Pulse was a popular dance club that had been recommended by a few people at work. Brad tried to shoot the idea down, insisting that there were much better nightspots in Manhattan. I wasn’t sure why he was being so insistent, but the plans were made and I wasn’t changing them.

He leaned forward looking miserable as he rested his elbows on the bar. I crossed my arms under my chest and worried that he had somehow found out that I invited Gage. When I texted Gage and asked if he was free, he sent me one back asking if my ‘boyfriend’ knew I was texting him and that he was happy that I had eventually come around. I didn’t want to let things get out of control so I told him I was texting him on Lily’s behalf. That shut him up.

Brad’s mood was starting to bother me, so when the DJ started playing my favorite Rihanna song, I grabbed onto Lily and Faith, pulling them both towards the dance floor.

Brad stepped in my path, not looking very happy. “Where are you going?”

I rolled my eyes and yelled over the loud music so he could hear me. “We are just going to dance, Brad.”

He jerked his chin toward the bar where Sawyer and Lucas were holding court. “Is there a reason why you just walked away without telling me where you were going?”

He had never treated me with such annoyance before. He sounded more like a pissed off cop than a concerned boyfriend. “I didn’t think you’d notice.”

He rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. I was starting to get concerned with how he had been acting. This wasn’t about Gage. I knew it wasn’t. He would have said something if he knew.

“Why don’t you go have a drink with your friends and when I’m done dancing maybe you can tell me what’s wrong?” I forced myself to spin out of his grasp and pulled the girls closer to the dance floor. I was eager to dance off some tension.

“He’s really got a bug up his ass tonight.” Faith said, looking over her shoulder.

“He hates this place.” Lily said. “I’m surprised he even came out tonight.”

I raised my eyebrow and tried to figure out what the hell the big deal was. I couldn’t think of anything that would rationalize his behavior. It was obviously something more, something else he wasn’t telling me. Without knowing, there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. So, I let it go and focused on having a good time with the girls.

This place didn’t disappoint. The sunken dance floor was pounded by crystal clear music. There wasn’t an inch of space available; the crowd had been growing thicker since we’d got here. I’d never seen so many people packed into one place before. I glanced around, noticing the double-sided staircase that flowed up to a plush looking VIP section on the second level. The scene screamed high energy and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Except Brad, who was scowling at me from across the club.

After getting all hot and sweaty while dancing to more than three songs, we made our way back over to the boys. Brad pushed a freshly poured drink in front of me. “Looks like you could use this.”

He was trying to act polite, but he was coming off as stiff. I wasn’t sure what had happened in the past few hours for his mood to take such a nosedive, but I didn’t like it.

I grabbed the cocktail napkin from under my drink and wiped the sweat off my neck. “Thanks.” I took a sip from my glass and set it back down. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

He lifted his head to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry, for being such an asshole.” He looked me up and down slowly before his eyes made it back to my face. “You look beautiful tonight. You should be having a good time, not dealing with my shitty mood.”

While I was happy that he acknowledged all the effort I’d put into my appearance, I was still concerned about his mood. “Brad.” I said reaching out and placing my hands on his broad shoulders. “Talk to me. What’s with the shitty attitude?”

His fingers played with the curls at the ends of my hair. I’d spent plenty of time in front of the bathroom mirror making sure it was perfect. “You’re breathtaking, you know that?” He said, sliding his warm hands down my curves.

“Thank you. Now tell me what’s wrong.”

He brushed a kiss to my temple. “I’m sorry. Let’s just start over.”

“No.” I shook my head and removed his hands. He wasn’t getting off that easily. Something had him troubled. “Explain.”

He glanced around the club and shifted on his weight. “Trust me. You don’t want to know. Actually, I think it’s better that you don’t because you’ll only end up making a bigger deal out of it than it really is.”

I parked my hand on my hip and stood my ground. “Start talking.”

His face went hard, but he still wouldn’t look at me. “This is Chase’s club.” He swallowed and finally met my eyes.

“Chase? You mean Emily’s Chase?”

“Yes. He and his brother own this place. That’s why I didn’t want to come here. Too many bad memories.”

