Page 26 of Passion and Payback

There should have been relief at those words, but I could only watch him as he got up to fiddle with the Bluetooth speaker on a shelf under the TV. After he was done, he seemed perfectly normal as he fiddled with his phone before quiet rock music started playing.

“So, I was thinking,” he said after the song got halfway through. “It’s been a while since I went out. Well, actually, it’s been since Lucas died that I went out and did anything if I’m honest. I only leave this place to go shopping.”

That made sense. “Okay, you thinking about doing something?”

“I know going out and partying was never really your thing,” he said, smiling at me. “You’re more of a quiet bar and beers kind of guy.”

“True,” I chuckled. “But if you want to go out and have a good time at some club, drinking overpriced cocktails and dancing to shitty music, then I’ll go with you.”

“Yeah?” he asked, and I realized he’d been worried about going out alone, not whether I’d be okay with the idea. Honestly, if it would get him out of the house and doing something he used to love, I would happily sit in an overcrowded club with him if it meant he was getting back on his feet.

“Absolutely, name the day and the time, and we’ll go,” I told him.

“Great, we’ll go Friday night. Maybe we go out Thursday evening and see what kind of clothes we can get you.”

“Seriously? You want to take me clothes shopping?”

“Just for an outfit. C’mon, you’ve done it before with me.”

I sighed as he looked at me hopefully, unaware that he was giving me the puppy dog look I would never have a hope of resisting. All the man had to do was look hopefully at me, and I would give in, even if I absolutely loathed clothes shopping. He wasn’t all that big into it either, but as I’d learned from previous trips, he loved dressing up with me for some reason.

“Oh,fine,” I said with the most pitiful groan, knowing I would hate every minute.

Yet it was all worth it to see his wide, happy smile as he began to bob his head to the music, and I knew I’d do it again.

HUNTER

For the first time in months, I felt the rush of enjoying every minute that ticked by. It was definitely because I was surrounded by a sea of bodies as they fought to find places to stand around, talk, laugh, and joke over the music as they raised their glasses. The music was loud, pulsing so hard I could feel it in my limbs and in my chest when I got close to the speakers.

As a teenager, I dreamed of going to places like this. It had seemed like a wonderful place to lose yourself in the crowd, tossing back drinks and joining the writhing of the dancing crowd. Kai had always said it was probably the closest he had to a worst nightmare, but I’m sure his time in the military changed that considerably.

The thought was enough to pull me out of the pleasant haze the music and dancing had locked me into as I twisted and turned. I had allowed myself to melt into the crowd to see if I could do it, and to my relief, I had. Of course, I knew full well the only reason I had been able to do so was because not only was Kai watching over my drink, but I knew he was close, keeping an eye on me. Not because I’d asked him to, no, because he would just do it.

Sure enough, I found him standing near one of the tables at the edge of the dance pit. Our drinks were in front of him, covered in napkins, as he stared at the dance floor. My heart lurched as I watched him watching me. Part of me wished he was watching me because he loved seeing me dance and how my body moved. The rest of me, however, shoved the thought aside and refused to entertain it.

For all his huffing and puffing over it, the clothes shopping had been a success. I had gone for something simple that would work brilliantly. It was nice that the fashion from when we were younger had come back around, which meant I didn’t have to do anything too fancy with his outfit. A soft pink button-up with darker pink stripes that looked amazing on his tanned skin, the sleeves rolled up by me personally. He’d drawn the line at the high-rise slacks and shoes I’d wanted to get him but had begrudgingly accepted the torn dark jeans I’d spotted so long as I let him wear the short boots he was comfortable in.

His outfit was simple, nothing compared to the bright neon colors that would have made eighties movies green with envy. My top was neon pink, and the shorts were light blue and glowed in the black light. I’d thrown on colorful bracelets that clicked together as they glowed in the low light, and I’d put on an old pair of bright green slatted sunglasses. And even with all that silly peacocking on my part, he still outshone me.

He grinned when he caught my eye, and I knew my moment on the dance floor was over. I could blame the drinks, and they certainly didn’t help, but the sight of him grinning made me realize I didn’t have much willpower. Maybe in some bizarre, twisted way, being with Lucas enabled me to resist the power Kai had always had over me, and now he was gone?—

“Hey,” I shouted once I’d mounted the steps and reached the table where he stood. I wasn’t surprised to see people giving him space, he was pretty big, and if you didn’t know him well, you’dthink he was mean-looking. Ialsonoticed I wasn’t the only guy in here aware of how frigging hot Kai was looking tonight if all the open staring was an indication. “How many?”

He smirked, sliding my glass toward me. “Four.”

“Really?” I asked, more than a little surprised. “That’s less than I thought.”

“There were more I could see were going to try, but they gave up at some point,” he said with a shrug. “You want ’em?”

I looked down at the two napkins and two receipts with numbers jotted on them and shook my head. “No, I think I’m good, thanks.”

He watched me for a moment and snorted. “True. You could pull enough on your own.”

“Stop!” I said with a laugh. It wasn’t like I thought I was ugly or unattractive. That was the one thing my parents hadn’t managed to make me worry about. It certainly hadn’t hurt that I’d been a twink in my younger years. But now, at the ripe old age of thirty-two, I was too old for any of that. But the recent bulk made up for the fact that my looks had matured. The problem was that I already had questionable thoughts about him.

He shrugged. “It’s true. I might be getting hit on, but you’ve been getting stared at too. The only reason they’re coming up to me is because they can actually catch me. You keep darting all over the place.”

That made me laugh. “Alright, you’ve got me there. Maybe I’m just having a good time.”

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