The Haunting Crush (Mesa Boys #4)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

K ai gnawed on his lip and sliced into the lime on top of the prep area behind the bar. He glanced at the hostess stand and frowned. When would Brandon show up? He focused on the lime and cut into it.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Kai cringed, then looked up.

Brandon took a bar stool in front of him, his curly, reddish-blond hair cut short around the sides of his head and long and bushy on top. He wore a tight, white athletic shirt over his wide chest. He took Kai in with his green eyes and licked his lips. “It’s good to see you.” He set his elbows on the bar and raised his hands, wrapping his fingers together.

“Yeah. Good to see you, too.” Not really. Kai lowered his brows and stared at the lime. “What can I get you to drink?” He faced Brandon straight on.

“How about one of those fancy drinks, you know, where you twirl your bottles around.” Brandon gave him a coy grin.

Kai released a long breath. “Come on, it’s not even that busy in here right now. I only do that when we’re busier.”

“Won’t you do it for me ?” Brandon raked his teeth over his lower lip. “Come on.” He stretched over the bar and touched Kai’s forearm.

He drew his arm out of reach, pressing his lips together, then forced a smile. Brandon was a customer. He had to remember that. “Sure. What do you want?”

“How about a mojito?” Brandon beamed at him.

Kai wrinkled his brows, grabbed a highball glass, and set it on the drip rail, then seized a shaker and looked out over the bar.

Conner stepped past the hostess stand, his hands in the front pockets of gray shorts and a white, V-neck shirt covered his strong shoulders.

Kai’s breath caught and he blinked. Shit. He watched Conner stroll into the near-empty bar area and take a seat two chairs down from Brandon.

Conner folded his hands on the bar and offered Kai a quick grin.

He lifted his chin at Conner. His hands trembled. He had to focus, especially with Conner here. He picked up bottles, gauging how full they were. You can’t flip full bottles . After finding the right ones, he twirled them in the air, one by one, landed them in his hand, then poured the liquid into the shaker, pursing his lips. Don’t look at Conner. Don’t look. He shoveled ice into the shaker, set the top on it, then held it up and shook it at the side of his head.

“Smile, beautiful. You’re supposed to smile when you do that.” Brandon placed his chin in his hands, giving him a wide grin. “You’re so hot, Kai.”

He flinched, then lifted the corners of his mouth and flashed his eyes at Brandon. He stopped shaking, cracked the top on the shaker, and strained the liquid into the highball glass, then grabbed mint, slapped it into his hand and stuffed it in the glass. After shoveling ice into the mojito, he shot the top with soda and set a sprig of mint over it and a lime wedge on the side of the glass, then dunked a straw into it. “Here you go.” He twirled a bar napkin, watched it land in front of Brandon, and set the drink on it.

Brandon offered him a coy smile. “Kai, you’re so great.” He clapped his hands and scanned over Kai’s body, circling his tongue over his lips.

“Sure.” Quit looking at me like that. He drew a deep breath, then focused on Conner. Fuck, he’s watching me, too.

Conner grinned at him, then shifted in his seat, dropping his gaze to the bar top, wrinkling his brow. “Kai...” He bit his lip, then focused on him. “You, uh, didn’t we used to be chemistry partners?”

Brandon stared at Conner, sucking the mojito from the straw.

“Yeah, we were.” Except there was also the little thing that happened at the graduation party. He should keep this professional. Keep your cool . He tensed his jaw.

Conner nodded. “Good to see you. It’s been a long time.” He let a faint smile creep over his generous lips. “You’re pretty good at making drinks.” He glanced at the bar top, then fixated on him with ice-blue eyes, lifting his straight dark brows. “Can I, uh, get a beer?”

“Sure. What kind?” A knot churned in Kai’s gut. He placed his hands on his hips. He was a mess inside, but he sure wasn’t going to show it.

“Do you have an IPA on tap?” Conner looked him over, chewing his bottom lip.

“Yeah.” Kai blew a stray hair off his forehead, grabbed up a beer glass from the cooler and poured the beer from the taps. This was a really fucked up time to be here, when Bryce had the night off. There was no one to keep him sane through this. Why did they both have to come in when it was so dead? At least if it were busy, he’d have other people to deal with. He pushed the tap back and brought the beer to Conner, setting a napkin down underneath it.

