22. Harper

“Once we toast the birthday girl, this party can officially start.” Kyle sidled up next to me and set a tray of shots on the table. As he did, he lingered there, the heat of his arm soaking through my sweater.

For the last twenty minutes, I’d been attempting not to watch him chat with Cam across the room. I’d failed miserably.

“Ooh, fun.” Zara clapped as Kyle handed her a small glass. “As long as it’s not that bloody tequila.”

“Vodka?” Asher asked, a brow quirked.

Kyle nodded as he passed one to him. Then he continued around the table, holding glasses out to Trevor, Mitch, and Cam, who slipped in beside Asher, making the table a bit crowded. Then he dropped taller, skinnier shot glasses in front of the two of us.

“Wait, why do I get the huge one?” I hadn’t had a shot in years, and vodka burned.

Kyle smirked. “Because bigger is always better.”

He wanted to be childish? I’d play along. I leaned closer and tapped him on the nose. “Funny, Kyle, I always found it wasn’t the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean.”

With his lip caught between his teeth, he waggled his brows. “Spicy tonight. My favorite.” He stepped closer, if that was possible, and gave my hip a squeeze.

That small move sent a shock of electricity through me. As the heat of his palm burned through the thin material of my leggings, I tried to remember that, only twenty minutes ago, he had been hanging out with a table full of women.

It was a challenge in this moment, though, because he was watching me like I was the only person in the room.

“Is it?” I whispered.

“Hell yeah.” His hold on me tightened, his fingers biting into my flesh. Clearing his throat, he lowered his gaze to my tall, skinny shot glass and released me. Instantly, I missed his touch. “You’re a lightweight, aren’t you? Need me to take some off the top?”

A scoff escaped me. Annoyed, I glowered up at him. I might not be a regular at the bar scene, but I could do a shot. “Why are you like this?”

Across the table, Cam laughed.

Kyle frowned, his brows pulled low. “Like what? A man who doesn’t force alcohol on women?”

“You didn’t offer to take some off Zara’s, so don’t steal mine.” I carefully grasped my drink and slid it toward me.

“She loves her vodka, right, Z?” He reached past me and held his fist out to the birthday girl.

Smiling, she pounded it. “You know me.”

Focused on me again, Kyle said, “And I know you don’t normally hang out at bars.”

I bristled again. Everything he’d said was true, but they were coming off like insults.

“Whatever. I can do a shot.” Grumbling, I lifted the cold glass from the table. “What are we drinking to?”

I expected some kind of birthday wish. Instead, Zara said, “Sinners,” her smile devilish.

On her other side, Asher chuckled.

“Why?” I scanned the table.

Zara and Asher were smiling at one another. Cam was watching Kyle, and Trevor and his friend looked lost. So I zeroed in on Kyle, who was watching me.

“Because.” He hovered closer, smirking, the look sending a shiver down my spine. “Sinners are much more fun.” He tapped my glass with his, then downed his vodka, the thick collum of his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

“To Sinners.” Asher chuckled and held his glass aloft. As everyone lifted their drinks to their lips, I did too. I braced for the burn of pure vodka. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness that hit my tongue. The slight burn of the liquor as it coated my throat was far smoother than I anticipated.

Kyle leaned close again, his words dancing across my ear. “You can always trust me to keep it sweet with just enough heat.”

I swallowed back the apprehension and desire hitting me. Then I swiped the last bit of alcohol from my top lip.

He zeroed in on my mouth, his dark brown irises almost black. The heat there made my breath hitch. I didn’t understand this visceral chemistry we had. Every time he was near me, my body came alive. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

Trevor coughed, breaking the moment.

“Too strong for you?” Kyle shifted his attention across the table to the guys, but he didn’t move from my side. He had angled himself so that if either of us shifted, I’d be standing between his legs. I had this deep longing to do it. To feel his hand on my hip again.

“No,” Trevor croaked. “Gotta love the burn.”

“I need a chaser,” Mitch announced.

Trevor nodded at his friend, then the two of them headed to the bar.

