Before Priya could respond, Rachel interrupted.
“Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Priya?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Oh sorry, Rachel,” Priya said. “This is Brooke’s brother, Ethan.”
Rachel gave Ethan an appreciative smile. “Brooke’s been holding out on me.”
A sudden, possessive warmth flooded Priya’s chest. Without thinking, she moved closer to Ethan, letting their shoulders touch. Rachel’s gaze flicked between them, eyebrows lifting.
“So…are you two an item?” she asked.
“No,” Priya mumbled.
“Not yet,” Ethan added smoothly, a grin playing on his lips. “I keep asking, but Priya keeps shooting me down.”
Priya’s jaw nearly dropped, but Rachel cut in before she could say anything. “Priya, you and Brooke are officially the worst at sharing.” She shook her head with exaggerated offense. Then she flashed a mischievous smile and wandered off to deliver the juicy gossip to the rest of the room.
“Why did you say that?” Priya hissed at Ethan as soon as she left.
“It’s easier this way.” He stretched his arms out along the back of the couch. “If she thinks I’m interested in you, she’ll leave me alone. No small talk. No flirting. Nobody’s feelings get hurt. It’s a win-win.”
“And what about me?” Priya shot back.
Ethan leaned closer, his voice dipping. “You don’t like the idea of everyone thinking you’ve got me wrapped around your finger?”
Priya’s pulse quickened. She wasn’t mad that he’d lied. She was mad because, for a second, she’d let herself believe that Ethan really was into her. Her heart had felt like a shaken-up can of soda, ready to burst.
“Never mind,” she muttered under her breath.
Ethan slid his boots back on and gave his jacket a shake before putting it on. “Come on, Pri. Let’s get out of here,” he said, rising to his feet.
Priya squared her shoulders and followed him out, pretending not to feel the weight of stares. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, she exhaled sharply. “You’re such a troublemaker, Heathen Knight.”
“Troublemaker?” Ethan chuckled, his face soft and indistinct under the night sky. “Pretty sure everyone in there thinksyou’rethe troublemaker. Turning me down left, right, and center.”
“Yeah. No doubt you’re real torn up about it,” Priya said dryly, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Just wait till Brooke hears about tonight. She’ll be so mad you didn’t tell her about your big fat crush on me.”
“Why don’t we go tell her right now?” Ethan said with a grin. “Where’s your room? I can drop off her phone charger while we’re at it.”
Alarm bells rang in Priya’s head. There was no way she could risk Ethan walking in on Brooke and Caleb.
“Uh, that’s okay!” She waved her hand dismissively. “Brooke’s probably asleep already. She had a headache earlier. Just give it to me and I’ll pass it on. You don’t want to deal with Grumpy Brooke.”
“Better you than me.” Ethan handed her the charger. “It’s too nice a night to risk my sister’s wrath.”
Relieved that Ethan hadn’t pressed to see Brooke, Priya slipped the charger into her pocket. “It really is pretty out here,” she said, glancing around. The air carried a freshness from the earlier rain, and the moon cast silver shadows across the gravel as they walked to the parking lot.
“How about a ride before I head out?”
“You want me to hop on with you?” Priya had never gotten on the bike with him before.
“Unless you’d prefer to ride solo,” Ethan teased.
“Sure. Let me just pull out my top-secret motorcycle license,” Priya said, mock-patting her sweatpants.
“See? I knew it—Priya Solanki, undercover biker.”
“Busted.” She grinned, throwing her hands up.