“You’re not going to twirl the napkin for me?” He wiggled his brows and sipped his beer .

Kai offered him a wide smile. “If you want, I can do that for the next one.”

Conner set his beer down. “I’d like that.”

The blonde woman from last weekend sided up to Conner. “Hey.” She flashed her brown eyes at him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Hey, Liz.” Conner’s smile faded and he focused on Kai. “Can we get some menus?”

“Sure.” An ache pricked his heart. This was going to be a long, fucking night. He wrinkled his nose and pulled two menus off a stack, then gave them to Conner and Liz.

“What about my menu, Kai?” Brandon snickered at him.

Kai grabbed another menu from the stack and handed it to Brandon. He had to get away from this situation and gather himself. “I’ll be back.” He strode to the end of the bar, out across the dining floor, and ducked into a hallway. As he pushed on the restroom door, he sighed. He walked into an iron stall, shut the door, and exhaled, rubbing his forehead. So, now he had to watch Conner on a date and at the same time, try to keep Brandon from eye-fucking him all night. Jesus. Maybe he could tell Janice he didn’t feel well, and she could tend the bar tonight. He shook his head. No, he needed the money. He had to get a damn battery for his blazer. With a huff, he opened the stall and made his way to the bar.

Kai approached Conner with a brand-new smile. “What do you want to eat?” He set his hands on the bar top.

“Well, get her the strawberry salad and I’ll have the trout.” Conner set the menus down.

He grabbed them up. “House salad or soup with the trout?”

“House salad.”

“What kind of dressing?” He glanced at Brandon.

“Blue cheese.” Conner gave Liz a coy grin. “It’s really good here.”

“Yeah?” She touched his arm.

Kai turned his attention to Brandon. “How about you? ”

“I’ll have the shrimp with corn.” He raised a brow at Kai and sucked on his straw.

He walked to the POS system and entered their orders on a screen.

“Hey, beautiful, I need another drink.”

Kai shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. This was like a living hell. He plastered a smile to his face and turned around. “Of course.”

“Twirl the bottles again.”

He widened his smile. Of fucking course.

Kai inspected the empty restaurant one last time before heading to the POS system and clocking out. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. What did Conner think of Brandon? Did he think anything of him at all? It seemed all Conner’s attention was focused on Liz after she showed up. He frowned. It was going to take some getting used to if Conner was going to be bringing dates in all the time. He slumped his shoulders and walked through the kitchen and the dishwashing area, all stainless steel and red tile floor, then waved at Janice, sitting in a small office the size of a closet. “Goodnight.”

She twisted at a gray desk chair, a bare light bulb hanging over her head. “See you tomorrow.”

He nodded and slapped a gray metal door open, then stepped out into a breezeway built into the first floor of the brick building housing the restaurant. The door shut behind him. The cool night air shivered over his skin, making him shudder.

“Cold?”

Kai startled and twisted. “Brandon?”

Brandon walked toward him, lifting one brow. “Why don’t we go grab a drink somewhere?” He stopped chest to chest with Kai.

Oh, no. He didn’t ever want to grab a drink with Brandon again. The first time was all right. The blowjob was good, but Brandon couldn’t take a hint and go away. He shouldn’t encourage him. He took a step back, bringing his hands up. “I’m really tired. I need to go home.”

Brandon gave him a sly grin. “I don’t mind going to your place.” He came closer. Alcohol puffed out on his breath.

Kai flinched and his back hit the brick wall. Brandon was drunk. He shouldn’t have served him that last mojito. He should have cut him off. He looked around, at the empty street in one direction and the parking lot in the other. “Uh, I d-don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Brandon whacked his hand to the building over Kai’s head. He pushed his chest against Kai’s. “Come on, Kai. Give me a chance.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips together.

Is Brandon going to kiss me? Kai shut his eyes and grimaced, turning his head. Brandon’s lips brushed over his cheek.

“Get the fuck off him.”

Kai popped his eyes open.

Conner seized Brandon’s shoulders and tossed him.

Brandon stumbled and fell to the cement on his ass, his hands smacking behind him. “What the fuck?” He glared up at Conner.

“Don’t fucking touch my friend.” Conner sneered, his nostrils flaring.

Kai stared at Conner, dropping his mouth open. His friend? Did he hear that right?

