Page 93 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

I hook my arm into Xena’s and feed off her never-ending confidence. We come out of Lachlan’s mudroom into his kitchen. Thor, cape and all, wraps me in a hug.

I laugh into the familiar, warm chest. “She got you to go as Thor, huh? You’re a pushover, Lachlan.”

He pats his chest and drops his voice, “I would have gone dressed in a burlap sack if she had asked. I aim to please her.”

He wiggles his eyebrows.

Pushing off his chest, I scrunch up my face, “That is something your sister doesn’t want to know. Lachlan, I’m beyond happy for you, but I only want to know the G-rated version of your relationship.”

He turns, wrapping his arm around my neck.

“Watch the hair and straw!” I shriek.

When he releases me slightly, I spin out of his grip and saunter toward the other voices.

“I’m going to check if my date is here. Lachlan, be nice to Dustin! No big brother antics,” I command in a serious voice.

I run into Paisley dressed as Poison Ivy, which goes perfectly with her russet hair. The green of her dress makes her green eyes look electric, or maybe she is wearing contacts tonight. Leo and Kieran are dressed as Alex and Prince Henry from the new movieRed, White, and Royal Blue. That is pretty creative, actually. Kieran has dark hair like Alex, and Leo looks like the actor who plays Prince Henry, Nicholas Galitzine.

I stop in front of them and say, “You guys look amazing!”

Shy Kieran sips on his beer to hide his blush, but his eyes silently analyze me. Paisley shimmies, and Leo throws a hand on his royal hip.

Leo smirks at me. “Why do you sound so surprised? As I have told Aislinn, I don’t leave the house unless I know I lookgood, honey. Do you need some help with your hair? It looks like you were having a rough and tumble with someone in the barn.” He winks.

My cheeks flame as my fingers instinctively go to my braids. “I’m a girl scarecrow,” I mutter.

Leo whispers, “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. Yes, yes, I can see it now. Um, you look cute.”

He says it with a slight grimace. Cute, always cute. Paisley looks like a sex bomb about to destroy all male eyes, and I get cute even though my cleavage is visible and my waist is showing. Ugh. I shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to choose a costume. I mentally scoff—yes, because an extra week would’ve helped.

Sighing, I pat Leo on the shoulder and sneak away. I hear Paisley hiss, “Leo, no woman over sixteen wants to be called cute. Reserve that description for baby animals.”

I smile, glad to hear Paisley has my back. I don’t wait to hear Leo’s response.

Entering the living room, I take in the scene. Is everyone dressed as a superhero tonight? Did I miss the memo? I see Wonder Woman, Black Widow, Superman, Captain America, and even Hawkeye. I feel so out of place. Everyone looks really good.

Trent clears his throat next to me, and I glance over to see him dressed as a mad scientist with a white lab coat. Thankfully someone else decided to dress dorky and traditional. Where are the witches and vampires?

“Hey, Trent. How are you tonight?” I ask.

He hums a soft response, and when I look up at his eyes, they are plastered across the room on Paisley. Yeah, I can see why. She looks like a fire goddess over there. I reach over and pat his arm.

“Go say hi,” I mutter, nodding in Paisley’s direction.

Huffing, he shakes his head. “I’m just going to get another drink from the kitchen. Want anything?”

I shake my head no, and he turns without another word. I hear a knock on the front door, and as I go to answer it, my eyes land onhimagainst the fireplace. He had his back to me until the knock on the door. All the air whooshes from me. Callum stands in a pirate costume, and the blonde bimbo next to him is dressed like a pirate who's ready to do a strip tease act. Before he can make eye contact with me, I stride to the door.

Opening it a crack, I see my date standing on the porch, but instead of being alone to meet me here, he is standing there with my high school nemesis, Vivica. What the actual hell?

I open the door and ask in a cold tone, “Vivica, what are you doing here?”

She is dressed as a bunny in what can only be considered lingerie to a normal person. Her heels are so tall, they make her the same height as me, which considering she is barely 5’4” is saying something to my 5’8”.

Her sickly sweet voice cuts through the cold night air. “Well, I ran into Dustin this afternoon, and he said he was coming to the ranch Halloween party. I told him I had never been before, and he invited me along. Isn’t that sweet! I happened to have this old costume in my closet from my college days and threw it on.”

Based on the amount of makeup plastered on her face and hairspray in her hair, she had to have spent hours getting ready.

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