Page 6 of Spark

“So, respect the off-limits designation, motherfucker.”

“I don’t like being told what to do, though. If I’m feeling it with Ruby, then I’ll do something about it, no matter what you say.”

“Savage, fucking hell.”

“However, you’ll be happy to know I’m presently not feeling it and don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon.” Savage winks at me, all but confirming he’s managed to sniff out my crush far better than my big brother. “I agree she’s hot, though,” he adds, still looking at me. Probably, for a reaction. When I don’t give him one, he adds, “In a cute, pixie-fairy sort of way.”

“So, why aren’t you interested in her then?” Kai asks, looking suspicious.

I hold my breath, praying Savage won’t say something stupid like,Because I can tell Kendrick’s into her.

“She’s too sweet for me,” Savage replies, and I exhale in relief. “You know I like my women a little bit mean.”

We all laugh. It’s true. He does.

“Okay, can we all agree, then?” Kai asks. “Ruby’s off-limits.”

“I didn’t say that,” Savage counters. “I said I’ve personally got zero interest in her. But if one of you wanted to go for it with her, that’d be fine with me. Why make stupid rules when this band is supposed to be about having fun?” He shoots me the tiniest of smirks.

Kai’s not having it. “If anyone messes with Ruby and it goes sideways—which it would, because young love never lasts—then we’d lose two players, not one. The band wouldn’t survive that, guys. Definitely notworth it, no matter how cute she is.”

Savage and I look at each other. Who’s Kai trying to convince with that? Savage or himself?

Kai cracks open one of the cheap beers a neighbor bought for us on the sly. “Also, let’s not overlook the fact that Ruby’s jailbait, on top of everything else. At least, for me. Even if I was tempted, which I’m not, I couldn’t do that. Certainly not with her corn-fed brother in the band, too. Did you see the arms on that dude? Holy fuck. Titus’s guns were bigger than Kendrick’s!”

I’m reeling. All the words Kai’s been saying are the right ones. Reassuring, on paper. But the fact that my brother feels the need to say them at all? This increasingly feels like a “lady doth protest too much” situation, like I’ve been hearing about in English class lately.

“You okay?” Savage asks, batting my leg. “You’re awfully quiet.”

I force a smile. “Just tired. Three hours of banging on drums after a rough football practice will do that to a guy.”

“You killed it tonight. You’re so fucking talented, KC.” He returns to Kai. “You should apologize to him for being such a dick about Ruby. That wasn’t cool, man.”

To my shock, Kai doesn’t flinch or flip Savage off.On the contrary, he jumps right in with the requested apology. “Yeah, sorry, KC. I was a dick. Turns out, you were right. Ruby’s incredible.”

Incredible.

Eye candy.

Pretty.

Cute.

Hot.

The hits just keep on coming.

“Titus is pretty damned incredible, too,” Savage says, unaware that I’m spiraling next to him on the tattered couch.

“But Ruby was definitely the secret sauce,” Kai mutters.

“Yeah, she was the spark that lit the fuse that caused the explosion,” Savage agrees.

Spark.

Fuse.

Explosion.

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