“You looked fucking beautiful out there,” I growled into her ear, and was rewarded with goosebumps dancing across the skin of her arms. I ran my nose up the side of her cheek, my teeth nipping at her jaw.

I knew this night would result in more gossip column news, but I didn’t care. Muss and Ludo, as well as Julieta, were here to show that our relationship had the support of the team. We were all together to show that we were a united front.

I wasn’t giving in easily this time. As much as I’d wanted to punch Rigby in the mouth the other day, he’d been right. I’d given up and fallen into a dangerous hole that could have spiraled into something major. But the booze had numbed the pain of her loss for just a little while.

I didn’t believe that having parents who were addicts automatically meant I was more prone to substance addiction, but it wasn’t a theory I wanted to test. I wouldn’t do that to Huey, and I wouldn’t do it to Nova. I was going dry for a little while, long enough that I wasn’t leaning on it as a lifeline anymore.

I wanted to prove to myself that I could kick it, just as much as I wanted to prove it to the guys. The only addiction I wanted was giving my girl orgasms.

Actually… “You look hot. You want to go and cool down in the bathroom?” I whispered in her ear, my tone pitched low. “Maybe I could help?” I ground my hardening dick against her tight little ass. God, I loved that ass.

She turned toward me, her lips turned up in a smile. “Sure, but I think you’ll have to show me the way.”

Ludo rolled his eyes at me, but Rigby was grinning wide, like he was sending me off with my prom date or something. I slapped the back of his head and led my girl out of the VIP area toward the bathrooms at the back. Luckily, this section had private bathrooms, so we wouldn’t have to wait in line with sixteen other people.

I dragged her into the men’s bathroom, and into the cubicle right at the very end. The bathrooms in this club had little shelves above the cisterns, though I wasn’t sure what men needed them for. I knew women put their handbags on them, but what were we meant to put on there? Our beers? If you’re taking a beer into a fucking public bathroom, you probably need to be ejected from the damn club.