T⃨u⃨r⃨n⃨ O⃨n⃨ T⃨h⃨e⃨ N⃨i⃨g⃨h⃨t⃨ | The Lost Boys

C⃨H⃨A⃨P⃨T⃨E⃨R⃨ F⃨I⃨V⃨E⃨

⚠️warnings: mild harassment, mild control⚠️

"You should stick around," Dwayne spoke, forcing my attention back to him. His hair was as tousled as I remember and eyes still dark, but there was a stubborn set to his jawline that I hadn't noticed before.

Directly contradicting his words, Marko and Paul laughed lightly in the background. Unlike his companions though, David did little more than stare at me.

He took a deep inhale of his cigarette and trailed his attention to the sky, contemplation barely dotting his brow line. When his intense gaze rested back on me and my son, he narrowed his eyes.

"You're heading to the parking lot?" David drawled, not waiting for my answer before continuing, "We'll walk you."

My brain nearly short-circuited at how badly I didn't want that to happen. I tried to refuse the offer, "We're good—"

"We insist," David cut me off, literally and figuratively as he stepped in front of me. The mild smile he gifted me over his shoulder was honeyed, but tasted like poison, "We're getting to know you. The normal way, right boys?"

"Yeah. We promise we'll be good, Maddy," Marko teased, his head dipping briefly into my personal space as he cut in. Warm breath flitted over the free skin of my neck, unhidden by my shirt and for a second, I swore I felt hands teasing their way around my throat.

I managed to hold in the shiver that threatened to wind its way up my spine just long enough for the wild one, Paul, to yank on the ends of my hair as he joined the rest of his friends. It took everything in me not to flinch, but you couldn't halt the full-body tremor that racketed its way up my spine.

It didn't go unnoticed

Fingers still teasingly entwined in the ends of my vibrant hair, Paul gave them another mild tug before grinning at my expression, "You okay, babe? You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'm fine," I spat out despite the way the lie made me want to gag, "Just wondering where the concept of personal space went."

"Huh, never heard of it," Paul tittered, choosing that moment to swindle up against my right side, uncomfortably close. The heat of his body bled through the thin layer of my dirty tee-shirt as he wrapped an arm around my waist, "Don't be so tense. We'll take good care of you—"

Paul's teasing diatribe was cut short as Laddie grabbed the man's wayward hand and removed it from my side, tucking himself closer into my body. His brown eyes cut sharply toward the blonde before he stuck out his tongue in petty retribution.

Paul's newfound silence began to worry me and I peeked in his direction, fingers dipping into the recess of my pocket and palming the small pocketknife, ready to defuse the situation and get the hell out of dodge.

While it wouldn't be ideal, I could handle this. I'd escaped worse situations before.

What you weren't prepared for was Paul's laughter. Low and teasing, it made something heady and unexpected nestle in my abdomen, "Dwayne," he called out to his friend, "Gotta give it to you man, you might be on to something."

I spared a quick glance over my shoulder, barely catching the slow, sensual smile that overtook Dwayne's otherwise impassive face, "We'll see."

Trying to convey my confusion to the only person I deemed mildly safe in the party, I frowned at him. His only response to my attention was to raise one eyebrow before purposely trailing his observation down my body and fixating on my lower half before meeting my gaze. There was no shame in his actions and despite knowing better, a hot flush worked its way over my chest as I snapped my head forward.