Page 95 of Backlash

“Will do.” She blows me a kiss goodbye before returning to her conversation with Cyrus. I feel a stab of envy. Most of the time, I’m not jealous of their relationship. It’s not exactly rock solid. But tonight I feel alone. It’s a marrow-deep ache, reminding me I’m always just one more than is needed. The second child my father didn’t need after Malcolm was born. The sister who never left home. The friend always tagging along with the happy couple.

I weave around the back of the club, doing my best to blend in to the crowd.

No one stops me. As soon as I step out the door, I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Even the sticky summer air feels cooler than it was inside the jammed bar. I dig in my purse and find a hair-tie. Lifting my hair off my neck, I sigh with relief. I've got it halfway up when a hand taps my shoulder, sending me jumping.

“Whoa, it’s me, Lucky.” Sterling’s voice washes over me, and I calm down.

“Don’t sneak up on me,” I demand as I finish tying up my hair, spinning to face him.

He doesn’t apologize. Instead, he frowns. “Were you just going to leave?”

Is he serious?

“We didn’t come here together,” I remind him, planting my hands on my hips. “In fact, I think your under-aged sister is inside. Why don’t you worry about her?”

“Because right now she has two over-protective ex-Marines watching every move she makes,” he says, the frown deepening. “You, on the other hand, are walking home alone in the dark.”

“The neon lights will guide my way,” I say dryly, but he doesn’t laugh.

“I’m walking with you,” he decides.

I open my mouth to argue but realize there’s no point. Sterling is as stubborn as…well, me.

“What were you talking with Sutton about?” he asks.

“That?” I shrug my shoulders, carefully keeping a few feet between us as we walk. “We were just talking about girl stuff.” There’s no reason to repeat what she said to him. It will only get one of us in trouble. Plus, I need to mull it over. Maybe she’s right. Not about everything, but about enough.

“What kind of girl stuff?” he asks.

“Boys,” I say casually. He won’t want to hear about that. Not if it involves his sister.

“Really?” There’s a challenge in his voice.

“Really.” My eyes dart to him. Did he hear us discussing him? Does he know we were fighting?

“Must have been a one-sided conversation, since Sutton is a lesbian.”

“She is? Oh.” I blink, and he smirks at my surprise.

“You didn’t see her staring at Poppy all night?” he asks.

“I guess…”

"You guess what?”

“I thought she was staring at me,” I confess.

“How narcissistic of you,” he says.

“Hey! What was I supposed to think? She’s not my biggest fan.”

“That’s an understatement,” he mutters. “Don’t worry about Sutton.”

A crowd spills out from Tootsie’s and we dart across Broadway to avoid the drunken tourists. We continue down 5th avenue in silence until we’ve nearly reached the Eaton. It’s all very civil. Sterling is on his best behavior. I doubt he’ll even shake my hand at the door. That means he’s learning his lesson. So, why do I wish he would pick me up and carry me to bed?

I’m caught in my imagination when he breaks the silence. “What else do you want to know, Lucky?”

“About?” I ask absently.