Fun? I didn’t know Emery very well, but she seemed like the kind of person I could talk to about something a bit wild and crazy.
“Yeah, I’ve had those days too.”
“Tell me all about it,” she said as she nudged me again. She had a sinister grin on her face like she couldn’t wait to hear the juicy details. “Oh, come on. Look at this place.” She extended a slender finger capped in purple nail polish toward the various tables. “Your mom and Danforth are what, in their fifties? Everyone here is going to leave at like, ten o’clock, and it’s not like this place is going to start hopping before that!”
I faced her with a smile, shaking my head. “You are bad.”
“I know I am, but I own it,” she said as she giggled with her whole body.
I took a deep breath, and then I tried to explain the other night without going into too much detail.
“He was so seductive, I just couldn’t say no. And the whole bar was dark, and no one noticed.”
“Yum.”
Emery sat there leaned over the table, chin perched on her palm as she stared at me for more details. My face was warming from all the attention.
“Is he here? He must be.” She sat down and started looking around the place. “You said he had dark hair, right?”
“Yeah, I mean, I imagine he’s here. He must be if he was close enough to come and check the venue for Danforth. I just haven’t seen him yet.” Before I could say anything else, such as the fact that he was a twin, I spotted Damien walking up to the stage with a drink in his hand. He whispered to the DJ for a moment, who then handed over the microphone to Damien.
“Oh, there he is.” I was hoping that since Emery knew Danforth a little better than I, she could tell me something about Damien.
“On the stage? Are you positive?”
I curled up over the table and put my head onto my hands, and I gawked at Damien from afar. The moment he spotted me he sent me a wink and a grin, and I could see, even from that far away, that he had those signature dimples that Dax did not. It was definitely him, and he remembered me just like I’d hoped.
I didn’t answer Emery, but instead I nodded along and kept my eyes on Damien as he began to speak. He was toasting to Danforth and my mom.
Emery leaned close to me and whispered in my ear, “Parvati, that’s one of Danforth’s sons.”
4
PARVATI
It was bad enough to have to spend the week with my new brothers, one of whom I had already crossed the line with, but to also need two flights to get to Hawaii felt too overwhelming. I was the furthest thing from a good flyer, so dealing with that and Damien was pushing my nerves to their limits.
“Hey, sis.” Why was he lurking around so close now? From the moment we landed in California, he seemed to be attached to my hip. “Want a bite?” He reached out his granola bar.
I just stood there tapping my chin.
“Guess not.”
He smirked and then took another bite. I didn’t exactly hate him. I was just bothered. For the first time in a while, I had connected with a hot guy. And… just like my luck, he turned out to be my new stepbrother. So, instead of lingering in his charming presence, I walked away and tried to find an empty seat in the big lobby. My mom and Danforth were in each other’s arms kissing and making weird noises. I’d had just about enough of everything.
“You look tense,” Damien whispered from the seat behind me. I didn’t expect him there, so, like the normal person I am, I jumped and let out a squeal. “Priceless!” His laughter only made me more bothered.
“Damien, can we please be civil about all this?” I whispered to him, my eyes darting to my mother. Thankfully, she was too busy making out like a teenager to have heard my ridiculous squeal.
“I am being civil. In fact, I’ve been very welcoming.”
If only he wasn’t grinning so knowingly.
“Listen…” I turned to face him and immediately got hit with those damn dimples. Hell, how was I supposed to make it a week without obsessing over him? Lord, help me. “Damien, I’m not going to lie, that night was great.” He perked up with a full smile. He’d just finished his snack, and as the gorgeous creature he was, nothing was stuck in his teeth. “But—”
“Why is there always a but?”
“Please,” I chided, holding up my hand. “We’re family now.” My eyes darted around the place. Speaking in a near-whisper, I told him, “We can’t do those things anymore.”
“Actually, we can.” Boastful and most certainly unapologetic.