CHAPTER SEVEN
Kaia
Neon signs and shuttered storefronts flickered past the cab’s windows as Mandy and I headed for Starlit, the mega-popular club downtown. Kyle from school had invited us—he knew the bouncer, so no cover charge.
Dean would be there, too. After blowing off the last party, I’d caved and agreed to go with Mandy tonight, even though I’d rather be at home reading.
I turned to her in the backseat. “Enough makeup?”
Years of dance showcases had made me good at it. Makeup made me look older, too. What would Asher think if he saw me like this? He’d only ever seen me in comfy clothes or my work uniform.
“You went all in.” Mandy giggled, eyes sweeping over me. “And that black top is sexy as hell.”
“It’s my mom’s. Her clothes finally fit.”
Most of her dresses and tops had sat untouched in the closet for years. Dad rarely took her anywhere, though he didn’t seem to mind taking Sharon out.
Mandy patted my thigh. “She had excellent taste. Good thing you kept them. Did your dad see you?”
The thought alone turned my stomach to stone. “No. He went to some function with Sharon. I just have to be back before midnight—just in case.”
“Boring,” Mandy said, fluffing her curls.
“I didn’t tell him I’d be at your place.” I’d be stupid to risk it with the winter showcase so close. The after-party was the one I actually cared about—Imani always made it fun, even for the shy ones.
Mandy waved me off. “Like I said, boring. Don’t worry, I’ll call you a ride.”
“I can do that myself.” I slumped against the seat, watching headlights sweep the asphalt.
Ten minutes later, we pulled up to Starlit.
I’d never been here before. The sign above the entrance glittered with stars, and the sidewalk teemed with well-dressed adults, the air thick with expensive perfume.
The place was swankier than anywhere I belonged, but as long as the music was good, I didn’t care. I just wanted to dance.
“Didn’t you say some girls were coming too?” I asked as Mandy grabbed my hand and tugged me toward Dean, Kyle, and a group of guys I didn’t recognize outside the entrance.
She shrugged. “Guess they changed their minds. Who cares? More attention for us.”
I would’ve rolled my eyes if I thought she wouldn’t notice. I wasn’t after attention. Kyle was fine, but only as a friend—and I wasn’t thrilled about a night surrounded by strangers. The only guy I wanted to be with wasn’t here anyway.
“Kaia.” Kyle grinned as we walked up. “Glad you could make it.”
Oh God. His smile was way too flirty. I hugged myself. “Yeah. Are we waiting for anyone else?”
“Just you.” He winked. “Let’s go?”
We joined the line outside the club. When it was our turn, the bouncer smirked at Kyle. “Have fun, but don’t start anything, kiddo.”
“Promise,” Kyle said. Another guy stamped our hands, and Kyle swaggered into Starlit with us trailing behind.
Low bass thumped through the air as soon as we stepped inside. White strobes sliced across the crowd, and the same sparkling stars from the sign outside lit up the dark walls and backlit bar counters. Beautiful. No wonder the place was so popular.
I eyed the long coat-check line. Mandy followed my line of sight. “I’ll keep mine.”
“Same,” I said, though she was already focused on Dean, who took off toward the bar with a few guys.
Kyle lingered. “Can I get you girls something?”
“Any mocktail’s fine.” I shrugged off my coat. “Thanks.”
Mandy’s gaze flicked back to Dean. “You know what, Kyle? I’ll go with you.”
Great. We’d just arrived, and she’d already forgotten I existed. “Yeah,” I muttered. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Sorry.” A sheepish smile glossed her lips. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
She hurried off, and I sank into a vacant leather couch along the wall, my coat beside me. Multicolored beams crisscrossed the polished dance floor, faces flashing to the beat of a pop song. The music was good, but the urge to dance drained out of me. I’d wanted to with Mandy, not alone.
I scanned the bar. Mandy leaned closer and closer toward Dean, grinning like he was worth it. As usual, he didn’t notice. He hadn’t even looked at her when we walked in.
She was setting herself up for another crash.
Two songs later, I stood. A wall of bodies blocked my view of the bar, and Mandy was taking forever. Sitting here alone was awkward. I could get my own drink and maybe pull her onto the dance floor—if she wasn’t too busy feeding Dean’s ego.
As I pushed through the crowd, a few guys smiled at me. One’s gaze dropped to my chest and stayed there. I crossed my arms and shot him a glare. He got the hint, turning his attention to a girl in a red dress, and through the gap I caught sight of the far end of the floor.
A girl with sleek black hair stood near the wall beside a guy in a white button-down. I looked away, then glanced back—drawn not to her, but to him.
Tall. Lean. Dark-haired. Familiar in every line after two weeks under the same roof.
A sharp pang sliced my chest, and my eyes stung.
Asher.
And he wasn’t alone. His date was older, gorgeous, and standing too close. She said something, and he leaned in, his face inches from hers. My stomach lurched, my hands trembling. Were they going to kiss? Irrational or not, I couldn’t bear to see it.
On the way here, I’d daydreamed about running into him—me in makeup, in pretty clothes. But now, given the chance, I’d trade anything not to see him like this.
A girl bumped my shoulder, breaking the spell. I nodded at her apology, then looked back. Asher angled his chin toward the staircase, and my stomach clenched. Of course he’d have a table or private room upstairs for him and his date.
