Page 51 of Burn of Obsidian

Thea laughed, reaching up to pat him on the jaw. “See,” she said with a smile, “small dick energy.” Freeing her arm, she spun, heading toward the brightly coloured bar against the south wall. He tracked her as she pressed her body through the gyrating crowd, the lights above changing between white and UV every few minutes.

Jax fucking hated it.

Unlike for Thea, the crowd parted instinctively as he made his way through. They’d stumble out his way, and if they didn’t move quick enough, he’d simply nudge them to the side. The lights above changed, and Jax blinked through the overstimulation as he searched for the exits, noting them before memorising the layout. The club consisted of two floors, the main dancefloor, bar area, three unisex toilets, as well as a mezzanine that seemed even busier.

Thea wasn’t hard to spot in the crowd once he was finished, his beast attuned to her aura like a fucking drug. She glowed even amongst the sea of dancers, her smile infectious as she laughed at something that didn’t carry above the music.

Her head was thrown back, teeth bright as the lights changed to UV. His rainbow girl was a magnet that radiated such sunshine that he was sure she’d burn him, but he didn’t give a fuck.

Thea turned as he approached, her smile stretching her face. The guy that had made her laugh turned, paling at Jax’s expression before returning to the dancefloor.

“You didn’t have to scare him off,” Thea said with a scowl. “He was only saying hi.”

Jax didn’t comment, instead sitting beside her at the table. He stretched his legs, amused at the cocktail she immediately pushed in front of him. It wasn’t as pink as hers, but it was still a radioactive colour that glowed beneath the lights.

Ten minutes passed, his drink untouched while hers was empty. Without a word, he swapped their glasses, his attention on the crowd as she curved her hands around the stem of the glass.

Thea vibrated in her seat, rocking her body gently to the heavy beat while nibbling the little paper straw. “I know you have this whole, hot, silent type thing going on,” she said, taking a sip of his drink. “But you’re normally more talkative.”

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “There’s comfort in silence.”

She scoffed. “No, there’s not.”

“I don’t enjoy small talk.” Or gossip, or anything that didn’t have a purpose.

“I don’t enjoy silence.” Flicking her hair back, she pushed the strands behind her ears.

“We’re in a nightclub, there isn’t silence.” The music was so loud he could feel it in his teeth.

Thea narrowed her eyes, and he sighed.

“Fine,” he rumbled, crossing his arms. “Why the dress?”

“Dress?”

“Black.” His eyes purposely dipped to the dark fabric, then back up. “It’s not yours.”

“Oh!” Red teased across her cheekbones, matching the tips of her ears. “Why do you think it’s not mine?” She tugged at the hem, which showed the majority of her creamy, tattooed thighs.

Jax leaned down, making sure his lips brushed across her ear. “Because, little thief, you’re my rainbow girl.”

“I’m not your anything.” Thea swallowed, a roll of her throat that drew his attention to the delicate skin. His beast pressed against his mind, wanting to feel how soft it was against his palm. He almost gave into the compulsion.

He knew what she saw on his face: hunger, frustration, and need. None of which he could give into just yet. Her brown eyes had darkened, emphasising the copper specs.Thea blinked, the colour on her cheekbones darkening further as she licked along her bottom lip. “Grey will be here soon.”

Jax didn’t need to respond, so he didn’t. But he enjoyed her reaction, her breath quickening. Pulse reacting to his presence.

She was the first to break the tension, turning back to the dancers, only to stiffen.

The colour drained from her face, and Jax turned to scan the crowd. It wasn’t hard, not when he found a man standing by the bar opposite, staring. A woman hung from his arm, beautiful in the traditional sense. But he seemed to only be looking at Thea.

“Grey?” Jax asked, tensing as if to stand.

Thea lifted the drink, downing the rest. “No, that’s… he’s no one.”

Jax didn’t need to look to know the man was still staring. “Thea…”

“Fine,” she grumbled, the sound gentle. “That’s Leighton, my ex.”