Conner studied him, placing his hand on his wrist. “You okay?”

Kai nodded. “Y-yeah.” Was this really happening?

Brandon stood up, rubbing his hands together. “Who is this guy, Kai?” He wrinkled his nose and looked Conner up and down.

Kai opened his mouth. What should he say?

Conner shifted to stand between Kai and Brandon, holding his arms out to separate them. “None of your fucking business.” He glanced back at him. “Do you like this guy?”

“Uh, well...” Kai peeked over Conner’s shoulder at Brandon. “Not really.”

In a low rumble, Conner said, “Did you hear that? He doesn’t like you.”

“I suppose you think he likes you.” Brandon snarled. “You’re just a player. I could see it the moment you walked in.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stomped down the walkway to the street.

Kai’s heart skipped a beat. Holy shit. He lowered his brows. What just happened? Brandon had left the bar right before closing, so of course he was out here waiting for him. But Conner left an hour ago.

Conner twisted around. “Who is that guy?” The muscle in his jaw bulged.

“Uh...” He peeked at Conner, then focused on his black Vans shoes. “Just a regular.” This was awkward.

“So, you’ve never dated him or anything.” Conner’s body relaxed.

Kai chewed his lip. “Dated? No. I mean, we went out for a drink once after work.” No need to tell him they hooked up. His attention was drawn to Conner’s face, the scar still visible under his left eye.

“Oh.” Conner huffed. “You should be more careful.” He raked a hand through his brown wavy bangs and they swept over his forehead as they released. “I’ll see you later.” He looked Kai over, then strode down the walkway to the street.

He let loose a long breath. “Fuck.” What a crazy night. He strolled in the opposite direction from Conner, to the parking lot and his waiting blazer.

A few days later, Kai stood behind the island at the bar in his black restaurant t-shirt and jeans, watching the stragglers leave. His shift was almost over, all the prep and cleaning were done, and he only had two more nights until his days off. He cell phone dinged from his back pocket. He slid it out and held it to his face, taking a drink of water from a red, plastic, glass.

Bryce

The glasses are on the floor again in the kitchen.

Kai

WTF is doing that?

Bryce

Not sure. Mice? Maybe we should call an exterminator.

Kai huffed. How much was that going to cost?

Kai

Let’s wait. I haven’t seen any droppings, so I don’t think it’s that.

Bryce

Then what is it?

Kai

Maybe someone’s coming in and fucking with us.

Bryce

Like who?

Kai

Fuck if I know.

Hearty laughing rolled in from the hostess stand. Kai looked up .

Conner waltzed into the bar with his arms slung around Ben and Lucas.

Looks like football jock central in here. Kai stepped out from behind the island as they all took a seat at the bar, Lucas to the left, Conner in the middle and Ben on the right.

Lucas peered up at him from under blond bangs, narrowing his blue eyes. “Kai? Kai fucking Nez?”

“Yes.” He gave Lucas his best fake smile. Lucas fucking asshat? Surely, he wasn’t going to bully him tonight. None of them were in high school anymore.

“Jesus, dude, you still work here?” Ben smirked, working Kai over with his brown eyed gaze under short gelled brown hair.

“I do.” I don’t have a daddy to get money from like you do. He cocked his head and placed his hands on the bar. “What can I get you?”

“Beer.” Lucas slapped Conner’s arm. “No gay pussy drinks.” He chortled. “Right, Conner? Because none of us are gay .” He held his open palm up over Conner to Ben.

Ben slapped Lucas’ palm.

Conner wrinkled his brows and focused on the gray bar top.

Kai pressed his lips together and ducked down to the glass cooler, grabbing up three beer glasses. Apparently, they hadn’t changed a bit. When he came up, he smiled even wider. “What kind of beer?” He gestured to the taps. “We have all kinds.”

“Coors.” Ben laughed and slapped Conner on the back.

Conner lurched forward, placing his hands on the bar. “Settle down.”

“Why? We’re the only ones in here.” Lucas spread his arms wide.

“We’re about to close.” Thank, God. Kai shifted his weight. “You all want Coors?”

Conner nodded, keeping his focus on his hands.

Kai stepped to the beer taps and filled all three glasses, then set them down in front of Ben, Conner, and Lucas.

“What you been up to, Kai?” Ben looked him over .

