"I can't promise you something I'm already pathetically failing at, Asa... But I'll try."

She agreed, and my hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her to me.

She didn't complain. I exhaled.

Soft. She was so soft. Softer than gossamer on silk.

I closed my eyes to calm my errant breathing. The raging tempest in my head, as we walked, finding a suitable spot on the dancefloor.

A thousand voices were speaking in my head.

You don't deserve her, you acted like you hated her in the beginning.

Shut up.

You're betraying your own best friend. Shame on you.

Shut up!

She's not yours. She can never be yours.

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

I wanted to scream.

And then she turned to look at me, coffee black eyes, connecting with mine...

And all the voices seized.

Time stopped. The universe held it's breath, waiting for me to catch up.. That was when I realized, that a second, staring into her eyes, was better than a lifetime spending it someplace else.

Is this how Kam feels when he looks into her eyes? Like time stops and everything drops off and you're suspended in a breathless haze where nothing else mattered... except her.

No wonder Kam would kill for her.

She was worth a thousand bags of gold. She was worth it. She was worth everything.

It was worth it. I could risk my friendship for Kam if I'd have her in the end. If...

She suddenly turned around, fitting her back to my chest.

I gasped at the contact, electricity, zapping through my body.

What is she doing? This wasn't what I wanted! This wasn't how she was dancing with Kam!

No, it was ten times better.

She pressed her ass into me as I grabbed her soft hips, enveloping her in my arms in an almost hug.

I struggled not to think of the softness, her scent, clogging my senses, her body heat, wrapping around me. How good her body felt, pressed against mine.

At that moment, No Love by August Alsina and Nicki Minaj started playing and she matched the slow, steady rhythm of the sensual song.

My eyes dropped down to her exposed back, lower to her round ass, my breath, catching in my throat, with every roll of her hips against mine.

I held her close to me, tight, as we matched the rhythm she created, her ass, grinding softly into me, until it became impossible to think properly.

I was aware of her sweet, chocolate scent, curling into my nostrils, the beat of the music, ricocheting through my heart.

She was intoxicating.

And with each roll of her hips against mine, I felt an unfamiliar ache in my lower abdomen. My breathing became ragged until i was inhaling in drags.

Without thinking, I dropped my head to her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

I was tempted. So tempted to taste her skin. See if it really tasted like chocolate.

What is she doing to me?

We needed to stop. I was slowly losing my sanity.

Her back met my chest, her twisting and grinding wouldn't stop and I knew she was lost in the music when she reached up, locking her fingers in my hair as her sinful dancing continued.

Blood was rushing to my groin and I knew she was going to get disgusted by me if she realized how much her erotic dancing was turning me on.

My hands tightened around her hips, I halted her movements.

She turned, looking at me puzzled. Soft, red lips, parted in askance.

Lips I wanted to kiss so badly.

I didn't even know I was leaning into her until she blinked at me. I diverted, pressing my lips to her ear. "Can we talk outside? I can't think straight."

She nodded, walking away with me.

On the balcony outside, I kept my distance as far away from her as physically possible. I swear, I could taste her scent on my tongue. I remembered the feel of her body pressed to mine.

I gripped the railing, snapping my eyes shut as I tried to forget about how good she felt in my arms. Counting from one to ten, to get my breathing in check.

"Sorry, I just need a minute." I said, when she huffed, impatiently.

"Amir, I swear, I don't understand you sometimes." She leaned beside me against the thin railing.

That small action caused her scent to envelope my nostrils again.

What little common sense I had, effectively took a hike on me.

Fuck it. I wanted her... Anyway I could have her... Even if I only get bits of her in the end.

I looked at her, frustrated and angry with myself for acting this way.

Sick.

Deranged...

Horny.

"Sorry, I know I'm acting like a psychopath now."

"What's the problem, Amir?"

I gave her a baffled look. "You are my problem, Asa. Isn't it obvious? In there, your scent was  everywhere. Driving me fucking nuts."

I ran a hand through my hair, contemplating the proposition I had in mind, and how to not make it look like I wanted her to cheat on her boyfriend....

With me. ...

Even if it was for just a night.

Taking a deep breath, I started slowly. "Look..."

Her eyes were gazing at me.

Coffee. Black.

She's worth it, I reminded myself.

I stepped closer to her, my resolve firm.

It's now or never.

"I'm not going to ask you to leave Kam for me." I took another deep breath, struggling with my words. "And I know you love him... But can a 'no-strings-attached' relationship work between us? Can I be your number two?"

She was quiet for a moment, looking at me in unbelieving shock, ... And in that moment, I knew I had fucked up.

"What?" She screeched.

I gulped, not ready to back down, now. "Asa, at this point, I'm ready to take anything I can get from you. I don't mind even if I get scraps. I want you so bad, it's not healthy anymore... I know I can't have all of you... But can I... Can we..."

