on my hips.

“Oh… uh… thanks.” My discomfort grew stronger when I tried to pull away only to have his fingers grip me tighter, holding me in place.

The guy’s hips mimicked my movements as he leaned close, his breath reeking of beer as he spoke into my ear. “I like the way you move. Sexy as hell.”

I gave my best imitation of a polite smile as I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and removed his hands from my hips, taking two inconspicuous steps back as I continued to dance. “Thank you.”

“So what’s your name?” the guy called out, taking a step closer to me.

A shiver ran up my spine and alarm bells started going off inside my head. Yeah, with the way my body had been reacting to Garrett recently, I knew I needed to get laid, but the creep factor with this guy was off the charts. There was just something unsettling about the way he kept advancing, undeterred.

“I asked your name,” he stated, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me against him.

I glared up at him and, even slightly tipsy, was able to notice his pupils were the size of pinpricks. Freaking perfect. It was my first night out in years and it was just my luck I was getting hit on by a dude tweaked out of his mind.

“Let go,” I said in a warning tone.

“Aw, come on, gorgeous. Don’t be like that. How ’bout a dance?” The guy’s hands slid down to my ass and he ground his pelvis into me.

“And how about I introduce my knee to your scrotem?” I threatened. “I said let go.”

“Ooh, feisty.” He leered at me as he ground harder into me, squeezing my butt cheeks to the point of pain. “I like it.”

“Motherfucker, you got one second to remove your hands from her ass before I break every one of your goddamn fingers.”

My head jerked around in shock at the familiar voice. “Garrett?”

“Holy shit,” Tweaker Guy shouted. “Dude! You’re Garrett Wilder!”

“No, really?” Garrett asked sarcastically. “What’d I say about your hands?”

Tweaker’s eyes got really big in the face of Garrett’s size and the furious expression on his face. He immediately released my poor abused butt and held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, bro. Didn’t realize she belonged to you.”

“Hey!” I objected, my gaze bouncing between them. “I don’t belong to him!”

“Well now you know,” Garrett stated, clearly choosing to ignore everything I’d just said. “And I don’t like to share, so fuck off.”

Without giving the guy a chance to respond, Garrett grabbed me by the elbow and began pulling me off the dance floor.

“Where are we going?” I asked, nearly running to keep up as the people in our path began to part like the Red Sea to allow the famous rock star to pass. The first thing I saw once we cleared the floor was Ian’s imposing frame standing sentry.

“Hey, Ian.” I waved excitedly at the sight of his friendly face. There was a slight possibility the tequila had kicked in, and I was really starting to feel it.

He tipped his chin up and gave me an ever professional “Ma’am.”

“Keep everyone away from the back exit,” Garrett ordered, not breaking stride.

“Yes, sir,” Ian responded.

“Wait!” I insisted, pulling fruitlessly at Garrett’s hold on my arm. “Corrie’ll be looking for me.”

“I’ll see to her, ma’am,” Ian replied, putting me at ease.

All I could do was jog on my stilettos to keep up with his quick pace. “Bye, Ian!” I waved again as I scuttled past, catching his mouth quirking up in an infinitesimal grin.

Yep, tequila had definitely kicked in.