I licked my lips, feeling my throat dry up. I kept my tone even as I forced the words out. “You should have told me. I would have picked someplace else.”

I really would have. The last thing I wanted was for him to be uncomfortable. So, that’s what his shitty mood was about? Emily. Of course. Fucking brilliant.

“Hey,” he reached for my hand. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Obviously.” I said, a little too sharply. He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I didn’t want you to change your plans. You were so excited to go out tonight. I just wanted to make you happy.”

I was torn on being pissed or feeling sorry for him. I wanted to be understanding, but why wait until now to say something? Plus, it bothered me that she still had this kind of effect on him.

Brad reached out and grasped my hips, hauling me close. His voice dropped low and rough. “Can you forgive me for being a fuck-up and for ruining your night?”

I fought a smile. I didn’t want to admit how good it felt to have him back to normal. His thumb skimmed my waist as I wrapped my hands around his neck. “Of course, I forgive you.” I said, brushing my lips against his and burying my hands in his hair.

He cupped my chin with one hand and planted his lips on mine. His thumb stroked along my cheek as his tongue pushed against my lips. I felt my breathing pick up. There was something about kissing Brad that always had me wanting more. No one had ever made me feel the way he did. Lucas, who’d just returned from the bathroom, let out a loud wolf-whistle. “Get a room, you two.”

I jerked back laughing and Brad released his hold on me. Lucas stood at the bar smiling at us while taking a long draw of his beer.

Brad’s brown eyes were still locked on mine. “Will you dance with me?”

“I thought you would never ask.”

After we danced, we spotted a few of my co-workers on the other side of the club and decided to chat and have a drink with them. When we finally made it back to our spot, Lily looked like she was scanning the room for the nearest exit sign.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” I asked, when Brad let go of my hand to go talk to Sawyer and Lucas.

“I don’t think Gage is coming.”

My hand reached out and brushed her long brown hair along her shoulder. “He said he was probably going to be a little late. Don’t give up just yet. I can text him if that will make you feel better.”

She laughed, but there was no humor in her voice “I know, it’s dumb. I’m just nervous that’s all.” She was freaking out, and I felt terrible for her.

I shifted my weight, considering her words. I tried to put myself in her shoes. “It’s not dumb. It’s perfectly normal to feel a little apprehensive. If it makes you feel any better, the only reason why he is even coming tonight is because you are here. Those were his words not mine.”

“My brother is going to be pissed at you. You know that, right?” She jerked her chin over to Brad who looked like he was finally starting to enjoy himself.

“Your brother is a very reasonable man. He’ll come around.” I said, hoping that the words would come true. I was half tempted to walk over there and tell him that I had invited Gage, but I knew if I did it would only cause more problems. He would have spent the entire night telling Lily how much Gage wasn’t worth it. She was already worked up as it was. The last thing she needed was to be interrogated by her brother all night.

Brad caught my eye and shot me a wink. I walked over and placed my hands on his chest letting the heat from his body comfort me. I pushed the guilt of not telling him out of my mind and just enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.

Brad always looked good, but he looked exceptionally good tonight. He wore a black button down with the sleeves rolled up, leaving the top two buttons undone. His perfectly tailored dark grey dress pants fit his trim waist to perfection. His dark brown hair was disheveled from running his hands through it all night. He looked downright striking. He was also getting a lot of female interest tonight, but you would never know that by the way he looked at me.

He swept my hair off my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “What are you thinking about?” God, even his voice was deeper than usual. I felt my nipples harden under the fabric of my white silk top. He was driving me absolutely crazy, so I decided to return the favor. I licked my lips and stared at his mouth. His eyes narrowed, my body was practically begging for him.

“Don’t.” He said firmly. “Unless you want to put on a show for this entire club.”

We continued to hold each other’s gaze. If he wanted to go find an empty storage closet or an empty bathroom stall, I was totally fine with that. That thought, however, was crushed when Gage came into view. My whole body tensed causing Brad to turn his head.

His eyes flashed to his sister and then back to Gage. “What are you doing here?”