My tongue tied as I struggled to get the right words out of my mouth.

"Be friends with benefits?" She finished for me.

I hung my head low in shame, avoiding her withering gaze. "I know it's morally wrong... On so many levels. But I just-"

Want you.

"Stop!" She snapped, suddenly. "Stop right now, Amir."

"Asa-"

"I can't believe you'd think I'd stoop so low to cheat on Kam. What the hell do you take me for?"

My heart twisted painfully. "Asa, no. I don't think you're low at all."

"In the end, that's all you want, right? That's all you ever wanted. An easy fuck."

I stumbled back at the angry look in her cold, dark eyes. "That's not what I think, Asa."

I would never see her as that. I wanted her to own me. All of me. At the price of only half of her.

"Save it!" She snapped, whirling around and storming back into the house.

"Asa, wait!" I followed her, trying to catch up with her.

But when I rounded a corner I thought she entered, she wasn't there.

I had lost her.

Shit!

I searched around the house, trying to find her, retracing my steps back to the kitchen, the dancefloor, the gameroom, the bar-room. I started losing my mind when I didn't find her in all the places I searched.

Someone suddenly pulled me back and I glared at the person but I softened up when I saw who it was.

"Yo! Guy, I thought you went home already?"

Jemi was looking at me worriedly, golden irises, encompassing his pupils.

I gulped. If he knew I had lost Asa, there was no telling what he'd do... Probably start by tearing the whole house apart.

"Kam. Kam. Have you seen Kam?"

Yes! She must have gone to find Kam. It only seemed plausible that she'd go to... To her boyfriend.

"I left Kam at the backyard." He pointed. I noticed his fingers now, decorated with chunky golden rings.

If he throws a punch, it'll hurt like a bitch.

I cringed, imagining his fists connecting with my face.

"At the backyard?" I asked again.

"Yeah." He murmured half-heartedly. His eyes slowly drifted over to Kosi and Devontae in a dark corner in the room, a dark glint in them, grinding his teeth murderously. Kosi was straddling Devontae, practically giving him a lap dance.

"That girl!" He growled, knuckles tight, for the first time, I realized he was trembling in anger.

I looked at him, then at Kosi, and back at him.

"You're in love with her." It wasn't a question.

He frowned. "Isn't it obvious?"

I shook my head, no.

"Huh. Asa must be smarter than you, then."

"Asa knows?"

"Duh." His replies were crispy and he was breathing uneasily through clenched teeth. "It just hurts being someone else's second, man."

I laughed humorlessly. "You know what hurts even more?"

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Not even being someone's choice."

He regarded me quietly, then he cussed again. "Fuck this, I need a smoke." He stormed off.

I sighed, following the direction he had pointed to and coming out of the backyard, shocked out of my mind when I saw a girl sitting on Kam's lap.

It took a few startling seconds before I realized he was desperately trying to get away from her, standing up so fast, the girl nearly fell off of him.

He was inching away from her but she quickly latched her arms around him, pulling him back to her.

What would Asa say if she saw them?

I frowned, remembering why I showed up here in the first place.

"Kam!"

He turned around, relief washing over his features, until suddenly, his eyes froze, pushing the girl away from him. "Amir, where's Asa?"

I stopped walking, apprehension, twisting my guts. "What? You mean she's not with you?"

"Of course she's not with me, i left her with you, where the fuck is she?!" He was storming towards me now, mad anger in his eyes.

I fisted my hair, swallowing the lump in my throat.

If she's not here, where could she be?

Worry flooded my system and I regretted my earlier proposition to Asa.

"I don't know, man. We had an argument and she just stormed off."

"She stormed off?!" He was looking at me murderously now. "Really, Amir? You couldn't set aside your beef with her for one fucking minute? All you had to do was take her home!"

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Kam was trembling violently now, rage in his eyes. "I swear to God, Amir, if anything happens to my girl-"

"Kam! Kam! You're Kam, right?!" A girl was shrieking, running towards us. "Are you Kam?"

I was grateful to her for successfully distracting Kam. But her next words drained the blood out of me.

"Asa! In trouble! Bathroom. Upstairs."

"What?!" Kam breathed.

She was panting, out of breath. "I left her in the bathroom to get some water. I came back and I met Teriq's guys guarding the door. Asa is in there with him. I think she needs help!"

"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Kam cussed, pushing past me and racing up the stairs. "Amir, get Jemi and meet me upstairs! Teriq needs to stop fucking with me!"

A/n

Wow, I'm just realizing how intense NGCS was.

I was actually supposed to stop here and wrap up Rusts and Stardusts, before heading to the next book in the Collection....

Butttt

Tori wants to see that scene when Amir snapped at Kam, so y'alls are getting it.❤️