He shrugged. “Working, mountain biking, trail running, that sort of thing.” What kind of stupid comment would they have for that? He peered at them.

“You’re not as scrawny as when we were in high school.” Ben smirked and sipped his beer. “You look good, man.” He nodded at Kai.

That was an unusual comment, coming from Ben. He narrowed his eyes and grinned. “Thanks.”

“Where’s Bryce?” Lucas took a gulp of beer.

“He’s out somewhere. I don’t know. He’s been working days this week.” Probably a good thing they didn’t work the same shifts all the time and live together. He wiped the bar with a white towel.

“He works here, too?” Lucas sniggered. “He always followed you around, didn’t he?”

Conner finally looked at Kai, then sipped his beer.

“Guess so.” The jocks always followed each other around, too, but you didn’t hear him say anything about it. He drew a deep inhale. “Anyway, like I said, it’s almost closing time. So, I’ll have to get you to pay up for the drinks.”

Conner pulled a black leather wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans, slid his debit card out and held it to Kai. “I got this.”

Kai pinched the card between his fingers.

In one quick motion, Conner squeezed Kai’s hand and released it, focusing on him, lips parting.

Kai freed a faint gasp. What the hell was that? He went to the POS system on the island and rang them up. Conner sure was quiet tonight, though. The machine spat out a bill.

Hushed voices sounded behind him. In a low voice, he heard, “That’s so fucking gay, man. Why would he say that?” Laughter erupted. “No fucking clue.”

That’s quite enough. These guys hadn’t grown up at all. How could they still be calling everything gay at this age? He clenched his teeth and turned around, then handed the bill to Conner along with a pen. “Here. Drink up. We’re closing. ”

Conner wrinkled his forehead. “Kai.”

His heart lurched. Hearing Conner say his name like that was no good. He was not going to stay late for these guys. “You heard me.” He pursed his lips, looking them all over.

Conner stared at his beer, the smile fading from his mouth, then gulped it down. “Come on. You heard the man.” He slapped Lucas on the arm and offered Kai a half-smile.

“Yeah, yeah.” Ben finished his beer and plunked the empty glass on the bar top. He slapped Lucas. “Let’s go.”

Conner filled out the receipt and turned it over. He slid off the bar stool and waved. “See you around, Kai.”

He waved at Conner. “See you.” As they strolled out of the bar, he relaxed his shoulders and freed a heavy breath. “Damn.” He cleaned up the glasses, then totaled up the bill. Conner had left him a twenty-dollar tip along with a note, reading, Sorry . He flicked his gaze at the door. “Damn, thank you, Conner.” Guess it was worth the hassle. He closed out the sales, punched out, and made his way to the back of the restaurant, out the door, through the breezeway and to his blazer, parked behind a tan dumpster.

He pulled his keys out of the front pocket of his jeans, freed the tie from his long hair, and opened the door of the SUV. After putting the key in the ignition, he turned it. The engine whined a few times, then stopped. “Shit.” He turned again. Nothing. “Fuck, the battery.” He slapped his hand on the steering wheel. He’d have to walk home and deal with this tomorrow.

He climbed out of the SUV, locked it, and shivered, wiping his hands over his bare arms. It was cold out tonight, and he hadn’t brought a sweatshirt. If he got too cold, he could always run. He jogged off down the parking lot and to the main road. Across the street, the lake gleaned in the moonlight and the trees were only shadows. This wasn’t so bad.

The low rumble of an engine sounded behind him and slowed.

Who the fuck was that now? He looked to his right.

A metallic-green BMW M3 pulled up beside him and the tinted window lowered. “Hey, you need a ride?” Conner grinned at Kai from the driver’s seat.

If he got in the car, what on Earth would he have to say to Conner? Too awkward. Especially after the scene with Brandon. “No, I’m okay.” Another shiver rolled over him and his teeth chattered. He tensed his body and fisted his hands.

The car followed him. “You look cold to me. Just get in the car.” Conner pulled up to the curb and stopped. “Kai.”

His heart skipped. Damn him for blurting his name out like that. Should he? He halted and peered at Conner.

“I don’t bite.” He flinched and bit his lip. “Please.” He lifted his brows.

