Heartbreaker (Unbreakable #1)(26)

I stared through the windshield off into the distance. So much had changed in such a short period of time. And so much hadn’t.

Past and present were colliding, morphing, becoming something new.

I’d driven to Nick’s to get the anxious excitement out of my system. The new person in my life calmed me further, well beyond what the spur-of-the-moment drum session had.

Even from miles away, through the small electronic device I held in my hand, she quieted the racket in my head. And I hadn’t even opened her text yet.

That’s the power she’d begun to have over me. The simple fact that she’d thought of me, had taken the time to reach out.

Probably with some adorable smartass comment.

Finally, I hit the control button on the phone, opened the text.



What are you wearing?



I blinked. Then typed.



You coming on to me again, Flash?



She snapped back instantly.



NO! I meant to the party tonight?



I scowled.



Uh…don’t GIRL friends do that? Trade outfit advice n shit?



Her reply came back:



It’s what -I-do with my friends. Scared yet?



Shaking my head, I snorted.



Nope.



Another bubble. Another text.



Waiting…



I began typing as a grin spread on my face. The high I felt when being with her, even through texts, had become addictive.



Graphic tee. Jeans. Boots.



The usual.

Her reply fired back seconds later.



Boooring…



I ran my tongue over my teeth.



And you?



A pause, then her text appeared.



Not telling.



Figures.



Tease.



Her reply popped up.



You know it.



Wouldn’t want her any other way.

Out of time, I tossed my phone down on the seat, then drove away from Nick’s.

But as I headed toward my place with just enough time for a quick shower, excitement hummed through my veins. A different kind than earlier, though. A calmer, heavier anticipation warmed my blood.

All because of Kiki.

I let out a slow breath, unsure about the past and present colliding.





Kiki…

“Find me something to do.”

Guests had begun to arrive. Waiters with hors d’oeuvre trays rotated through the crowd. Music pulsed loudly around us, vibrating into my body—keying me up.

“There’s nothing to do.” Kristen glanced up from her clipboard, attaching her pen to the top edge.

I grabbed the clipboard and tugged it from her grasp.

“Hey!”

I ignored her and scanned the page.

Security? Check.

Decorations? Check.

Cake? Check.

Music?

I stared at the name beside the music slot: Darren Cole.

With a slow exhale, I lifted my gaze. There he stood, across the room, doing what he did at every party he’d been hired to work: jammed music.

No different than any other time.

Only tonight, everything felt different.

Kristen crossed her arms. “Well?”

When I turned, she arched a brow. I handed her back the clipboard. “Nothing to do.”

She snorted. “Told you.”

“We’re running these parties too efficiently.”

“Sounds like a great problem to have.”

“Yeah.” I slumped onto a barstool.

Cade walked up and stood beside Kristen. When he said nothing, I glanced at them.

He stared intently at me, but nudged Kristen. “What’s with her?”

“If I had to diagnose it, I’d say she’s lovesick.”

I gasped so hard, a sudden coughing fit seized my lungs.

Cade hit my back with a couple of hard thwacks. “I concur.”

With a shove to his shoulder, I pushed him out of immediate reach. “You’re both delusional.”

Amusement brightened both of their expressions. Kristen hugged the clipboard to her chest. “Sure it’s us?”

Cade raised his arm and snapped his fingers, giving a short nod toward Ben who worked the bar behind us. “Something strong is in order.”

Ben gave me an assessing once-over. “Vodka? Scotch?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “A pomegranate martini will be fine.”

Hannah sidled up alongside me, then leaned in, whispering, “What are we talking about?”

Cade nodded across the room. “Kiki and Darren.”

I scowled. “No, not Kiki and Darren.” A flashback of elementary school playgrounds and teasing kids hit my brain.

Leaning back a little, I rapped impatient knuckles on the empty bar top. “Martini?”

Seconds later, a cool glass stem slipped between my two fingers. I flashed a smile at Ben. He gave me a nod. Then I lifted the drink to my lips, touching my tongue to the sugar-dusted rim before taking a sip of the pink liquid.

“I dunnnooo…” Cade crossed his arms, then leaned toward Kristen. “Darren looks awfully ‘busy’ for someone who’d already laid down a soundtrack for the night.”