Page 99 of Sin

Strolling up to the birthday girl, his clone smiled cockily and leaned down to say something to her. The girl and her friends were just beyond tipsy and cheered as he lifted the cloth in front of himself, hiding him from their view. He wiggled it around before throwing it in the air. Just before the cloth fell, the clone disappeared.

When the tablecloth landed on the ground, revealing him gone, the girls squealed. They clumsily looked under and around their table, giggling.

Then Jinx waved at the birthday girl, gaining her attention and smiling.

The girls went wild, very obviously finding his disappearing act to be the coolest trick they’d ever seen in their inebriated state.

When Jinx turned back to the table, he pumped a fist. “Boo yeah!”

Blade grimaced at him. “Dude, no one says that anymore.”

“Okay, Sinister,” Mare crooned, her face filled with glee. “Time to put that mouth to use and get kissin’.”

London was practically fuming beside me, and I grimaced.

“Do I get to choose?” Jinx asked. “I won the dare so I think I should get to pick.”

I groaned, my gaze scanning the restaurant buzzing with people. “Fine. But can we agree on just a peck on the cheek?” I asked, gauging London’s reaction.

He relaxed and gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Apparently, a kiss on the cheek would be fine with him.

Mischief warmed Mare’s features, and I knew whatever she planned to say was only going to be trouble. “It needs to be a real kiss. Not on the cheek. Not a peck. If I don’t see tongue, you have to do it again, got it?”

“Hey, who says you get to watch at all?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then how are we supposed to know you did it?”

Sighing, I shook my head. “I’ll agree to a cheek kiss and that’s it. Now who’s it going to be?”

“What about the guy you serenaded?” Jinx asked, waggling his eyebrows and nodding his head toward the blond man from earlier. “He’s been glancing at you all night ever since.”

Looking around, I didn’t spot the guy, but his friends were still at the table. He was probably at the bar getting a drink. While someone could just order drinks from the table, it was usually faster going directly to the bar.

“Che, fine.” I gulped down the rest of my drink and stood. “But if any of you touch my food while I’m gone, you’re in big trouble.”

Weaving through the restaurant, I made my way toward the bar where a fairly decent throng of people had congregated. I scanned the faces circling the bar top but didn’t spot the blond.

Turning around, I made sure I hadn’t missed him return to his table, but he wasn’t there. Deciding to check the restrooms, I pushed past the mob of bodies and followed the signs for the restroom. They were situated at the end of a long hallway, and the men’s restroom was the very last door, just before an exit. I was just about to push open the door for the bathroom when it swung open.

I blinked in confusion, not expecting to find London there. I opened my mouth to… say what, I didn’t know. But it wouldn’t have mattered because one second we were standing in the bathroom doorway, and the next, London was grabbing my wrist and hauling me out the door which read exit.

He didn’t stop as we rounded the back of the restaurant. We came to a narrow alley separating the restaurant from another building, and I yanked my wrist away.

“London, stop. What in the world are you doing?”

He scowled at me over his shoulder, and I frowned.

“Is this about the bet? I thought you were fine with a kiss on the cheek.”

London’s jaw worked. “Apparently, I’m not as okay with it as I thought.”

I studied him, wondering why he looked so… ruffled. “Are you okay?”

He laughed, the sound a little wild. “No, I hunted down the guy.”

“Okay?” I was really confused. “Did you find him?”

“Yes.”

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