Page 57 of Dirty Pucking Tease

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The rear exit door clicked and then swung open.

"Hey," Jax said. "I thought I saw you disappearing out here."

"Yeah." I forced a smile. "I needed a break."

"What time do you get off?"

"I probably won't get cut tonight. It's too busy."

"The team wants to go to this party over near Saddle Creek. Call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up and bring you to the party."

"I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just have Cam take me home."

"Oh, well, I don't have to go."

"Jax, don't be ridiculous. Go have fun with your team."

"Okay." He smiled, leaning forward and brushing his lips across mine. "The parents leave tomorrow morning, so maybe I can sneak in after."

"I think we should tell them before they leave," I blurted out without thinking before speaking. He stepped back, narrowing his eyes. "About us," I whispered, unsure what I was saying.

"Kai, I'm not telling our parents we're fucking." My lips parted in shock. That wasn't what I meant, but those words sliced through me, and I didn't know it then, but they left a painful permanent impression that told me exactly where I stood with him. "Kai, I thought we decided to keep this a secret." We didn't decide anything. He decided for us, and I agreedbecause I wanted him, and I thought that was enough, but as more time passed, I realized it wasn't.

"Yeah, you're right." I sighed, trying to hide my disappointment. "I should get back in."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Wicked Sinners is coming to Summerlin next weekend." Summerlin was two cities away but only an hour's drive, depending on where the concert was. "Trystan sent us tickets and booked us a room."

"No freaking way," I shouted. That news changed my mood almost instantly. I was always excited to see Trystan perform, and I was a huge fan of Wicked Sinners. "Cam will be so excited to see Trystan."

"Uh, actually," Jax said. "He didn't send her a ticket."

"Wait, what?"

"He sent four tickets." He shrugged. "Family only, I guess."

"That's bull shit." I snapped. "Cam is part of this family."

"I know, Kai, but we need to let them work this out." I knew he was right, but Cam was going to be devastated. "But I was thinking since it's only another twenty minutes, we could go to..."

"Long Key Island," we said simultaneously. Long Key Island was a special place for all of us. It was our home away from home as kids. We spent every summer and spring break in that beach house.

"We could spend the weekend." He smiled.

"Sounds amazing."

Maybe this was what we needed. We needed to get away from everything and see what happened in a place where we could just be ourselves.

38

Trystan's performance on a massive stage under neon lights with millions of fans cheering them on was epic. Trystan pulled out all the stops for us, making sure we were front and center for the performance with backstage passes for after. If I hadn't grown up with him, I'd have been star-struck backstage, but then I remembered this was once the boy who was so messed up he pissed in the fish tank at a party because one of the fish gave him a dirty look and that was after he told the fish he'd fuck him up.

We spent an hour backstage after the concert, hanging out with Trystan, his band, and Wicked Sinners before everyone moved the party to the beach house.

Sitting in the sand underneath the stars, I listened to the waves crashing around me. Between the three-hour concert, socializing backstage, and the first hour of the party, I was peopled out. Shoving my toes deeper into the cool sand, I stared silently into the darkness as I tried to drown out the raging party behind me. I hadn't anticipated everyone coming back to the beach house with us, and I meant everyone, including the entire crew and all the groupies.

"How did I know I'd find you out here by yourself?" Trystan chuckled, sinking into the sand beside me. I shrugged, not saying a word. "On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you at me?"

I cut a glance his way before twisting back to stare out into the endless darkness. "Probably a three," I mumbled as I wrapped my arms around my knees.

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