The Stepbrother’s Dare 2

The bass from inside The Vault thumped like a heartbeat through the walls and Emma’s pulse matched it, her fake ID slick in her palm as she followed Jake to the club’s back entrance. 

“God, I'm doing this,” she muttered under breath, trying to calm herself.

The bouncer stood ahead like a sentinel, his shaved head gleaming under a neon sign, eyes scanning them coldly.

Jake didn't flinch. Instead, he flashed a grin, all easy charm, and leaned in to murmur something to the bouncer. Then he slipped a folded bill into his hand and one could tell that he had done this a hundred times.

Emma caught fragments of their conversation with Jake’s low chuckle, the bouncer’s grunt of approval, and then the heavy door creaked open, spilling a wave of music into the night.

“After you, princess,” Jake said, his voice teasing but his eyes sharp, watching her reaction.

Although uneasy, Emma shot him a look and stepped inside.  

The Vault was a fever dream with pulsing purple and red lights, bodies swaying, the DJ’s beats weaving through the crowd.

She felt like a foreigner as she watched how people moved, losing themselves to the fun.

Jake’s hand grazed the small of her back as he guided her through the throng, and although his touch was light it sent a spark up her spine.

“First time in the deep end?” he murmured, his lips close to her ear to be heard over the music.

She tilted her head, meeting his gaze. “I can swim,” she said, voice steadier than she felt. 

His smirk said he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t push, just kept her close as they wove deeper into the club.

Then they finally stopped, and she asked, “What next? Do I have to dance… to the beat?” She asked, bobbing her head to the sound as it began to make her move.

But his gaze was elsewhere.

The crowd parted around a velvet rope with a dimly lit hallway beyond it and a sign read “VIP Only,” but Jake’s eyes lit with that reckless glint she was starting to recognize. 

She shook her head. “No, no!” Then she yelled so he could hear. “No, Jake! Don't even think I'm joining your recklessness!”

Jake gave her raised eyebrow. “Look at you, chickening out again, Em. You're certainly no fun at all!

Emma scoffed, and looked at the hallway, afraid of getting in trouble.

“Try to live your life once in a while!” Jake urged further, gesturing toward it as if daring her.

Emma’s heart kicked. Part of her screamed to stay in the main room, safe in the chaos, but the fire Jake had stoked in her was burning and she didn't want him thinking she was scared.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Fine! I'm not scared, you hear me, asshole?!”

Jake chuckled low and they managed to slip past the rope.

The hallway was narrow, lined with dark doors.

They’d barely made it ten steps when a flashlight beam sliced through the dark, a guard’s gruff voice barking, “Hey! Restricted area!” 

Emma froze, but Jake grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the nearest door. He shoved it open, yanking her inside just as the beam swung their way and the door clicked shut.

Jake laughed. “Whoa, that was…”

They turned, seeing themselves in a small, intimate room with crimson walls glowing under soft sconces, a mirrored ceiling reflecting their flushed faces and a velvet couch in the center.

Then the lock clicked, trapping them inside, the sound of the club’s music becoming distant.

Emma’s breath hitched, the space shrinking around them as Jake turned to face her, his body close enough that she could feel his heat.

“Great plan, genius,” she hissed, her voice sharp but trembling with adrenaline. “Now we’re stuck.”

Jake didn't seem bothered and his lips curved. “Relax, Em. We’re fine.” 

He stepped closer, and she backed up instinctively, her shoulders hitting the wall.

She began to feel tension at how close they were, trying hard to calm her heaving chest.

 “You’re shaking,” he said with a low voice.

“I’m not,” she lied, but her body betrayed her, a shiver running through her as his hand found her hip, steadying her against the wall.

Her breath caught as he leaned in, his face inches from hers, his breath hot against her neck.

“You’re with me,” he promised, his lips so close she felt the vibration of them, and her pulse raced, a traitorous heat pooling low in her stomach. 

She wanted to push him away, but her body leaned into his touch instead and she wondered why he was this close in the first place.

Afterall, there was enough space for them to stay separate.

The moment stretched, their breaths syncing, then they heard a clatter outside. Someone was moving but the door stayed shut. 

Jake’s hand remained on her hip, his eyes searching hers. “What now, Em?” he asked.

She swallowed, her throat tight, the club’s heat and their proximity drowning out reason. “You brought me in here, so I should be the one asking that. We… wait, of course.”