“You owe me a dance, wife.” Asher pulled Zara away from the table, his arm wrapped around her waist.

“Remember to balance out the sinning.” Smirking, Cam tilted his rocks glass at Kyle and walked away.

“What does that mean?” I asked when we were alone.

“Do you know ‘Only the good die young’?” He leaned his forearm on the table and spun to face me completely.

I rested my chin on my fist. “I love Billy Joel.”

“My stepdad got me into Billy. He and his brother were super fans. Anytime we road-tripped, his greatest hits were all we listened to.”

I smiled. “Funny, my mom too. She always had one of his albums in the CD player of her car.”

“CD.” He chuckled, his dark eyes lightening. “You’re dating yourself.”

I shook my head. “More like dating her car.”

“If you say so,” he teased.

Playfully, I smacked the hard plane of his tight abs with the back of my hand. “Hey! I have not hit the midpoint between thirty and forty yet,” I said, flicking a finger between the two of us. “Unlike one of us at this table.”

“Someday I’ll explain my life points theory about age.” Then the thief snagged my martini glass from the table and took a sip.

“Does this theory explain drink thievery?” I tilted my head, and a wisp of hair fell across my eye.

Without hesitation, he lifted his hand and brushed it back, causing my breath to catch. He ran the rough pads of his fingers along my temple before caressing my cheek with the back of his hand.

I swore my heart skipped as he watched me, wearing the most sincere expression. We remained locked like that for a breath or two. Then he finally lowered his arm, but my eyes tracked it the entire way.

“Nah,” he said softly, wearing a small smile. “You’re just good at sharing. I could never order a pink drink in a glass like that. I’d get shit for months. I have to order whiskey or vodka. No passion fruit martinis.” He lifted my drink to his lips, settling on the thin rim as he took another large sip.

“Are you trying to distract me from the sinner question?” I cocked a brow.

He set the drink down and pulled up the sleeve of his white dress shirt, where the word sinners in ink was barely visible. “The rest of the line is there too. I was a pain in the ass as a teenager, and I used to believe it was my motto.”

“That sentence is full of past tense that doesn’t belong,” I teased.

“Someone’s got the jokes tonight.” He smirked. “But my mother has always told me to keep it balanced out. So”—he lifted the arm with the tattoo—“fun is on my left arm, and”—he lifted his right arm—“baseball, the arm that does that work, the throwing and hitting, is my right. It’s all about balance.” With both forearms on the table now, he had to cock his head to the side to look at me.

I had to admit that was kind of adorable. I was working on a way to tease him about it when he looked over my shoulder and frowned.

“What?” I asked, afraid to look.

“Looks like your neighbor is headed back this way,” Kyle muttered as he shifted so he faced me again.

A sigh escaped me. I had no interest in looking for the two men. For the last hour, I had been polite. I’d worked to engage in conversation with Trevor when he chatted me up earlier, but there was no chemistry between us. Yet he wouldn’t give up.

“Is there an easy way to let a guy know you’re not just feeling it?” I pressed my lips together in a small pout, studying the tabletop. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but honestly, I wished he’d just go.

After a somewhat pregnant pause, Kyle finally asked, “Trevor?”

Tipping my chin up, I nodded. “Yeah. I?—”

Kyle cupped my cheek, stealing all words, along with rational thought, and pressed his full lips to mine. A spark jolted through me as his warm mouth touched my own. I might have gasped, or maybe not. It all happened so quickly, it was hard to tell. The kiss was more than a peck, but all too soon, he eased back.

Dumbstruck, I blinked up at him.

“Done,” Kyle announced casually, then licked his lower lip.

“Done?” I whispered.

He couldn’t mean what he was implying. Swallowing thickly, I opened my mouth and searched for the words to ask for clarification. None came.

“They made a quick turn to another table. Surf boy got the message,” Kyle said with an easy shrug.

Was he kidding? The man had just kissed me, and now he stood there, twirling the stem of my glass between his long fingers like none of this was a big deal. But it had been over two years since I’d been kissed, so it was a big deal to me.

