“Ugh, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she says, pulling back, her small hands wrapping around my biceps. “What you just did up there was probably one of the hottest shows I’ve ever had the privilege to watch, and now I’m questioning if I’m also into women.” She licks her lips, then winks.
I laugh quietly, rolling my bottom lip beneath my top teeth when it trembles.
I know it’s not from what Harmony said, though, because that is a fucking honor. No, it’s the festering nerves from sharing the same space as the asshole at my back.
Cameryn is talking to Tyler at my side, when Asher steps up behind Harmony, wrapping his tattooed arms around her waist. They find their place beneath her leather jacket, and he rests his chin on her shoulder. His almost matching green eyes turn up to mine as he sucks on his lip ring, flicking his golden-brown hair out of his eyes. It’s the same cut as Ty’s, only the strands are much lighter.
“Don’t tell me, she’s hitting on you.” He grins, his straight white teeth sliding out from hiding. He’s just as gorgeous as the rest of the boys,and I’ve decided it should be illegal to be that good looking.
I smile, then reply, “And I like it.”
Harmony and Asher both laugh, and Asher extends his hand from around Harmony’s waist. I lock my fingers with his when he says, “Asher.”
“Cherry,” I retort.
I bring my hand to the back of my neck and try to rub away that chill that only resembles pins and needles as it prickles beneath my skin. They’re like one big family; one I could have found a place in, untilhefucked it up.
I feel Cameryn’s hand at my side and lace my fingers with hers before looping my arms around her waist. Gazing casually over my shoulder, I lock eyes with Harlen’s again, finding them already on me.
Shooting back around instantly, I say to the three of them, “Thank you so much for coming tonight. Stay as long as you want, okay. I’ll be back. I just have to finish a few things.”
My arms drop from Cameryn as I walk backward for two steps, my eyes betraying me and seeking out Harlen’s. The rest of them are too occupied to notice the string of tension pulling taut between us.
But it’s about to snap.
And I need to fucking breathe before it does.
Spinning around, I amble toward the bar with a sense of confidence I thought for a long time I’d lose instantly in his knee-crumbling presence.
I tap my hand at the chrome counter. “I’m just going to finish out some stuff in my office. I shouldn’t be too long. I told them to stay as long as they want.”
Caleb’s twilight eyes are distant, floating above my head, and when I turn around, I find him staring down the barrel of Harlen’s gaze.
Harlen is grinning, and though there is playfulness there, I see right through it.He’s fucking jealous.
Caleb’s eyes don’t veer as he continues to polish the glass in his hand, staring right back at Harlen.
I snap my fingers in front of his face. “Look at me.”
His gaze drops, placing the shit in his hands onto the counter in front of him as he leans over, all of his weight in his palms, his eyes finding mine.
“Why am I feeling like a protective brother right now? Should I be worried about him?” He jerks his chin over my head.
I smile. It’s genuine as I reach out and grab his stubbled chin, shaking his head from side to side. His dark curls go with the movement, a smile joining mine. “No, he’s as soft as they come.” I step back and wink at him, tapping my hand on the counter. “I’ll be back.”
Caleb’s laugh is distant as I move down the slim corridor, lined with the same black and silver damask wallpaper. Small peppered light bulbs are buried into the gray timber flooring like twinkling stars. Ambling past the public bathrooms, I step up to the black painted door at the end of the long hall and wrap my hand around the antique silver handle, shoving it open.
I move through the room toward my desk, my open palms driving into the marble surface as I lay my breasts flush against the top. I widen my legs, and stretch out my back, my cheek squished into the surface, breathing through a trembling inhale.
What a fucking night.
When I exhale, I hear the subtle click of a lock.
An electrical current sparks through the room, and I don’t have to turn around to know who it is. I can smell him, his leather, lime, and pine scent, and the muscles in my lower stomach instantly clench.
“You think I believe all of that was for show?”
I exhale again, though this time much quieter. Crawling my fingers along the black desk until I’m standing, I catch another breath, then I spin around. My hands fall behind me as I tryto balance myself through the waves of vertigo flowing with the sound of his gritty voice.
