Prologue
Kace
“Congratulations, brother. No one deserves this more than you,” I say, giving Zane a quick hug. It’s been a day long in the making, watching Zane and Harper get married. They’ve walked through the flames of hell to get here, so when I tell Zane no one deserves it more, I fucking mean it.
“Thanks, Kace. I don’t think I would’ve survived everything without you.” He grins at me but is quickly distracted by his new bride.
I laugh and grab a beer from a bartender that Harper brought over from Souls Two. “You better get back to your bride if you are gonna get lucky tonight,” I say, laughing as I watch Harper with her hands on her hips.
He slaps my back and smiles up at me. “Oh, don’t worry about me getting any tonight, that’s a fucking given.” He glances over at Ivy and back to me. “Maybe you should be the one trying to get lucky tonight.”
“Fuck off,” I say, only half joking.
“Come on, the best man and maid of honor, it doesn’t get any more cliche than that,” he teases, not picking up on the fact I’m done with this conversation.
Harper, thankfully, interrupts. “Kace, I’m gonna need my husband,” she says, grabbing his hand.
“All yours,” I say, waving my beer.
I was a little surprised at their choice to have the wedding at Souls, but seeing it all now, it makes sense. The tables are all moved to the side, creating a big dance floor. The DJ they hired is set up on the stage, keeping the music flowing. It’s more like a party then a wedding. Harper is in a black dress, Zane is in jeans, there aren’t flowers all over or tablecloths. It’s the perfect Shattered Souls type wedding.
My eyes drift to Ivy as she dances. She’s got on a strapless, short, red dress that is tight until her waist and then it kinda flares out. Her long brown hair is curly and all up, showing off her slender shoulders. She’s got on these black heels that are so damn high she’s probably close to my neck. She’s short as hell. Normally, she just about reaches my chest. She looks fucking hot and she’s had my dick pressing against my zipper all day.
Who the fuck am I kidding, she’s had the attention of my dick since I dragged her out of her house all those months ago. She was yelling and honestly pissed off. She was this little angry ball of fire, it was hot. But, once she said she was scared of us, it was like someone splashed cold water on me. We’ve been fighting the attraction for months now and fuck it’s been hard, literally, but I can’t go there. She deserves more than I’ll ever be willing to give her. She’s innocent, naive to this world. I’m not looking for a relationship, but I have no doubt she is. I’m not going to hurt her by starting something I’ll never finish. A fuck buddy would be one thing, but a girlfriend isn’t something I’m willing to even entertain. She deserves a guy that wants the same things as her. All she’d get from me is my dick.
“Damn, how many shots have you tossed back?” Riley asks, laughing.
I glance down and smile. “Shit.”
“You trying to drink away your hard on?”
“Fuck you, Riley,” I say, shoving him.
“Oh, fuck no, not at my wedding,” Harper yells, stepping between us.
Riley slings his arm over her bare shoulders, laughing. “No fighting, but fucking is okay, right sweetheart?”
I want to rip his beating heart out, but instead I grab a beer and walk away. The last thing I want to do is cause shit for Harper. I sit down at an empty table and tip back my beer. Ivy comes into view and I close my eyes. The urge to drag her into one of the rooms in the back is getting the best of me. The alcohol I didn’t even realize I was tossing back, is sloshing around my head, making the idea sound good.
“Hey.”
I snap my eyes open and they crash into Ivy’s soft brown orbs. She’s chewing on her bottom lip, that is still bright red from her lipstick. Fuck. I clear my throat and tip my chin. “Hey.”
She pulls out a chair and sits next to me. “It was a beautiful wedding, don’t you think?”
I look down at her, grinning. “Yeah.”
“Why are you sitting here alone? I figured you’d be out there dancing with Zane and the others,” she questions.
We barely talk, so this is strange. Maybe she’s been drinking as much as I have. “I’m just watching.”
She slowly nods her head, keeping her focus on the dance floor. “I know you’re a good dancer.”
Her voice is so soft and sweet, almost nervous. It shouldn’t turn me on like it is. I finish off my beer and turn in my chair to face her. “You remember that, huh?”
It seems so long ago that we danced. She’d just come around at that point and I was determined to prove that I wasn’t someone she should be scared of. We didn’t talk, we just danced. If I was a different guy, I would’ve kissed her that night. But even then I knew she deserved more.
“Of course, I do. I remember everything, Kace,” she whispers, peeking at me from under her long lashes.
Fuck.Me. “Ivy, go back to the dance floor,” I warn.
She searches my face, but I have no idea what the hell she’s looking for. Whatever it is she’s not gonna find it.
“Why?” she asks so quietly I’m not even sure she asked it. But her heated eyes are waiting, so I know she did.
“Sweetheart, I’m drunk and I’m pretty sure you are too. Staying here with me is going to have us both giving in to everything we’ve been fighting.” I run my hand through my hair and sigh. “We’ve been
fighting it for a reason.”
She bites that fucking lip again and I just about lose my resolve. “I’m going back home after the wedding. There’s no reason for me to stick around. Working at Souls Two has been amazing, but I was offered a job in California and I’m going to take it. Fresh start and all.”
“You’re leaving?” I nearly yell.
“It’s time I start living my life. Being here just reminds me of all the mistakes I’ve made or chances I never took. I’m ready for something more.”
Even knowing that I would never have anything with her, the fact that she won’t be around all the time is beyond disappointing. At this moment, I kinda wish I did get to know her better. Maybe, become her friend. I glance out to Harper and Zane dancing and I wonder if they know and didn’t tell me. It’s not like I can do or say anything about it, even if they did. I’m not anything more than a guy that she hung out with for months, but never alone. I guess Harper was right when she said we were like a bunch of horny teenagers, finding any reason to hangout without hanging out. It almost makes me laugh, but I look down at Ivy’s soft brown eyes and it turns into a sigh.
“I would’ve liked to be better friends, but it is what it is. I do wish you the best though,” I say, forcing a grin. She visibly swallows and bites that lip. I reach over, using my thumb to pull it from between her teeth. “You need to stop doing that, sweetheart.”
Her eyes bounce between mine, searching for something again. “Why?”
“Because it makes me want to suck on that lip,” I honestly say.
She blushes, dipping her head. After a few minutes she lifts her head and I see the heat in her eyes. “You need to stop playing with that lip ring for the same reason.”