Page 65 of Scarred

“Here you go, Lunabug,” Mav says, coming back with a bourbon and champagne glass in his hand.

I wince at the nickname, hoping Cayden didn’t hear it. It brings me right back to my childhood, and I want to feel like a woman tonight. Nothing sexy has ever had the word bug in it.

I take the champagne and, like Cayden, take a deep sip to take the edge off.

The DJ’s voice comes through the speakers outside, announcing it’s time for us to go inside for the bride and groom's arrival.

We make our way across the balcony, and Cayden gives me a side glance as we follow the others.

“Lunabug?” he asks, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I was hoping you didn’t catch that,” I groan softly. “It’s the nickname my family has called me since the day I was born. Unfortunately, it stuck into adulthood. Makes me feel like a child,” I mutter.

He studies me before slowly shaking his head as he holds the door open for me and bends down close to my ear.

“I can say with certainty that you are most definitely a woman,” he murmurs.

My breath hitches at his sudden nearness as goosebumps appear on my arms.

“I much prefer, little moon, anyway.” His eyes darken, and the memory of him calling me that brings me right back to our phone conversation, replaying all the dirty words he whispered as I came undone for him.

A blush stains my cheek, and I quickly avoid his eyes.

“Guess I’m not the only one who keeps replaying that phone call,” he smirks before walking over to the table where his teammates are waiting.

Blinking my eyes, I slowly snap out of it and find my name placement card at the table before taking my seat next to my family.

I notice Cayden is at the table right beside me and in my direct line of sight. I have no clue how I’m going to be able to focus on anything else when all I see is him.

The testosterone alone at the table is enough for every panty in this room to drop as they remove their suit jackets and roll up their sleeves, unbuttoning a few buttons at the top, clearly getting comfortable for the night.

It’s a lineup of broad shoulders and cocky confidence, completely at ease in a way that pulls attention without even trying.

All of them are devastatingly handsome, and none of them brought dates. Which surprises me, but then again, from what I noticed at the bar that night, they like to keep their options open.

The darker, more dangerous ones sit closest to Cayden—Thane McCormick and Hunter Kane. They are quiet and intense with ink crawling up their arms like they’ve got stories they don’t share.

And then there are the other two…

The charmers—Jett Hayes and Colton Foxx.

The ones who know exactly what they look like and use it to their full advantage, flashing easy smiles and soaking up every ounce of attention thrown their way.

But none of them affect me the way Cayden does.

My gaze finds his without effort.

He’s deep in conversation with Thane, so I take this chance to study him. His brown hair is a blend of soft, slight curls threaded with hints of amber—tousled in that sexy way he always manages to capture. The scruff on his face is more pronounced tonight, only making him more ruggedly handsome.

As if he can feel me, he turns those bedroom eyes my way, and I suck in a breath. I’ve never been this emotionally or physically connected to someone in my life. It’s as if he can reach into my soul and take every last bit of me.

The part that scares me the most is how much I would let him.

Somehow, I make it through dinner—our secret glances at one another go undetected in the sea of people around us, drinking and having fun.

By the time the girls haul me to the dance floor, I am more than ready to let loose and burn off some of this sexual frustration.

Halfway through our second song, I’m whirled around and land in Jett Hayes’s arms.