Ignoring him, I went through the second door. The music was even louder, but the bar had emptied. A light was on, hanging over the pool table, along with a light in the kitchen. Emerson was at the pool table, a stick in hand, studying for his next shot. A girl was waiting behind him with a pitcher of beer on the table next to her hand. There was a second guy and girl, too, but no one I recognized. Dustin did, though.
He held up a hand, shouted, “Hey, Samuel!” and headed over to them.
Hearing the sound of dishes clanging together and muffled conversation, I walked toward the kitchen. Before I slipped around the bar, right next to the kitchen entrance, I heard a feminine voice ask, “Why would your sister have dated someone like that?”
Recognizing Kelly’s voice, I held back.
My brother replied stiffly, “Who cares. She’s with the band now.”
“The band and my bar.”
“Yeah, and about that, have I mentioned how I love that this is our hangout? Play a little downstairs and go upstairs to get a chick for the night.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Kelly shot back.
I could hear Braden’s teasing, “Still. I’m happy with the arrangement. Thanks to Luke.”
Some of my tension left, and I started forward, then I heard Luke say, “I’m right here, dickhead. You can stop talking about me as if I’m not.”
Braden snorted. “I would, but lately you have this habit of acting like you’re not even in the room. Makes conversations a little tricky, you know. You have to address a person in order to talk to them.”
My hand retracted back to my side, and I held my breath and listened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that since my sister started coming back around, you’ve been checked out. Enough’s enough, Luke. Stop treating her like she’s a stranger. That’s cold, man.”
“Stop, Braden.” Luke’s tone went soft, but the warning was evident. “You’re talking about things you don’t know.”
“I know. Oh, I know,” my brother tossed right back, his voice was growing louder with each word. “Stop acting like you don’t give a damn. Tonight proves you still do. I wouldn’t have left her, but you said you’d take care of her.”
“What’s your point?”
“It’s hurting her. She’s already hurting because of Turner. I don’t know why you’re hurting her even more.”
“Stop!”
I shrank back from the force behind Luke’s voice. It was deep, feral, and primal all at the same time. He added, “I mean it, Braden. I don’t get involved in your relationships. You have no idea what happened three years ago. Stay out of it. I mean it.”
The next thing I knew, the door flung open, and I jumped out of the way. Luke stormed out, his shoulders were rigid, his eyes glittering from repressed anger, but he stopped short as he saw me there. Raking a hand through his hair, his shirt lifted, and a view of his obliques teased me. I registered that, felt the hunger rise a notch, but my gaze went to his and all thoughts ceased after that. His grey eyes turned black. Sensing desperation from him, my body leaned forward, closing the space between us, but he moved away.
His rejection punched me in the chest.
He clipped out, “I told you to stay away from Turner or get out of the band. It’s the same deal with your cousin. Turner doesn’t come around us. That’s the bottom line. If he keeps showing up because of you, you’re out. This band is my livelihood right now, and I won’t allow a drug dealer to fuck that up.”
“He wasn’t there because of me—” But he wasn’t listening. Luke was already gone. The back door slammed shut a moment later.
“Elijah was there tonight?”
Emerson was standing at the bar, holding a pool stick. His eyebrows were bunched forward, and his head was cocked to the side.
“Yeah.”
I braced myself for a scathing remark from my cousin, but he only asked, “Are you getting back together with him?”
Why did everyone think that? “No.”
“What was he doing there?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea.”
“Oh.” He paused, his eyebrows still bunched together. “Okay.” He nodded and placed the pool stick against one of the bar stools then. Turning, his hands slid into his pockets. I could see his shoulders hunched forward.
He went to the door, and I asked, “Where are you going?”
“To make sure he’s okay,” he threw over his shoulder, and the door slammed shut a second time.
My eyebrows arched high. We just got out of danger, and he was going back there?
“Hey.”
I turned back around. Braden and Kelly had come from the kitchen, and a welcoming smile was on my brother’s face. Finally. Someone wasn’t going to snap my head off. He held an arm up, beckoning to me, and I went to him. Melting into his warm shelter, I breathed him in. He was family, and he was safe. “I was worried about you.”
His hand patted my arm. “I was worried about you, too.”
Kelly moved around us, touching my brother’s elbow. “I’ll give you guys a minute. I’ll be downstairs.” Braden nodded at her, and then we heard her call out, “Okay, girls. Show’s over. The rock studs are all leaving, so that means you gotta go, too.”
“Come on,” one girl grumbled.
“Nope. Come on.”
They protested again, but Kelly shooed them out, and right before she left herself, she called back over to us, “Lock up on the way out, okay?”
Braden was still hugging me to him. He called over my head, “We will. Be down in a bit.”
The door shut again, for the third time. Then he looked down at me, moving a step back to lean against the kitchen door. “You okay?”
“Was that true? What you said before?”
He frowned.
I added, “That Luke came back for me?” I was trying to tell myself that it didn’t matter, but hope had taken root in me. It was deep, deeper than I wanted to admit.
