Page 19 of Eye Candy

Kieran asked where we were going, and I told him the name of the club. Mike said nothing, but he listened, a frown tugging at his face. Then it became time to decide whether we were taking a single car or driving separate. Surprise, surprise, Kieran didn’t want to ride with Mike, so it was decided we’d take two cars to the club.

Kieran made me ride with him. Shocking, I know. He even tried to lose Mike on the way to the club, taking turns extra fast and flooring it when we were faced with yellow streetlights.

“I thought you were supposed to protect me, not get me into a car accident?” I bit out the words, shooting him an annoyed glare.

“I am protecting you. I’m protecting you from that big freak.”

“He’s not a freak.”

“He’s fucking seven feet tall—”

“Just because he’s tall doesn’t make him a freak,” I said, not sure why I felt like defending Mike in the first place. Mike shouldn’t even be in my life. I shouldn’t know who he was, and yet… I didn’t know. Maybe something about his quiet, gruff demeanor had endeared itself to me. “And he isn’t seven feet tall. That’s an exaggeration.”

Kieran’s jaw ground. “I don’t care how tall he is. I don’t know him and I don’t trust him. How the fuck am I supposed to trust him with you?”

“I didn’t know you cared that much about me, Uncle Kieran.”

He shot me a look. “Don’t call me that.”

Leaning over the center console, I gave him a pout. “What’s wrong, Uncle Kieran?”

“Maybe I don’t want to be your uncle.”

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him. He’d lost his usual facetious tone, sounding so serious. His serious face had started to show itself more often to me, giving me a peek at the real Kieran. “What do you want to be then?”

Outside, night had fallen. The streets were still very busy, however, and the sidewalks even busier. The nightlife in this city was definitely a world apart from its daytime self. Everybody came out of the woodworks at night.

Kieran said nothing for a while, but eventually, he told me, “I don’t think you’re ready for the answer to that question yet.” With a jerk of his arm, he pulled us off the road and into a parking spot on the side of the street that had opened up seconds before.

I wanted to ask him what that meant—because my hormone-addled brain certainly could come up with a few ideas, especially after the encounter we’d had in his room,where he’d stripped down in front of me—but Kieran’s jaw dropped and he slapped the steering wheel once we were parked. “What the hell? How’d he get here before us?”

Someone came to my door, someone very tall. Mike. He’d somehow beaten us here, even though Kieran had tried his very best to lose him on the road and leave him in the dust. Mike tried to open my door for me, but it was locked.

“I’m not doing it,” Kieran pouted. “I’m not opening the door. I won’t—”

“Play nice, please,” I whispered, leaning over the center console and giving him a peck on the cheek. I was playing with fire here, but after playing it safe for years and then being kidnapped for two… I think it high time I got burned, one way or another.

And if that firestorm ended up hurting my dad and his chance for reelection in two years? Then so be it. It was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make.

Kieran melted the moment I kissed his cheek, mumbling, “Goddamn it.” He hit the button on his door, unlocking all the car’s doors and allowing Mike to finally open it. He pretended not to notice the way Mike offered his hand to me to help me out of the car.

I didn’t need help out of the car, but… why not? I slipped my right hand into Mike’s, letting him pull me out of the car. His hand was more calloused than I thought it’d be, rough against mine, but so very warm. It also completely dwarfed mine, making me feel small, especially as I stood there next to him while he closed the car door.

Mike didn’t hold my hand longer than he had to; he dropped it pretty quick. Still, I found myself grinning up at himand saying, “You have really big hands, Mike.” Again, stating the obvious must be my superpower or something.

Strange thoughts pushed their way into my head, and I wondered if Mike was any good with those hands. A man like him could squish me with his pinky. Were other parts of him equally as big?

Kieran walked around the car, locking it, when Mike turned his head and spotted something further down the street. “I see my brother’s car.”

“You have a brother?” I asked, smiling for a reason unknown to myself.

Mike nodded, while Kieran muttered, “Yes, yes, and I have a sister. Having a sibling isn’t so special. Can we go inside now?” Still sounding quite miffed that Mike had dared to beat us here, somehow.

“Yes, let’s go inside and meet your brother,” I said, skipping to the door of the club, where a large bouncer stood, arms folded over his chest. He was wearing thick sunglasses, even though it was dark.

To my surprise, he didn’t make me pull out my ID, nor did he stamp me with anything saying I was underage. He simply nodded at Mike and let us in, not charging us for entry, either. Huh. That was definitely weird, almost like Mike was known here.

The inside of the club was all neon lights and dark, crowded spaces. The music that played on the speakers in the back, near the DJ booth, was fast and upbeat, and a large crowd was on the dance floor, grinding and sweating together. A bar was on the left side of the club, while a set of metal stairs sat on the right, leading up to a balcony of sorts that overlooked the club.Another bouncer stood at the base of the stairs, just as intimidating as the guy outside.

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