Page 36 of A Song of Death and Desire

I’m broken out of my trance by the sound of the girls laughing. Sienna leans in and whispers into Kairi’s ear. I can’t hear what she says but it causes Kairi to beam. I finally look at my sisterand notice that she dressed up as well. They obviously decided to go all out tonight.

“So big brother, what do you think? How do we look?” she asks, giving a twirl. But I can’t take my eyes off of Kairi. She’s going to be branded in my memory forever looking like this.

“So fucking gorgeous,” I whisper, looking only at Kairi as the words escape me. Her eyes widen but her attention is pulled away by Sienna’s howling laughter.

“Oh my god, Kairi. You made him speechless! Look at him!” My cheeks flush and I make a mental note to get Sienna back for this later. I cough trying to recover from my mental lapse.

“You… er… both look beautiful. You did a good job,” I stammer out and can’t miss the twinkle in Kairi’s eyes and the pink that tinges her cheeks. “Let’s just go.” I internally shake myself to try and rid myself of the completely inappropriate thoughts I’m having, which include carrying Kairi straight back into the bedroom, peeling off that dress, and tasting every single inch of her.

We catch a ride share to the bar and wait out front until Tom and Lacey join us shortly after. They greet Sienna with a hug and stand back with smirks on their faces as they wait for me to introduce Kairi. I notice that Kairi is bouncing on her toes and fidgeting with the hem of her dress, both indicators that she’s feeling nervous and excited.

“Tom and Lacey, this is my friend Kairi.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Kairi jumps in, never one to hold back in social environments. “I have heard so much about you both. Eagan always says the nicest things.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Kairi. You and Sienna look so wonderful tonight,” Lacey gushes.

“Thanks so much. Sienna helped me get ready,” Kairi says smiling.

“Alright let’s go inside. I have had a hell of a week and could use a drink, or five,” Tom chuckles, and we follow his lead.

Tonight, the bar has a completely different vibe to the weekday I came here with Tom last. On the weekend, this is one of the top places to be for anyone under the age of forty. It turns into more of a club scene, which is not usually my thing but tonight is an exception.

The sound of the crowd crashes over me in a wave and I’m momentarily blinded by the flashing lights. Kairi slowly circles, staring in awe at the people around her. It looks like my suspicions were correct and she’s never been to a place like this before.

We slide into the booth with me sitting beside Kairi and it takes all of my mental strength not to trail my fingers up her creamy, white thighs. Tom, Sienna, and I order a whiskey. Lacey convinces Kairi to try some sort of fruity concoction, and the drinks are brought out to us quickly. It’s only as I am raising my drink to my mouth that I realize I’m missing a very important piece of information about Kairi.

“Please, for the love of god, tell me you are over twenty-one years old,” I whisper into her ear. I don’t have a clue how sirens age. She looks to be in her early twenties, but I don’t know whether sirens age at the same rate as humans.

“Of course, I am. I’m fifty-five,” she replies, looking me dead in the eyes, and I swear my heart stops beating.

“Seriously?”

“Ha! You should see your face,” she says in between fits of laughter. “I can’t believe you thought I was being serious. I’m twenty-four you idiot.” I let out a long breath, my mouth twitching as I try not to smile.

Kairi’s hysterics have caught the attention of our booth, and everyone is staring at us. I can’t stop the bark of laughter that escapes me at the perplexed looks on their faces. I have to giveit to her; she really got me good with that one. But it’s made me realize that I would very much like to get to know her better. I want to look past her actions as a siren because I’m learning there is far more to Kairi than I originally thought.

Chapter 37

The way he is looking at me tonight has my skin on fire. Every glance sets me alight. I’ve barely been able to concentrate on our conversation with the others because the feel of his body next to mine has my mind emptying of all rational thought. Is he aware that he keeps running his fingers over my thighs? It’s distracting and it’s taking a hell of a lot of effort to make it look like I am paying attention. I can’t tell if it’s the alcohol I’ve been drinking or Eagan that’s causing my lack of focus.

I’m drinking my second cocktail of the night. I’ve never had alcohol before, but I’ve seen people when they’ve been drinking. I want to make sure I don’t get too carried away tonight although the drinks are delicious.

A new song starts to play and Sienna squeals, “Come on Kairi, Lacey, let’s dance!” She stands up from the booth and pulls us bythe hands. I stumble over Eagan, who is blocking my exit, and as I do so, I inadvertently rub my ass over him. Oops.

Still holding our hands, Sienna leads us onto the dance floor. There are more people crushed together in this space than I’ve ever seen before, and I’m both overwhelmed but also drawn in by the bodies that surround me, gyrating together to the heavy bass of the music. The atmosphere is contagious and as I watch the way that Sienna and Lacey let go and move their bodies, I allow myself to sink into the beat. People surround us, pushing from either side but all I focus on is being here in the moment. Feelingcompletely free.

As we dance, sweat starts to bead on my skin and sticks my hair to the base of my neck. Adrenaline courses through my veins and causes my heart to beat hard and fast.

After a few songs, Sienna peels away and begins to dance with a woman with dark, almost black hair that falls to her shoulders. I watch as the woman, slightly shorter than Sienna, places her hands on Sienna’s hips and pulls their bodies close together as they dance in time with each other. Sienna gazes at the woman with lust-filled eyes, but as their hands start to roam over the other’s bare skin, she closes her eyes and appears to give into their movements.

Lacey catches my eye and notices that I am looking at Sienna. “Oh, don’t worry about Sienna; she likes to let loose on nights out,” she laughs, and I tear my gaze away and get lost in the music once more.

At some point, Lacey moves away and coerces Tom onto the dance floor. They move together to my left and it’s beautiful to see the love that flows between them as they sway slowly in each other’s arms, completely oblivious to anyone other than each other. They stare into each other's eyes, and I’m hit with such a sharp pain of jealousy it causes my breath to catch. I have always imagined how it would feel to be loved so completely andwatching these two makes me desperate to be looked at in the way they look at each other.

I’m dancing alone as both Lacey and Sienna have paired off, Lacey with Tom and Sienna with her mystery woman. I look over to Eagan who remains in the booth and gesture to him to come join me. He shakes his head, leaning back and downing the rest of his current drink. I shrug my shoulders and turn away feeling the sinking disappointment. His loss.

A hand runs over the small of my back and a large body presses into my personal space. I look over my shoulder and meet the gaze of a man I’ve never seen before. His caramel eyes are heated, and his brown curls fall softly around his face. He leans closer, bringing his lips to my ear. “Can I dance with you?” he asks. I’m surprised but nod my agreement. Dancing with someone else looks far more fun, and if Eagan doesn’t want to dance with me, then I’ll just have to do it with someone else.

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