Page 61 of Counting On You

He guides me across the red carpet and heads straight to the bouncers, cutting the long line. I’m pretty sure a few cuss words are addressed at us, but Kade doesn’t seem to notice. Either that, or he really doesn’t care.

As we reach the bouncers—all eight of them look like they’ve been members of the steroid overuse club—I begin to doubt Kade’s sanity.

Those guys are large. I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with them. And they certainly look pissed that someone wouldn’t honor the line.

Every muscle in my body tenses as one of them takes a menacing step forward. “Your names?”

“Wright,” Kade replies. “Kade Wright. Cash Boyd is expecting us.”

“And her?” He points to me.

“She’s my plus one.” Kade’s arm moves around me and pulls me a little closer.

I’m instantly aware of his hard body and intoxicating scent. I should push him back, get the hell away from this guy who’s so different from Bruce, and yet all I do is close my eyes for a moment to inhale the scent of his aftershave.

“Give me a sec.”

I watch in astonishment as the bouncer talks into his headphone, then begins to swipe his large fingers furiously over his iPad. I lift on my toes to get a better look and catch a glimpse of photos.

Within seconds, he opens the belt and nods his head. “You’re clear.”

“About time,” Kade mutters.

Another guard hands us wristbands. I peer at the purple color with gold dots and the cursive writing that reads “VIP.”

Wow.

I’ve never been a VIP in my life.

I don’t think I’ve ever even met one.

“You were right.” Kade’s lips twitch as he motions me through the open door. “They’re extremely hostile. Now we’ll have to find a way to sneak in through the staff kitchen. I suggest we pretend that we work here.”

I roll my eyes. “Are you always a goof?”

“Only when I’m around you.” His fingers curl around mine. “Shall we?”

I nod my head, interweaving my fingers with his, and let him guide me.

The club’s like a maze. The stairs lead to a basement, which is poorly populated. The few patrons are nursing drinks at the imposing bar area. Kade leads us up another flight of stairs into an open area with a busy bar and a dancing circle that seems to have been carved out of glass. The music is so loud, I don’t even try to ask him where we’re headed as he takes us to the top floor that overlooks the entire area below.

My head swirls from the LED starlight ceiling. Even the walls seem to glow. And there are way too many mirrors. Passing one, I stop briefly to shrug out of Kade’s jacket and hand it back to him.

“If you’re not being careful, you’ll lose your jaw,” Kade whispers in my ear. “I’d hate to miss your beautiful mouth.”

His statement comes out of the blue, and I’ve no idea what to make of it. But this isn’t the time to ponder over his enigmatic comment.

“This place is so cool.” I spin to face him. “I love it here. Why didn’t you tell me it was going to be this awesome?”

He lets out a chuckle, his eyes meeting mine. “Wait until you taste the drinks and see the live band.”

Girls in skimpy shorts and tops brush past us, holding serving trays. Like the bottles they’re carrying, they look expensive—expensive hair, expensive makeup.

One of them eyes Kade up and down. Even though I really don’t care if he hooks up with her, I’m so not going to wait for her to make her move.

I turn around, pointing my finger to the top floor. “I want to see what’s up there.”

“Sure.”