Soul Moon

Attraction

Caden Mitchell wasn't supposed to be here. It wasn't supposed to be him sitting in this seedy strip club avoiding the advances of women he has no interest in. Originally, his head of security was assigned this location. But, when they got a last minute tip about an illegal shipment of drugs, Caden was forced to take the mission at the club while his associate followed the lead at the docks.

It really was the best plan. Unfortunately, now he was the one stuck sitting here in this hell of overstimulation instead of reading a good book while enjoying a cup of tea in the quiet of his own home.

The flashing colorful lights all around him make his eyes hurt. The loud music, if you can even call it that, feeds the headache that's clawing its way out from inside his skull. The pungent smells in the carpet, on the seats, and in the thick air trigger waves of nausea to churn his empty stomach. Everything about this place reeks of desperation and sex.

From the moment he sat down an hour ago, Caden has kept his head and eyes down. He can't afford to draw attention to himself if he wants to complete his mission. However, as he catches the scent of someone new walking through the doors, his head lifts slightly so his eyes can follow the man he was sent here to observe and probably kill.

His senses heighten as he watches his target casually approach the bar and order a beer. The man dressed in a suit too expensive for this cheap club turns to cautiously scan the crowd. Caden quickly lowers his head again and takes the final sip of bourbon from his glass. A minute ticks by before he looks up to zero in on his target again.

But instead of finding his prey, Caden is met with a set of sharp gray eyes staring back at him with an arousing playfulness.

He can't look away. Even though his breaths remain slow and even, his heart rate accelerates like a racehorse out of a starting gate. The blood in his veins feels like fire under his skin yet he keeps his expression shrouded with disinterest. Heated shivers ripple outwards through his body as his eyes catch the faint mischievous smile taking shape on the bartender's perfect lips. The moment the owner of those mystifying silver eyes begins walking to where he sits, Caden's grip on the empty glass in his hand tightens.

Everything in the club fades to the background except for the man striding confidently to the small round table in the corner where Caden waits. His sensitive ears hear the steady beat of the bartender's strong heart. His cobalt blue eyes catch every movement of the young man's sinewy muscles beneath the black skin-tight jeans and barely-there crimson red shirt he's wearing. Everything about the bartender fascinates him. But it's the innocent man's scent that truly captivates him.

Caden has never smelled anything this heavenly before. The bartender's fragrance is a potent blend of rosewood mixed with sweat, compelling him to inhale deeply until he can taste it on his tongue. The combination is exhilarating yet there is something else subtly interwoven beneath it that draws him in like a siren's song. Something Caden believes he has smelled before but has been lost to him over time.

"What can I get you, handsome?" the bartender asks with a flirty tilt of his head.

Caden's fingers itch to bury themselves in the man's soft hair. The urge to pull on the strands at the root, baring the man's neck to his teeth, has him clenching his jaw. He swallows stiffly as the bartender's almond shaped eyes openly travel up and down his body. They're lined with endless rows of black lashes so thick it gives the illusion that the young man is wearing eyeliner. It makes Caden want to see if the barkeep is as dangerous as he looks. His eyes drink in the young man's bare arms, his mouth going dry when the sly minx of a man flexes his biceps. The bartender has covered them, along with the sun-kissed flesh covering his exposed collarbones, with some sort of fine body glitter. The seductive man's naked skin glistens with every breath he takes, every minute shift of his lean body, and all Caden wants to do is lick it off him.