Bad Things (Tristan & Danika #1)(18)

“That was nice of you,” she said.

I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, especially since I have friends like Kenny, who will drive me around.”

“Kenny is a sweetheart,” she said, sounding like she meant it.

I felt my jaw clenching, though I knew it was unreasonable to be jealous.

“He’s a guy in a band. Don’t trust any of us,” I warned, my voice harsher than I’d intended.

She shrugged. “You all seem safe enough to me, as long as I’m not stupid enough to date any of you.”

I felt a wave of relief at her dismissive tone. “Exactly.”

We ended up going to a club that ironically enough was called Tryst. I shot Danika a warning look when Kenny told us where we were headed. The look said ‘say a word, and I won’t cook you breakfast again’.

She seemed to get the point, but her grin was infuriating.

“You getting us free drinks at this place?” she asked.

“Yes,” Kenny answered. “Our buddy Doug is working one of the bars tonight.”

“Do you have connections at every club in town?” she questioned.

“Just about,” Kenny conceded. “When you’re trying to promote a local band, you tend to get to know a lot of the people working the clubs.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that you guys seem to go out every night, too,” she shot back.

Tryst was packed. Still, the bouncer at the door recognized us on sight, and let us in with one small nod. Getting in was always half the battle.

We found Doug at one of the main bars in the club. He nodded when he saw me, waving me over. His bar was so packed that I had to shoulder my way in.

“Got you guys a table,” he said into my ear, voice pitched low. “And bottle service. It’s your lucky night.”

I grinned. “Thanks, man.”

“Sure thing. It’s not like you’ve never hooked me up. Who’s that f**king hottie you walked in with?”

My grin wilted a little. “My friend, Danika. She’s off-limits.”

He sighed. “All the ones that look like that usually are.”

A VIP hostess showed us to our seats, courtesy of Doug. She was cute, and shot me some very inviting looks.

I smiled, not really considering it. I’d invited Danika out to dance, and by God, we were going to dance, even if I was jonesing for a hook-up.

Danika gave me a mischievous smile as we slid onto the cushioned VIP bench.

“So where did you learn to cook like that?” she asked. “Those were the best enchiladas I’ve ever had, and enchiladas are one of my favorites.”

I smiled, thinking of my mother. “My mother taught me to cook. You should try her enchiladas. They put mine to shame, especially since I was missing some of the ingredients for pico on top.”

“Does she live here in Vegas?”

“Yes. In fact, I’m due for a family dinner soon, and I’m going to make you come with me.”

Her eyes widened. “You want me to meet your parents?”

My face stiffened a little, but I didn’t let it show. It couldn’t be a sore subject if I didn’t allow it to be.

“I want you to meet my mother. I’ve never met my father. He left the second my mother told him she was pregnant. Never bothered to look him up.”

She nodded, her eyes searching my face. She swallowed. “We’re in the same boat, my friend. I’ve not a clue who my father is. My mother would never tell me a thing about him.”

I blinked, a little taken aback. It was selfish, but I felt comforted by the thought that she and I had both experienced something so painful. It made me feel less alone, and so connected to her in ways I couldn’t remember being connected to anyone besides family since I could remember.

“No wonder we get along so well,” I finally responded. “We have more in common than we’d realized. Is your mother in Vegas, too?”

She shrugged, one side of her mouth jerking down. “I’m not exactly sure. She and I never really got along. We don’t keep in touch.”

I’d learned my lesson when I’d asked her about her sister, so I didn’t ask her why on earth she didn’t know where her mother was, though I was curious as hell about it.

“So what’s a good day for you to come meet my mother?”

She smiled, the clouds in her silver eyes clearing. “So you’re not asking, but telling me, that I’m going to meet your mother?”

I gave her a rueful smile. “I’m letting you pick the day, at least. You have nothing to worry about. You two are going to love each other.”

“If she’s anything like you and Jared, I can’t imagine we won’t get along.”

That brought my mind to my baby brother. It didn’t matter that he was an adult, he’d always be my baby brother. I’d have done anything for him, anything at all, but I knew that he was a little upset that I’d told him that he couldn’t ask Danika out. We had very strict brother rules about dating the same woman, but since I wasn’t dating her, he thought it was unfair that I’d warned him off. Still, whether he understood it or not, I thought he’d respect my wishes.

The waitress brought out our bottle service, and I saw Danika’s eyes widen. I made a note to myself that I owed Doug big time.