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Arien flicked her gaze from Billy to Jake. “I’m the new girl?”
“No.” Her dark waves moved from side to side. “See, the girls wish they could be you and the guys wish they could have you. They know you belong to Kellan and Tanner.”
“That’s crazy.” She burst out laughing. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
Jake raised his brow.
“I know, not the best word choice.” Pursing her lips, Arien exhaled out her nose. “Look, no offense intended, but I’m not getting married any time in the near future, and I’m certainly not planning on having two guys, my stepbrothers at that, share me like a Kit Kat bar. Seriously, how does that even work?”
Billy elbowed her and winked. “Oh, trust me, it works.”
“Doesn’t matter anyway. I’m leaving for school at the end of the summer.”
Tanner returned with the hot chocolate. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I put some Bailey’s in it, shhh.”
Looking over at them, Emily just smirked.
And the music from the barn grew louder.
Lined with bales of hay to sit on, the large open space was dimly lit by the warm glow of lanterns and Christmas lights strung from the rafters. In the front were a couple of rickety-looking tables with bottles of booze on them, stalls in the back, and stairs to a loft.
Sharing a seat with Tanner, Arien glanced around. It almost could have been a dance in her old high school gymnasium. Except they were in a barn. And it was dark, charged with an energy she didn’t have a name for.
She recognized a girl from school dancing with two boys. One held her from behind, while the other kissed her as they swayed. Paired off in twos and threes, some took advantage of discreet, shadowed corners, touching and kissing on a blanket of hay. And most didn’t seem to care who saw what they were doing.
To the left of her, Emily straddled Billy’s lap, his hands in her sweater, squeezing her breasts as he kissed her. Jake leaned back against the wall behind them, like a chaperone, looking on, seemingly unaffected. Weird. To her right, Shiloh and Griffin continued with a make-out fest of their own. Arien would have sworn Shiloh and Griffin were doing it, if they didn’t have all their clothes on.
Following her gaze, Tanner squeezed her hand. She turned away, her eyes meeting his, and cleared her throat. “For fuck’s sake.” Arien lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s dry hump…”
He sniggered, whispering back, “He’s not gonna fuck her.”
She giggled. “Not here anyway.”
“Not at all. ’Til the wedding at least,” Tanner added, tipping back a bottle of beer. “They should take that shit to the back, though.”
Nope, nope, nope. Not asking.
“If they’re making you uncomfortable, we can take a walk…dance or somethin’.”
“Did you forget I go to school with them?” Arien tittered, rolling her eyes. “I’m getting used to it. Kind of. I’ll take you up on a dance, though.”
It was a slow song. Some country ballad she’d never heard before, since she rarely listened to that stuff. Growing up, she jammed along to what Jennifer had playing on the radio. Top 40. Grunge and metal. Even a little Sinatra sometimes. But not this. Tanner pressed one hand to the small of her back, holding her palm on his chest with the other. Loving the way she fit with him, Arien let out a little sigh. Twinkling lights reflected in his eyes. A lopsided smile appearing, his forehead dropped to hers.
“You’re a good dancer.”
“Why, thank you.” And he twirled her to prove she wasn’t wrong. “Grams always said the ladies love it. Taught me and Kel from the time we was little, dancin’ in the kitchen while she cooked supper.”
“I can’t picture his cranky ass dancing,” she said with a giggle.
“Heh.” His nose brushed along hers. “You’d be surprised.”
“Where is he, anyway?”
“Around here somewhere, I reckon.”
Kellan’s absence wasn’t lost on her. Arien wasn’t sure whether or not she was disappointed or relieved he wasn’t here. On the one hand, she wouldn’t have to endure his broody presence, the other only cemented in her mind what she’d already been thinking. He was doing his damnedest to stay far the hell away from her.
And it hurt.