I grabbed onto his arm, sensing him gearing up for a fight. “I invited him.”

Brad snapped his head to mine, his long lashes blinked three times. Yes, I counted. “Why?”

I could feel every pair of eyes trained on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat feeling a lot less confident. “Lily told me what happened between them. She feels terrible about it.” I sighed, running my hands down the length of my black pencil skirt. “I texted him and asked to meet us out tonight so they could talk.”

Brad’s eyes darkened, his glare practically sliced right through me. “You went and texted him behind my back?”

“I did. I’m sorry you’re upset about it, but Lily wanted to see him.”

His mouth hung open, then he snapped it shut. He placed his hands on his hips, still glaring at me. “Unbelievable.”

It had been an impulsive decision to invite Gage out tonight. I’d acted without considering the potential consequences. Even though I did it for the right reasons, it suddenly felt wrong.

“You wanted to see me, Lily?” Gage asked, causing us all to swing our gaze to her.

Lily looked nervous, like she was unprepared on how to handle this. She was chewing on her bottom lip so hard I was afraid she would draw blood. “I…” she started to talk, but Brad stalked up to Gage.

He approached him with a murderous look on his face, one that would have most men cowering down. Gage however, didn’t even flinch. “Stay away from my sister. I told you once, I will not tell you again.”

My stomach churned. This was my fault. “Brad, that’s not your decision to make.”

Brad’s angry stare flipped to me. “Excuse me?”

“Listen,” I softened my voice. “I know you’re only looking out for your sister, but you have to let her make her own decisions.”

Lily reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “I love you, but I need to talk to Gage in private. I promise I’ll be okay. I just need you to trust me.”

“Lily, he’s a manwhore. He’s only going to hurt you. Is that what you want?” He asked looking defeated.

Lily smiled at him trying to ease the tension in the room. “I’m just going to talk to him Brad, not run off and elope.”

“It’s your life, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then walked off with Gage to have a conversation, which in my opinion was long overdue.

I slipped my arms around his middle and laid my head on his chest. “I love you and I’m so sorry that I upset you and went behind your back. I never would have arranged for them to meet tonight if I didn’t feel so strongly about it. She’s going to be okay.” I whispered, as his hand brushed along the back of my hair.

“I love you, too. Just don’t ever ambush me like that again, okay?”

I squeezed him as tight as I could. I didn’t ever want to let go. “I won’t. I promise.”

It had been over an hour and Lily and Gage still hadn’t come back from their ‘talk’ yet. Lucas and Sawyer were trying their best to keep Brad distracted, but you could see him growing more uncomfortable as the minutes ticked by.

I ran my hands over his back. “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

He sighed in frustration. “I’ll kill him if he hurts her.”

Brad looked away then something must have caught his attention because his face went pale. I moved my stare to where he was looking. He was focused on a group of people at the top of the stairs. They didn’t look familiar to me, so I had no idea who they were.

Brad slid off the bar stool like a man on a mission. “I’ll be right back.”

Lucas and Sawyer both turned their heads to see where he was going. I guess they’d noticed his strange behavior as well. Both men shared a glance and then shot me a reserved smile.

I squinted my eyes to get a better view. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. As soon as Brad approached the people at the top of the stairs, the woman with long brown hair turned her head. I recognized the face from a picture I had found when I was cleaning the apartment one day. It was Emily.

“Lexi?” Faith called out getting my attention.

My chest burned, and it felt like someone had slapped me across the face. I couldn’t take my eyes off them no matter how much it hurt. Brad was exchanging words with the guy standing next to her and it didn’t look pleasant. I stood there and watched them, feeling my blood run cold. He just up and left me to go to her, of all people.

I straightened my shoulders and forced my voice to come out much stronger than I felt. “I’m leaving.”

Lucas was the first to speak up. “Lexi, let me take you. Brad would not want you leaving alone.”

“No thanks. I’m good.” I said, trying to hide the crack in my voice.

Lucas looked over at Sawyer for some kind of confirmation, then back to me. “Brad would not want you leaving this club without him.”

“Something tells me that Brad won’t even notice that I’m gone.”