“Oh.” He continued to frown and then nodded. “Yeah. I was coming back for you when our paths crossed. He said he was looking for me and that you had run off. I told him where Emerson was waiting for us and I was going to get you. He told me no, that he’d get you himself, and I needed to take Emerson and get a ride back here.”
He held up a hand, shouted, “Hey, Samuel!” and headed over to them.
Hearing the sound of dishes clanging together and muffled conversation, I walked toward the kitchen. Before I slipped around the bar, right next to the kitchen entrance, I heard a feminine voice ask, “Why would your sister have dated someone like that?”
Recognizing Kelly’s voice, I held back.
My brother replied stiffly, “Who cares. She’s with the band now.”
“The band and my bar.”
“Yeah, and about that, have I mentioned how I love that this is our hangout? Play a little downstairs and go upstairs to get a chick for the night.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Kelly shot back.
I could hear Braden’s teasing, “Still. I’m happy with the arrangement. Thanks to Luke.”
Some of my tension left, and I started forward, then I heard Luke say, “I’m right here, dickhead. You can stop talking about me as if I’m not.”
Braden snorted. “I would, but lately you have this habit of acting like you’re not even in the room. Makes conversations a little tricky, you know. You have to address a person in order to talk to them.”
My hand retracted back to my side, and I held my breath and listened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that since my sister started coming back around, you’ve been checked out. Enough’s enough, Luke. Stop treating her like she’s a stranger. That’s cold, man.”
“Stop, Braden.” Luke’s tone went soft, but the warning was evident. “You’re talking about things you don’t know.”
“I know. Oh, I know,” my brother tossed right back, his voice was growing louder with each word. “Stop acting like you don’t give a damn. Tonight proves you still do. I wouldn’t have left her, but you said you’d take care of her.”
“What’s your point?”
“It’s hurting her. She’s already hurting because of Turner. I don’t know why you’re hurting her even more.”
“Stop!”
I shrank back from the force behind Luke’s voice. It was deep, feral, and primal all at the same time. He added, “I mean it, Braden. I don’t get involved in your relationships. You have no idea what happened three years ago. Stay out of it. I mean it.”
The next thing I knew, the door flung open, and I jumped out of the way. Luke stormed out, his shoulders were rigid, his eyes glittering from repressed anger, but he stopped short as he saw me there. Raking a hand through his hair, his shirt lifted, and a view of his obliques teased me. I registered that, felt the hunger rise a notch, but my gaze went to his and all thoughts ceased after that. His grey eyes turned black. Sensing desperation from him, my body leaned forward, closing the space between us, but he moved away.
His rejection punched me in the chest.
He clipped out, “I told you to stay away from Turner or get out of the band. It’s the same deal with your cousin. Turner doesn’t come around us. That’s the bottom line. If he keeps showing up because of you, you’re out. This band is my livelihood right now, and I won’t allow a drug dealer to fuck that up.”
“He wasn’t there because of me—” But he wasn’t listening. Luke was already gone. The back door slammed shut a moment later.
“Elijah was there tonight?”
Emerson was standing at the bar, holding a pool stick. His eyebrows were bunched forward, and his head was cocked to the side.
“Yeah.”
I braced myself for a scathing remark from my cousin, but he only asked, “Are you getting back together with him?”
Why did everyone think that? “No.”
“What was he doing there?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea.”
“Oh.” He paused, his eyebrows still bunched together. “Okay.” He nodded and placed the pool stick against one of the bar stools then. Turning, his hands slid into his pockets. I could see his shoulders hunched forward.
He went to the door, and I asked, “Where are you going?”
“To make sure he’s okay,” he threw over his shoulder, and the door slammed shut a second time.
My eyebrows arched high. We just got out of danger, and he was going back there?
“Hey.”
I turned back around. Braden and Kelly had come from the kitchen, and a welcoming smile was on my brother’s face. Finally. Someone wasn’t going to snap my head off. He held an arm up, beckoning to me, and I went to him. Melting into his warm shelter, I breathed him in. He was family, and he was safe. “I was worried about you.”
His hand patted my arm. “I was worried about you, too.”
Kelly moved around us, touching my brother’s elbow. “I’ll give you guys a minute. I’ll be downstairs.” Braden nodded at her, and then we heard her call out, “Okay, girls. Show’s over. The rock studs are all leaving, so that means you gotta go, too.”
“Come on,” one girl grumbled.
“Nope. Come on.”
They protested again, but Kelly shooed them out, and right before she left herself, she called back over to us, “Lock up on the way out, okay?”
Braden was still hugging me to him. He called over my head, “We will. Be down in a bit.”
The door shut again, for the third time. Then he looked down at me, moving a step back to lean against the kitchen door. “You okay?”
“Was that true? What you said before?”
He frowned.
I added, “That Luke came back for me?” I was trying to tell myself that it didn’t matter, but hope had taken root in me. It was deep, deeper than I wanted to admit.
“Oh.” He continued to frown and then nodded. “Yeah. I was coming back for you when our paths crossed. He said he was looking for me and that you had run off. I told him where Emerson was waiting for us and I was going to get you. He told me no, that he’d get you himself, and I needed to take Emerson and get a ride back here.”
