Page 45 of Broken Bridges

I needed to try something. Anything.

Problem was...I hated one-night stands. I’d had my fair share in my first year at college during my get-over-Phil era. But all the guys I’d been with had bragged about it the next day on social media. I’d seen statuses like ‘Scored with Tia,’ ‘Wild night with Tia,’ ‘Rocked all night with Tia,’ and ‘Tia’s as wild as her brother’. Ergh! Nope. I didn’t want any more of that shit.

Lewis’s cell phone buzzed. He grabbed it out of his jacket pocket and read the screen. His eyes lit up. “Hey?” He spoke to no one in particular. “We don’t have anything tomorrow night, do we? I have a friend in town. He’s DJing at somewhere called Emerald Destruction. Anyone want to come?”

He flashed me the screen. I scanned the text:

Heard you were in la. Would love to catch up.

Come to gig Saturday night.

At club: emerald destruction. On at 11.

Your name is on the door list.

Call me if you need anything.

“Wow.” Cole rubbed the tip of his chin. “Emerald Destruction is one of the biggest nightclubs in LA. You have to be good to play there.”

“Morgan is.” Lewis shrugged. “He’s just done a ton of gigs in Ibiza and Japan. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“Sorry, bud.” Flint clutched and gently shook Sutton’s knee. “We’re out. We’re heading up to Bakersfield to have dinner with Sutt’s brother for his birthday.”

“I’m busy, too.” A mischievous smile curled across Cole’s lips. “The German twins, Nadia and Petra, are in town for LA Fashion Week. I’ll be reacquainting myself with them...or I might still be giving it to Violet.”

Giggling, I shook my head. My brother was so easygoing and had this steady, suave, yet sexy and smooth charisma that women fought over. They often ended up in his bed...or fucking him wherever, whenever. Sometimes that had led to trouble and even more secrets that I was convinced he didn’t know I knew.

“What about you, Slip?” Lewis asked.

“No can do. With a night off, I’m catching up with...um...my brother, Theo.”

“You are?” Cole’s eyes widened. “You saw him at Christmas. You don’t see him more often than that.”

“We didn’t get much time together. So sorry, Lewis.” Slip shrugged. “I’m out.”

“That’s cool.” Lewis tucked his cell phone away. “I’m happy to go by myself.”

Cole drained the last mouthful of his beer and placed the bottle on the ground. “Tia needs a night out. She’ll go with you.”

My pulse jumped. Lewis tensed.

Us? Out together? Nope. I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Uh...no. That’s not my scene anymore.”

“Tia?” Cole pleaded. “Go. You love dance music.”

I’d used to. I’d loved raves and discos and nightclubbing. They were fun. But my ankle wouldn’t accommodate the dancing and crowds anymore. “No.” Firmness set in my tone. “I’ll need security at a place like that. I’m not a nobody. The crowd will be too much. I can’t dance or stand around all night, so what’s the point?”

“It’s fine.” Lewis let out a relieved breath. “I don’t mind going solo.”

“Bullshit.” Cole glared at me. “Tia, please. Go. Get out of the fucking house.”

Lewis picked at the label on his bottle, pick, pick, pick, then he gave me a sideways glance. “Do you wanna come? I’ll call Morgan and get him to reserve us a VIP table. We can just sit and listen.”

“No.”

He dialed up the sexiness in his voice and leaned a fraction closer. “There will be hot guys everywhere. We can check them out. Maybe hook up. Who knows where the night will lead us?”

That sounded bearable, even entertaining. But he didn’t have to do this for my brother’s sake or mine. Crap. I’d just told myself I needed some action. Maybe I should consider going.

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