I wasn’t stupid.
Or maybe I was—because I’d thought our walk in the park meant something. Clearly it hadn’t. I was no better than Mandy, lost in my own delusions.
My eyes burned. I blinked fast, chasing away stupid tears. This was what happened when I imagined things that weren’t there. Asher had never led me on. So what if he offered to pick me up from work? He probably agreed to go to the park out of politeness after I rambled.
I shouldn’t have come.
“Your drink.” Kyle appeared with two glasses of red liquid. “Sorry it took so long.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thanks. And Mandy?”
“Talking to Dean. She’ll be a while. Want to sit?”
What I wanted was to go home. Watching Asher flirt with someone else was more than I could take.
“Kaia?” Kyle’s voice cut louder. “You spaced out.”
I downed the mocktail in one go. Too sweet, unlike my mood. “Sorry. What were you saying?”
Chuckling, Kyle took my empty glass and returned moments later. “Nothing important. Let’s dance?”
A glance past him confirmed Asher was gone. He must’ve left with his date. But Kyle was here—cute, interested, available. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could pretend he was the one I wanted. Staying beat sulking at home.
I nodded and let him lead me into the crowd. A slow melody rolled through the speakers. Kyle’s arms slid around my waist, and I looped mine around his neck. We swayed, but tension clung to me, heavy and unyielding.
He wasn’t Asher.
Midway through the song, pain shot through my foot. “Ouch.” I winced.
Color flared in Kyle’s cheeks. “Sorry. I don’t usually dance.”
I shifted, trying to ease the awkwardness. “It’s okay.”
Encouraged, his fingers spread across my waist, tugging me closer.
“Kaia.” The deep voice cracked the music like thunder.
Air deserted my lungs. I lifted my gaze into dark brown eyes locked on mine—adamant, unblinking—before they cut to Kyle.
Asher towered over him, arms crossing in slow precision, broad shoulders tense. A dark strand fell over his forehead, and I hated that I noticed. I always noticed.
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Asher.”
He didn’t answer, only stared, and annoyance blazed through me. What the hell was he doing here? Did his date already bore him?
“Who’s he, Kaia?” Kyle asked, letting go of me.
Asher’s gaze turned glacial, freezing me in place. “I’m her—” His jaw flexed. The words stuck.
I tipped my chin up. “He’s my brother.”
Asher’s eyes widened, a flash too quick to miss. He hated it.
Good. His behavior pissed me off too.
He dragged a hand down his face. “Come on, Kaia. I’ll take you home.”
Seriously? He thought he could date whoever he wanted while I got ordered home like a kid? Rage flared hot in my chest. I grabbed Kyle’s hand and pressed it back to my waist. “No. As you can see, we were in the middle of something.”
Asher ignored me, pinning Kyle with another withering look.
“It’s early,” Kyle said, buying into the big-brother act.
“Too bad.” Asher shrugged, scowling. “She has a curfew.”
My breath hitched. Curfew? What a dick.
I crossed my arms. “No.”
Asher rubbed his forehead, sighing. “Damn it, Kaia.”
Kyle’s gaze ping-ponged between us. Shit. We were making a scene, and with my luck, Mandy or someone else would notice. Then I’d have to explain who Asher really was to more people than Kyle.
I deflated like a week-old balloon. “Sorry, Kyle. I’ve got to go. Being the younger sibling sucks. See you at school.”
His shoulders sagged. “No problem.”
He was a good guy. If only I could order my irrational heart to want him instead of the scowling man beside me.
I’d felt nothing when Kyle touched me. But the second Asher’s hand pressed lightly to my lower back, guiding me toward the couch where I’d left my coat, my skin buzzed. My breath hitched, hyperaware of that simple touch.
I shrugged him off and yanked my coat from the cushion. He looked like he wanted to help me into it, but I shook my head and pulled it on myself. He didn’t get to make me look like a child in front of Kyle and then pretend to care.
We stepped outside and headed toward his bike in silence. He grabbed his leather jacket off the seat and shrugged it on, movements taut with tension. When he handed me a helmet, our fingers brushed, and sparks shot down my arms.
None of it was fair. I still wasn’t over the way he’d treated me.
“What’s wrong with you?” I clutched the helmet, my knuckles aching. “You had no right to do that in front of Kyle.”
Asher zipped his jacket. “Your Kyle will live.”
Pressure burned behind my eyes. I blinked hard, refusing to cry. “Why, Asher? You get to be at the club, but I have to go home?”
“I’m not in high school,” he deadpanned. “You are.”
The words cut deeper than anything else he’d thrown at me. Was that really such a problem? What would he say if he knew I’d repeated a year?
Screw him. He could flirt with whoever he wanted, but I couldn’t dance with a guy at eighteen without Asher causing a scene?
I lifted my chin, locking my gaze with his. “I might be in high school, but you’re an asshole.”
He stepped forward. Then again. Close enough that the heat from his body wrapped around me.
“Maybe I am,” he whispered. “But you know what I’m not?”
A reply died in my throat. Thoughts scattered, leaving me stranded in the storm of his dark eyes, his scent, the pull he had on me. I shook my head, hoping weakly it would be enough.
Asher ripped his helmet off the handlebar. “Your fucking brother.”