Kane’s was housed in an enormous old church, and above, the ceiling seemed to disappear into eternity. Long, vertical stained-glass windows were situated way up high on the walls. Strobe lights struck against them, and it sent glittering flashes of every color through the entire place.

Off to my right was a bar that ran the length of that wall, and there were at least five bartenders slinging drinks behind it as a ton of people vied to get close enough to catch their attention.

But my attention? It immediately swept to the left.

To the private, secluded booth at the very back of the club that was always reserved for our family. River asked Kane to keep it roped off because he was a protective bastard like that, not that I was going to fault him for it when I was one hundred percent on board.

Because there she was.

Raven. Fucking. Tayte.

My best friend’s little sister.

Sweetest girl on the face of the planet.

And to my great misfortune, the sexiest one, too.

She was behind the rope with Charleigh, and the two of them were giggling and laughing. Raven’s arm was slung over Charleigh’s shoulder as they shared what looked to be some sordid secret.

Leave it to Raven to be dressed completely in black, wearing the shortest fuckin’ skirt I’d ever seen and a black leather corset that smushed her tits up at the top. Then she had to go and pair it with these thigh-high boots with a five-inch stiletto heel.

Looking like the only place she belonged was on the back of my bike.

Lush, black hair was done half up and half down, showing off the sharp angles of her stunning face. Makeup thick the way she always wore it, lips stained red.

But it was those inky eyes that nailed me to the spot.

So dark and mesmerizing they held me like a trap.

A thunderbolt of lust gripped me by the guts, but I sucked it down and pinned on a giant grin as I sauntered her way, reminding myself with each step of who she was and who she would always be to me.

When she saw me coming, she squealed and lifted her frilly drink over her head.

“Otto! It’s about time you got your cute butt over here! I thought you guys forgot all about us.”

Highly fucking unlikely.

Especially with the way River went straight for Charleigh and pulled her into his arms so he could kiss the fuck out of her.

“Hey, way to steal my bestie!” Raven shouted at her brother’s back. He only slanted her a grin from over his shoulder as he backed Charleigh deeper into a dark corner.

“Can you believe him?” she asked in feigned offense.

The rest of our crew, sans Cash, of course, slipped into the big horseshoe booth.

I went for where Raven stood, playing it casual the way I always did because what else was I supposed to do, and I slung my arm over her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Now don’t go and get jealous, Raven. You have your older, even better big brother to hang out with.”

Yup. I’d dubbed myself her big brother. Way fuckin’ safer that way, putting her into that box when I could never have her the way I really wanted.

“It’s not the brother part I’m worried about, Otto. He stole my bestie. Stole her right out from under me. Just like he did from the beginning. He keeps saying he saw her first, but I beg to differ. I’m the one who invited her to come hang out with us the first time, and since my brother is nothing but a big oaf, he never would have taken it upon himself to do it. Where would he be without me? And there he goes, whisking her away from me again when he should be kissing the ground I walk on.”

She gave me the most ridiculous faked pout I’d ever seen. Wasn’t sure how one woman could be so adorable and sexyat the same time.

A rough chuckle scraped up my throat, and I hugged her a little closer. “Think you’re just going to have to share that bestie of yours. One look at Charleigh, and your brother goes feral.”

Her nose scrunched. “I don’t need that vision in my head, thank you very much.”

I laughed, and she nestled into my side like it was what she was meant to do.