My neck twisted, and I froze at the sight of Pagan walking into the party with his arm around Saskia’s shoulders. He steered her toward an empty table and muttered something in her ear, his face hardening as she sat down.
My lungs seized at the sight of them together.
It hurt that he’d brought her, not only for me but also for Maeve. Saskia had been instrumental in almost breaking up her marriage, and Pagan knew that. He was good friends with Mae, so for him to be so disrespectful toward us both felt like an even bigger kick in the teeth.
We’d been at the Speed Demons’ party for about thirty minutes. Soon after I got here, Pagan walked in with his brothers and Saskia. It was like somebody had punched me in the chest, but just like always, I pretended I didn’t care and tried to get on with my night.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pagan heading toward us.
My stomach jolted, and I knew if I lifted my hand, there’d be a tremor in my fingers. My senses were on high alert because I was so conscious of Pagan being so close, even after all this time.
He approached the table, and his gait slowed as he passed.
My eyes drifted to his, and my throat tightened when I caught him staring at me intently before turning away and heading toward the men’s room.
“That big, scary biker beast isnot happy,” Tristan declared. “You watch your back tonight, Aislynn, ’cause that’s a man with a plan if I ever saw one.”
I shrugged a delicate shoulder, full of bravado. “Well, I’m a woman with a plan, too, and my plan is to avoid him at all costs and get through the night without slapping his face.”
Rosie, who, over the past few months, my brother had finally managed to lock down, took my hand. “I’m sorry, honey. If I could kick his ass for you, I would, but he’d end up kicking mine, and I’m too pretty to carry off a split lip and a black eye. Now, Saskia, well, that bitch is a different story. I know I can take her, so if you want me to kick her ass, just say the word. Or better still, I’m here for you if you need a wingman to help bury the body. I’m sure Atlas knows places.”
Tristan clasped his hands to his chest. “Oh, I just love girl bonding time. It fills my heart with joy and rainbow sprinkles when we stand in each other’s corners. It’s like we’ve got our ownScoobygang, like inBuffy the Vampire Slayer.” His eyes dropped to my considerable cleavage, and he exclaimed, “Except you bitches are more like theBoobygang!”
Cara and Rosie laughed while I looked between them, confused.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I murmured.
“Buffy!” Tristan yelled.
My face twisted with more confusion. “Who?”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer! And herScoobygang.”
“She’s too young, Tris,” Sophie interjected from beside Cara. “That show was way before Ash’s time.”
“I think I’ve seen reruns,” I confessed. “But obviously not as many as Tristan.”
“It’s a classic,” he announced. “Angel was hot, then Spike came along with that whole bad-boy morally grey hero vibe, and I was done.” He pointed to his perfectly styled but messy bleached blond hair. “Who else do y’all think inspired my do?” He fanned his face and breathed, “Oohwee.”
I laughed, shaking my head wryly. “If somebody had told me an hour ago that I’d be sitting here laughing aboutBuffy the Vampire Slayer, I’d have told them they needed to check into a psych ward.”
Rosie squeezed my fingers. “Heartbreak’s awful. There’s not one of us here who doesn’t understand what you’re going through, Ash. You’ve got us; we’ll see you right.”
With my heart warming, I leaned my head against her shoulder and whispered, “Thanks.”
“It’s gonna be okay, Ash,” she promised. “Men like Pagan don’t forget girls like you. He may be full of bravado now, but losing you will haunt him. He’ll look back one day and see he threw away something incredible.”
I lifted my head to look at her. “I feel so stupid. Everyone warned me he was bad news. I thought I could fix him.”
Ro smoothed my hair away from my face. “We’ve all flown too close to the sun, honey. You may have gotten burned, but it doesn’t mean you should clip your wings. When somebody youbelieve in betrays you, it feels like it’s the end of the world, but your story will go on without him. Just get back out there, work hard, spend time with your girls, and heal. It may hurt now, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a blip.”
I couldn’t stop my eyes from welling up. God, I loved this girl. “My brother lucked out with you.”
“Don’t say nice shit to me. It always makes me cry,” she said, fanning her face.
I laughed. “It’s no wonder Donovan adores you, Rosie. You’re perfect for him—” I jumped as a deep, raspy voice cut in, “Ash. A word.”
Silence fell over the table, and I lifted my gaze to see Pagan standing beside us with his eyes fixed on my face.
