The door guy checked their IDs and waved them in, denying them the twenty-one-and-up wristband. O’Neal kept ahold of Quyen as they entered the darkened confines of the club. The place was busy already, loud with the music but also with voices. A few couples and groups were on the dance floor, bouncing around and grinding against each other in the flashing shafts of colored light. Wasthatwhat they were here to do? Because O’Neal wouldn’t even know where to start. She resisted the urge to turn right back around and hightail it back to the dorm. She’d wanted to go to prom. She’d wanted to experience this kind of thing, but it was…a lot all at once.
“Ooh, there are the guys who invited us,” Quyen said, pointing to the back left corner near the side of the dance floor. “Let’s go say hi.”
They snaked their way through the club, tension making O’Neal’s movements tight, and one of the guys caught sight of Quyen and waved. When she and Quyen reached the table, she felt her shell closing around her. There were four guys at the table—two were drinking beers, one had a mixed drink in his hand. Only one had the twenty-one-and-up band, so she knew who was buying drinks.
“Hey, you made it,” one of the guys said, standing up to hug Quyen. He was tall with longish dark hair, light brown skin, and dark eyes that crinkled when he smiled. Cute.
Quyen returned the hug and then looked toward O’Neal. “Daniel, this is my roommate O’Neal.”
Daniel smiled and nodded her way. “Glad y’all could come.”
“O’Neal?” One of the guys at the table, a burly-looking dude with red hair and bright blue eyes, laughed. “That might out-Irish me.” He put his hand out to O’Neal and leaned forward so she could hear him. “Connall.”
O’Neal took his hand and smiled. She noticed he didn’t have a wristband, which put her more at ease. “Nice to meet you.”
He released her hand, and the other guys shared their names, though she missed one because the music was so loud. Quyen was already chatting away with Daniel.
Connall touched O’Neal’s elbow. “Want something to drink? Seb is our designated drink obtainer tonight.”
She remembered what Auden had said about watching her drinks. “Uh…”
“How about shots?” Seb, the tallest and lankiest of the group, announced. “I’ll be back.”
Connall smirked. “I hope you like shots then.”
She couldn’t tell him that she had absolutely no idea what she liked, but she didn’t say no.
A few minutes later, Seb returned with a tray of sloshing shot glasses filled with a golden liquid. There was also a plastic cup filled with lime wedges. “Tequila!”
O’Neal bit her lip. Auden had told her to watch her drinks poured, but this was a whole tray and everyone was going to have one. She figured that was safe. The question was did she want to drink at all?
“You like tequila?” Connall asked.
“Never tried it.” At least that was the truth.
His eyebrows went up. “Well, then, your virgin run. It’s the cheap shit so be warned but…” He grabbed a lime wedge and the salt shaker. “You take the sting off with this.”
“We’re not going to get in trouble for being underage?” she asked, the old anxiety angel on her shoulder whispering urgently in her ear.
“Nah, they check at the door and up at the bar for optics but don’t really give a shit. They make all their money on college students.” He handed her the shot glass. “You game?”
She took the little glass, eyeing it, nerves jumping in her stomach. She’d told him she’d never had tequila, but she hadn’t mentioned she’d never had alcohol at all. She glanced over at Quyen, who was already tipping back her shot and wincing.
“Yeah, okay,” she said, trying to be in the moment. She came to school to try new things. Why not this? “How does it work?”
He took her by the wrist, the touch gentle and friendly. “First, you lick the spot between your thumb and forefinger, sprinkle salt on it.”
She did as he directed, noticing that he was watching with interest. The attention made her face heat.
He sprinkled salt on the damp spot on her hand. “Now, lick the salt, kick back the shot in one gulp, and then suck the lime wedge. Like this.”
He went through the motions for himself, knocking back the shot, and then ending with the lime. He squeezed his eyes shut as he sucked and then coughed. “Damn.”
She inhaled deeply, steeling herself for whatever was to come, then licked off the salt and tipped the shot back, the alcohol turning to liquid fire on the way down. She shrieked a little, flapping her hand, and Connall laughed. He pressed the lime wedge into her mouth, his eyes sparking with humor.
“Suck!”
She dug her teeth into the lime, and the sourness eased some of the astringent taste of the alcohol. Her whole chest was aflame as the tequila went down.