Chapter 5

The air in the private room was thick, heavy with the scent of old paper, dust, and the underlying, musky aroma of anticipation that clung to us like a second skin. Outside, the muffled thrum of the dance floor vibrated through the thin walls of the old storage closet we’d commandeered for the evening, a rhythmic heartbeat keeping time with the frantic pounding of my own. The string lights from the fair outside filtered through the high, grime-streaked window, casting long, amber shadows across the peeling paint and stacked crates that surrounded us. It was a secluded island in the chaos, a secret world of two. I stood near the entrance, my back against the cool wood of the door, watching him. He had shed his jacket, the crisp white shirt now slightly unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the strong column of his throat. His tie was loosened, hanging loose like a question mark, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the forearms that I knew were strong enough to pin me down, to hold me exactly where I needed to be. He looked at me with that predatory, loving intensity, his eyes dark and dilated, scanning