Shane (Damage Control 4)

He makes me feel like less of a ghost drifting through life. Less of a fake. More real.

Pondering that, I follow them into the bar, flinching at the blast of warmth and noise. Why am I having all these strange thoughts? Shane is hot. That much is clear. With his long dark hair, handsome face and strong body, he’s every girl’s wet dream.

So let’s just stick to that, shall we? Stick to the facts. Yeah, I do want to get into Shane’s pants. That’s all. The rest is bullshit.

Would’ve, if it wasn’t complicated already with this group. Hopefully things will return to normal, and I will, too.

Reverse to my old self. Carefree. Happy. Living for the moment.

“Hey, Seth.” A tall, blond guy claps Seth on the back, and I recognize Rafe. “Hi, Manon.” He glances at me, his gaze appraising. “Cassie.”

“Hi.” I wiggle my fingers at him and get an elbow in my ribs from Manon.

What?

“The others are over there,” Rafe says, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder, his cat-like eyes hard. “Come on.”

What did I do now? Crap, and we’ve only just arrived.

“Be serious for five minutes,” Manon whispers in my ear as we follow him in the dimness of the bar.

“I only wiggled my fingers at him.”

“Well, he wasn’t amused.”

“I noticed. So what?”

She sighs.

Holy mother of baby Jesus. Is this how it’s going to be? Do I have to turn into Mother Teresa to redeem myself?

I keep my mouth shut, though, as we make our way to the back of the bar. The group is taking up two tables and loads of chairs, even with the girls sitting in the boys’ laps. So many couples. Good God. And all of them are now looking at me.

This is so not how I imagined this meeting. How am I supposed to talk to Jesse Lee and Amber with everyone else breathing down my neck?

Panic grips me, and in turn I grip Manon’s hand. “Don’t leave me.”

“Cass…” She pulls her hand away, gives me a smile. “Breathe.”

“Hi, Cassie.” Ev hops off Micah’s lap and saunters over to us. She throws an arm over my shoulders and drags me toward the others. “Everyone’s having beer, but here they have awesome Chocolate Berry Martinis. I’m having one. Want to try?”

“Sure,” I mutter, in too much of a shock to resist. “Sounds good.”

Ev has barely spoken two words to me since Asher’s wedding. Her show of support is touching, like really touching, making my eyes sting, but the cynical part of me can’t trust so easily.

Micah’s sitting at the end of the second table, next to Jesse and Amber. My steps falter when I see them, but I force myself to keep going.

One of the guys gets up—Ocean, I realize when the dim headlights catch the blue in his hair. “I’ll get your drinks.”

“Another Chocolate Berry Martini,” Ev calls out to him and drags his now empty chair over. “Here, sit.”

It’s a command rather than an offer, and I obey, sinking into the chair, glancing around for Manon and Seth, my supporters. Any moment now, the trial will start.

I swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, your Honor.

Silence spreads around our table, stretching between us, vibrating. Jesse’s green eyes are fixed on me, hot with anger, his arms tight around Amber’s soft curves. She’s giving me a milder look, half-curiosity, half-nervousness.

As if I’m about to jump over, push her aside and kiss Jesse Lee again. Against his will.