Page 18 of Look What You Made Me Do

All the seats are taken at the bar. When I finally get my drink, I move to the back wall, so I can stand and watch the crowd. One great thing about Malibu is that there are hot surfer guys in every nook and cranny of this town. And I already see several fuck-buddy candidates as I wait for Alexis to text me back.

Ten minutes in, my phone pings. It’s Alexis.

Oh, good, you’re here. I have a present for you. Where are you?

Oh, a present! I perk up and text her back, telling her where I am. A couple of minutes later, she emerges from the crowd, teetering on her heels, drink in hand, a mischievous smile stretched across her face. A couple of sorority girls trail behind her.

“Giiirl,” she says, pulling me into a hug. “Look what I got for you!”

Turning, she reaches for someone, pulling them forward to stand in front of me. Oh! It’s Kai. And he looks even better than he did the other night. He’s wearing dark jeans and a black, button-down shirt that’s open at the collar, revealing a patch of tanned skin.

Oh,yes.My insides purr.

“Well, look who it is,” I say with a smile.

My thoughts are cast back to the last time we saw each other, at the Founder’s Day thing, when he had his hand up my skirt…right before Lucas ruined the evening.

But Lucas isn’t here now, which means my prospects for getting dick are getting better and better by the second.

“I told him you’d be here,” Alexis says, sucking on her little red straw. She’s clearly a bit tipsy, so this obviously isn’t her first drink. She shoves him in my direction, but he manages to stop himself before colliding with me. “And look, here he is.”

I blow Alexis a kiss. “You’re my favorite.”

She shrugs one shoulder, the straw still in her mouth. “I know. Merry Christmas.” Then she gathers up the sorority girls and sashays back onto the dance floor, leaving Kai and me alone.

He signals the bartender and asks for a beer. Then he leans against the wall, his gaze traveling over my skimpy dress. “So,”he says with a devastating smile. “We were rudely interrupted the other day. Where were we?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Wyn

Kaiand I have been dancing for a couple of hours, and his hands are all over me, squeezing my breast, his thumb brushing my nipple over the fabric of my dress. And the kissing. Goddamn, the guy can kiss. His lips are all over me as I move my hips and lose myself in the music. Only because I’m aided by the alcohol, though. In real life, there’s no way I’d be this open and free.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says, dragging his lips over my ear. When he gets to the lobe, he sucks it into his mouth and pinches it between his teeth.

“My place,” I say loudly, struggling to be heard over the music that’s vibrating the cement floor.

We could go back to his place, but generally, the guy’s rooms are fucking disgusting. Wrappers and fast-food cups everywhere, a stained, uncovered mattress, and a bathroom that hasn’t seen bleach in at least three semesters…

Yeah, no thanks.

His hand brushes down my arm, and he hooks his fingers with mine, pulling me off the dance floor. “Sounds great.”

I shoot a quick text to Alexis, letting her know that I’m going to head home with Kai, and then I follow him out into the crisp night. He finished his last drink hours ago, so I feel safe driving with him.

As we get into his car, I remember I have a possible stalker. I wonder for a second if I should warn Kai, but I ultimately decide against it. Kai is huge. His presence might just scare the stalker off, and encourage him to leave me alone.

As we pull up to my place, Kai parks in front. He follows me up the short walkway, slapping my ass as I dig into my purse and fumble around for my keys. I finally fish them out, find the correct key, and push the door open with a drunken flourish.

The apartment is dark, and I flip the light on, my breath held. My gaze immediately falls to my bed, and there, lying on top of the comforter is a white gardenia.

Fuck.

Tossing my purse aside, I slam the door shut behind Kai and slide the chain into place. My heart speeds up as Kai saunters around my small studio apartment, hands in his pockets, scrutinizing my decor.

“You have a nice place,” he says appreciatively.

I swallow. “Um, thanks.”

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