I choked out a scoff. It was the only sound I could create at the moment.

Brows pulling together, he examined me, clearly confused by the noise.

With my jaw locked, I inhaled through my nose, finally clearing my head. “You did not just kiss me to get Trevor to go away.” It was a statement and a question and an accusation all rolled into one.

The smile Kyle gave me was the one he wore any time he won. He nodded, still so damn nonchalant. He was so unbothered, and that made anger pulse through me. “You’re right. I did not kiss you just to get Trevor to go away.”

I froze, my breath catching in my lungs. Wait. Was he agreeing with me or not?

Laughing, Kyle cupped the back of my neck and pulled my mouth to his once more. It was another quick press of our lips, but it made my heart skip all the same.

“You kissed me again,” I mumbled as he pulled back.

“Is this like when the bird landed on your head? When you were so flustered you kept stating obvious things?” he teased, wiping at my lip with his thumb this time.

Uck. I whacked him in the stomach again. “I hate you.”

He flashed that toothy, shiny-eyed smile. “That’s okay. I like you enough for both of us, Crabby.”

Jutting my chin up, I clenched my fists at my sides. More often than not, I deserved the term of not-so-endearment because I had cranky tendencies. But tonight, I was smiling, even laughing. I’d just taken a massive shot, for goodness’ sake. “I’m not cranky tonight.”

“I didn’t say cranky,” he corrected, one brow arched.

I cocked a brow too.

He smirked. “I think you got the idea wrong. You’re like the uh…” He waved his hand. “That crab, from the mermaid movie.”

“Sebastian?”

“Yeah, the red little guy with all the schedules and rules. Can’t do this, can’t do that.” His voice dropped as he mimicked the little crab. “We must have a plan.” With a sigh, he scratched at his jaw. “He never would have had fun if not for Ariel coming along and making him nuts.”

I really tried to scowl at him, but my lips pulled up instead, and a giggle burst from between my lips. “Are you implying that I need a redheaded mermaid to save me?”

“Nah.” He smirked, dropping one forearm to the table again, and angling in so his lips ghosted over my ear when he said, “Personally, I’m rooting for the blond baseball god.”

That caused me to laugh so hard I snorted. Instantly horrified, I smacked my hand over my mouth to stop the sound and to hide the blush that heated my cheeks.

“You’re adorable.” He shook his head and pushed my half-drunk martini toward me. “Have some liquid courage.”

“Why?” I asked.

“We’re going to sing.”

“Sing?” My heart stopped in my chest, and, breath held, I scanned the crowded room.

He waved a hand. “Karaoke party at a karaoke bar. There are expectations.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I croaked. “I can’t sing.” There were like a hundred people here. There was no way I’d make a fool of myself in front of this many people.

“Can’t do this, can’t do that,” he chanted, lowering his voice teasingly again, and then leaned back into me. “Come on. You can’t tell me you’ve never done karaoke before.”

I had. Years ago. I used to love it. When I was twenty-two and pretty, and I stupidly believed I could do anything. But here, in this moment, in this room full of people, I was none of those things.

“That’s what I thought. Come on.” He had moved in so close that our noses almost brushed. “I dare you.”

“I…”

He pushed the drink closer. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time. Trust me.”

And for some unknown reason, I did. If there was one thing Kyle had earned over the last few weeks, it was a little trust.

I huffed out a sigh. “Fine.” I tossed my drink back and turned to the stage. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit, Crabby.” With an arm wrapped around my shoulders, he guided me to the stage. “I’ve got the perfect song.”

When it was our turn and the DJ cued up “You may be right,” I laughed.

“You’re right. This is the perfect song for you,” I teased as I took one of the mics from the man running things. “You seriously might be crazy.”

Kyle shook his head, making his highlights pop under the bright stage lighting. “Or.” He smirked. “Maybe I’m just the lunatic you’ve been looking for.”

A thrill coursed through me as he grasped my arm and pulled me onto the stage. Because I was starting to believe that could be true.