After my cocktail was ready, Caiden pulled me into a dark, quietish corner of the room and slid his arm around my waist, kissing my neck as I sipped my drink. He trailed his lips up to my ear, and I shivered at the feel of his mouth on my skin.
“Listen, baby. I know we said about the whole Granville thing—him coming here so we could get some answers from him. But I want you to have fun, as well. This is your party.”
“A party we’re having for the specific purpose of getting answers from James.”
He laughed. “Yeah, okay. But we are celebrating your birthday.”
“My actual birthday was the best birthday I’ve ever had. Anything else is just a bonus.”
“Good.” He kissed my cheek and then released me with a frown, glancing over my shoulder. “I’m not sure who’s here, but we’d better cut down on the physical contact.”
I nodded. I wanted to speak to Arlo about what was going on between me and Caiden, but at the moment our primary concern was Christine. As much as I wanted to shout about the fact that Caiden was mine, we had more important concerns. Like the tiny fact that Christine was most likely planning to have Caiden’s dad killed.
How the fuck did I end up being related to this woman? She’d actually done us the biggest favour by leaving my dad when I was little. If I’d been forced to grow up near her, or even worse, with her, things might have turned out differently. I might have turned out differently. And not in a good way. To be a cold, heartless bitch? No, thanks.
My mind wandered as Jessa and Portia entered my head, against my will. Why were some people like this? What made them so bitchy and rude to me?
“What are you thinking about? You were miles away.” Caiden studied me from where he was now casually leaning against the wall, drink in hand.
“Portia and Jessa.”
He raised a brow. “Not the answer I was expecting. Why the fuck are you thinking about them?”
“Oh, I was just wondering why they have such a problem with me.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? They’re jealous of you. They were used to being the ones who had the most attention from us, until you came along. You managed to work your way into our group without even fucking trying, and they’ve always been hanging on the edge.”
“It’s not just that, though,” I mused. “Their personalities are… It’s like they actually enjoy acting that way.”
“Yeah. I don’t know, Snowflake. Women are fucking crazy.” I raised a brow at that comment and saw him trying to suppress a smile, which quickly faded. “I’ve grown up with these girls, but I don’t know them like that, you know? We weren’t friends. Just…” His voice trailed off, and I knew what he was saying without him putting it into words. Just fuck buddies, or whatever. “Can we not talk about them anymore? I don’t even see them. All I see is you.”
“I know. Same.”
“That’s a given. Have you seen me?” He gave me that smirk again.
“Yeah, and unfortunately, so has every single girl in this place.” I pouted, making him laugh.
“I love your jealousy.”
“I love yours.”
We stood grinning at each other.
“Go find your friends and dance. That’s an order.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” I gave him a mock bow and turned on my heel, hearing his low chuckle from behind me as I strutted away to find Kinslee.
She wasn’t hard to spot, over by the bar having a cocktail mixed. A huge smile spread across her face when she saw me, and she pulled me into a hug.
“Looking good!” She looked me up and down. “Totally approve of the dress.”
“Same. It looks like we planned this.” I admired the tiny black dress she was wearing—so similar to mine, but looking totally different on her thanks to her curves. “Your boobs look amazing.”
“I know.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder, striking a pose, and we both laughed. I turned to the bartender, holding up my empty glass in a silent request to make me another cocktail, as Kinslee continued speaking. “Do you know who’s coming tonight?” She stirred her cocktail with her straw, the ice cubes clinking inside the glass.
“Thanks, this looks delicious,” I accepted my new drink from the bartender with a smile, before returning my attention to Kinslee. “I think most of the usual crowd, plus whoever else managed to get into the Four’s good graces. I invited Lena, although she wasn’t sure if she could make it or not.”
We looked around us, and I saw Caiden talking to a tall, thin guy with blond (or was it bronde) hair that kept flopping into his eyes. “Who’s that?”