Brothers of Paradise Series

“Great enough to score forty percent of all the school’s funding for high school athletics?”

I roll my eyes at them. Jamie has gotten deep into investigative journalism mode-which I usually adore-and Parker is deep into his umpteenth beer. It’s not a good combination. They’ve been arguing for half an hour.

Turner slings his arm around me casually and leans in to whisper something. “It’s like Ali vs. Frazier all over again.”

“Are we placing bets?”

He chuckles. “We should. Or we could get out of here.”

Nerves flicker in my stomach. I understand the implication well enough-what he’s really asking. There would be kissing involved at the very least, if not more, given his reputation. Do I want that?

He’s nice enough.

He’s not Hayden.

What am I doing here?

I shoot him a smile and pull away. “Let’s dance instead.”

Turner nods good-naturedly. “Lead the way.”

We join the other people on Turner’s makeshift dance floor. Music is pounding from the speakers, the bass heady and strong. We dance opposite each other, smiling, being silly. Turner throws an arm around my waist and I smile at him, trying to decide whether I like the feeling of it or not. This kind of environment… Everything is new to me.

Turner turns me around, and I see Hayden. He’s cutting through the dance floor. He’s using his shoulders to get ahead, pushing people out of the way without so much as a second glance.

I sway closer to Turner and meet Hayden’s eyes head-on. I’m not doing anything wrong. He was the one who said we couldn’t be a we.

He reaches us.

“Hey,” Turner says, a smile on his features. “We were-”

Hayden puts a heavy hand on Turner’s shoulder and leans in to whisper something in his ear. I try to make out what it is, but the music is too loud and the whispers too low. The only thing I hear is the word brother.

Turner shoots me a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he says, giving me a wink. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

I give him a wan nod and watch as he retreats through the crowd. Hayden is left, looking at me, eyes faintly narrowed.

“What did you just tell him?”

“Nothing he didn’t already know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that he knows your brothers wouldn’t be happy with him if he messed with you.”

I cross my arms. “And you’re what, their enforcer? The attack dog?”

His jaw works. “Something like that, I guess.”

There’s tension in him, but it’s in me, too. I don’t have the energy to be thoughtful or understanding. I’m pissed off and I’m tired and I don’t know who he is at the moment.

“You didn’t do that for Parker. You did that for you, and you’re a damn hypocrite.”

Hayden’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t respond.

“Nothing to say for yourself?” I’m vaguely aware that I’m talking too loudly, but there’s no stopping me now. “You’ve been nothing but rude to me since I came tonight. For no clear reason, either.”

Hayden glances at the people around us, jaw still working.

“Do you know what I think the real reason is? You’re afraid, Hayden. Afraid that I might go off and-”

He grabs my hand and I’m pulled through the throng of people, toward the back of Turner’s house. Hayden turns a corner and ushers me into a dark hallway.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what? Asking you to explain yourself?”

“Yes, god damn it.” He reaches out and puts a hand on the wall behind me. I catch a whiff of his body spray, of beer and ocean and sweat. His breath is coming faster than normal.

So is mine. The storminess in his eyes feels reflected in my heart, every beat reminding me how close he is but how far away.

“You were the one who said we can’t be a we,” I say, voice low.

“I did.”

“So why would you care if I was with Turner?”

Hayden doesn’t answer. Our bodies sway closer, until our chests very nearly touch. He passed me in height a long time ago, but it isn’t until we’re this close that it’s noticeable. I have to tilt my head back to meet his steely gaze.

Only it’s not steely anymore.

It’s crumbling, and the longing I see there is the same I’ve harbored for months.

I reach up and press my lips against his.

Hayden hesitates-I can feel it in his body-before his lips move against mine. They’re warm and soft.

He opens his mouth to say something, but I don’t let him. I kiss him again, desperate, pressing my body against his.

Respond, I’m begging. I want you so bad.

My hand gets lost in his hair and I’m tugging him closer, his lips gently pressing against mine.

And then the dam breaks for him too.

Strong arms wrap around me. I’m forced closer until there’s no space between our bodies, until his heart and mine beat in tandem through the thin fabric of our clothes.

Hayden’s lips are insistent on mine, soft and warm and tender in a way he so rarely is. I can’t believe he’s kissing me, or that I’m kissing him.