What would it hurt? His house wasn’t far, so how much talking would they do anyway? Besides, he was cold and damn tired. “Okay.” Kai jogged to the passenger side of the car and slid into soft orange leather seats that hugged his body in an almost disturbing way. He looked over the sleek rectangular vents, buttons, and knobs in brushed chrome and patterned black. Rap music played softly in the background. This thing had Bluetooth. Hell, this thing could probably drive itself. He gazed at Conner. “Nice car.”

“Thanks.” He gunned the engine and it roared.

Kai’s head struck the headrest, and he clutched the door handle. “Damn, it’s fast.”

Conner chuckled. “Over five-hundred horsepower.”

Kai widened his eyes. “Jesus.” It figured hot Conner would have an equally hot car.

“Want to go for a drive?” He glanced at Kai.

He narrowed his eyes at Conner. “Where to?” Though, did it matter?

“I don’t know, we could take a quick drive down McDowell Mountain Road.” He smirked. “Then I can show you how great this thing handles.”

“Don’t get a ticket.” Kai snickered. This was weird. He was in Conner’s ridiculously expensive BMW going for a drive, talking like this was normal. Hopefully, he wouldn’t bring up the other night with Brandon.

“No tickets for me.” He drove up Saguaro Boulevard, then took a right turn at Fountain Hills Boulevard and out onto McDowell Mountain Road.

Kai gazed out the window. As homes and businesses faded into desert hills, the scrubby bushes and cacti were lit up by moonlight.

“So, what have you been up to all this time?” Conner drove over rolling hills, the car hugging every one.

“Pretty much what I said at the bar. Trying to live simply, you know?” He studied Conner’s profile, the straight, pointed nose, the upper lip vying for purchase over the lower one. God, he was still so attractive. Heat rushed his groin. He squirmed and licked his lips. “So, what’s up with you? I heard you broke up with Paige.”

Conner tensed his mouth. “Yeah. It was way overdue.”

He nodded. Should he ask more about that? Maybe not.

Conner released a faint chuckle. “What about you? Who are you seeing? Besides that moron from the bar.” He lifted a corner of his lips.

God, he had to bring that up. “Nobody, really. I’m trying to keep it simple, remember?” He freed a quick laugh. “Relationships are not simple.” Though in truth, he’d never found the right guy and probably wouldn’t in a small town like Fountain Hills. He frowned.

Conner huffed and smiled. “You got that right.” He slowed the car and flipped it around, heading back to town. “You have dated, though, right?” He peeked at Kai.

“Yeah, I’ve been on dates.” Not really. More like drunken hookups from the bar when he’d been desperate enough. If it weren’t for those, he’d probably still be a virgin. He looked out the window and drew his brows together, then played with the hem of his black t-shirt.

“So, but nothing serious? ”

Kai peered out at stucco houses of various shapes and sizes. They were back on Fountain Hills Boulevard. Time to change the subject. “Hey, take a left at Ashbrook.”

“Sure.” Conner clenched his jaw. “Where do you live?”

“On Ashbrook, two houses down.”

Conner nodded and turned the car onto Ashbrook Drive. He scanned the area. “Where?”

Kai pointed at his adobe-style house with the turquoise rough-hewn vigas poking out from the corners of the flat roofline. “There.”

Conner pulled the car up to the curb and stopped. “You live on Ashbrook Wash?” He widened his eyes, then peered out the car windows.

“Yeah, why?” Kai fingered the door handle.

“It’s haunted.” Conner chuckled and studied him.

“What?” He must be fucking with him. Kai narrowed his eyes at Conner and gave his head a slow shake.

“I’m serious. You’ve never heard that?” Conner rested one wrist over the steering wheel, the other hand between them on the center console. “How long have you lived here?”

Kai glanced at the dash, then focused on him. “About ten months.”

Conner nodded. “Well, let me know if anything weird happens. I know some guys who do ghost hunting.” He gave Kai a wide grin. “It could be a lot of fun.”

Weird, like glasses falling off the counter and not breaking for no reason? Should he tell Conner about that? A shiver raced up his spine. Ghosts were not his thing. Grandma up in the Navajo Nation called them chindi, everything bad about a person that was left before they died. And they make you sick . No, it was nothing. “Sure.” He opened the door.

Conner placed his hand on Kai’s wrist. “Hey, see you soon.”

He peered at Conner. “Yeah, see you soon.” He got out of the car, shut the door, and walked over the driveway to the carport door.