Thin Love (18 page)

“Come with me and Michael to Nathan’s party. It’s off campus. We don’t have to stay long and you can have Mark meet you there.”

“Nathan Andrews?” Leann rested her head on Keira’s shoulder and she felt her nod. “Nathan Andrews who I have never spoken to in my life, ever?”

“Keira, there will be a million people there and free drinks.” She sat up, nudged her leg. “You need one night of fun, of absolute bedlam. You’re eighteen. You’re in college and you said Mark was cute.”

“So?”

“So, why don’t you come have free drinks with me and Michael and bring McCuteness back here for a little naked college shenanigans?”

Kona, she thought, knew all about shenanigans. Kona had gotten up to shenanigans that morning and Keira tried not to think about how badly that hurt. She didn’t know why. They were friends. They were only friends and whatever she’d invented in her mind about them wouldn’t change that fact or erase the image of Tonya Lucas coming out of his room.

“I don’t want to have shenanigans with anyone, Leann.”

Her cousin moved her shoulders, exaggerated the movement with another sigh she forced out. “And that’s your problem. Not enough shenanigans in your life.” Leann moved across the room, picking up her towel before she hung her head out of the bathroom door. “It’s fine, Keira. You go have coffee with Mark and come back here all alone. I’m sure that’s what your mom wants you to do.”

Leann was a manipulative little shit when it came to things she wanted, and for some reason, she wanted Keira to be anyone other than herself tonight. Taunting her with her mother’s expectations was the perfect way to move Keira into action. And so, she let her cousin dress her in something that her mother would not approve of. She let Leann convince her to go to a party with a boy she didn’t know very well. Keira let herself forget about being proper and appropriate. For one night at least, she would be a girl who liked shenanigans.

Vanessa Roth’s nearly naked ass was directly in front of Kona’s face.

She bent over, cheeks bared under her blue and green plaid skirt, and her four inch stilettos left scratches on Nathan’s oak coffee table as she danced on top of it. Joining her, Mimi Walker was similarly dressed, bumping against Vanessa’s hips. Both girls jiggled their asses to Method Man and Mary J’s “You’re All I Need to Get By.”

Bitches ruined Kona’s favorite song.

“Come dance with us, Kona.” Vanessa’s voice was heavy, like she had smoked too much weed or downed one too many Heinekens and Kona thought she was a sloppy idiot.

Kona waved her off, slipping down further on the sofa with his legs spread and one arm flung across the back. He was relaxed, a glass of Abita Amber in his hands, and maybe he was a little buzzed, but still wholly uninterested in the two girls putting on a show for him.

“Something’s up with you if those two aren’t getting your attention.” Luka slumped next to his twin, eyes working all the up Vanessa’s leg.

“Nothing wrong with me.”

“You’re full of shit, brah.” Luka was trying to be cool. Kona could tell. He kept licking his bottom lip like he imagined Vanessa was on the end of it and Kona tried not to laugh at how obvious his brother was being.

“You want her, do something.” Another pull on his cup and Luka leaned next to him, eyes still moving up those impossibly long legs. “Stop staring like a punk.”

Luka waved him off, finally pulling his gaze from the dancing girls. “What’s your problem? You’ve been off all day.”

Instead of answering, Kona moved his head, drinking again as he looked around the room. Nathan’s apartment was huge and lush and completely out of element with anything Kona had ever lived in. His mother did okay. She worked hard, had provided for Kona and Luka very well. But they had never lived in anything like this.

The floors were polished marble, dark with light gray streaks circling in the center of the room. The furniture was modern, leather and every space in the open-concept layout was either brown, black or gray. It wasn’t homey. It wasn’t like his mother’s comfortable, plush sofas lined with thick throws and from-the-island pillows. There weren’t any flowers in this place, no sweet smells from the garden that always helped Kona drift off when he stayed with her. And, unlike the little Victorian his mother and Tutu kane still lived in on St. Charles, there was no music, no warmth brought in by family pictures or old, busted figurines that reminded Kona of his childhood in Hawaii. Nathan’s place was nice enough, but Kona felt suffocated by the people and the air of pretension.

The party had been in full swing for a good two hours or so, full of smoking hot girls drunk on liquor, life and the idea of being at a player’s party. Kona didn’t care, really. Girls gave him a show, always, especially those interested in
potentialing
him hard, but he was bored of it all. This kind of party happened most nights at the team house and it was nothing new to see girls like Vanessa and Mimi, half naked and careless of how common they looked.

Next to him, Luka sat up, muttered a low curse and Kona followed the jerk of his head toward the front door and the asshole that walked in through it.

“Fuck,” he said, knowing that Luka was going to bitch. He hated Ricky. Kona knew why, but he didn’t need shit started tonight. “Man, don’t.”

The beer in Luka’s hand cracked when he slammed it on the coffee table in front of them and Vanessa and Mimi squealed, slinging their feet back from the spilled mess Luka made.

“I swear to God, Kona, if you don’t stop this shit.”

“I am, brah. I swear.” He grabbed Luka’s collar when his twin started to leave the sofa. “Just be cool. I told Ricky I was out.”

“Yeah, like you said a month ago?” Luka sat back and Kona hated the way he looked at him, hated to see the disappointment in his brother’s eyes.

It had started too simply, out of necessity, but now what he did for Ricky had become an obligation that Kona couldn’t see his way out of. “He’s not gonna bug me. I talked to him earlier.”

“He was just at the house. What the hell is he doing here?”

“I’m not his keeper, Lu.”

Kona hoped his brother would be calm, but he knew how upset Luka got when Ricky or any of the shit that followed him was near Kona. He needed to deflect, to ease the tension as quickly as possible and so he nodded toward Vanessa as she helped Mimi off the table and the girl smiled, moving toward him like a deer learning to walk for the first time.

“Finally,” she said, landing on Kona’s lap. He looked to his right, caught Luka’s glare and then moved Vanessa’s nibbling teeth off of his ear.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you keep my brother company, yeah?”

It took her a second to adjust between them. She slipped once, but Kona caught her and she landed with an “umpf” on Luka’s lap. Kona wasn’t paying attention to anyone but his brother. He wanted to make sure that he’d calmed enough to stay off Ricky’s radar and so he didn’t notice Keira until Vanessa looped her arm around Luka’s shoulder with her legs stretched out against Kona’s knees.

Keira stood next to the bar in the kitchen directly across from him, talking to Leann and the guy he’d seen her cousin with on campus. Watching her, Kona forgot about his brother’s temper or the asshole on the other side of the room that had Kona by the balls.

Keira look like a fucking goddess; hair down her back in waves; brown skirt hitting above her knees and a pair of leather boots that wrapped her muscular calves like a second skin. His dick got twitchy just looking at her, at that plump ass and how the creamy top she wore cupped her in lace.

He tried to smile at her, forgetting for a moment how she’d stung him that day when he walked out of his room with Tonya Lucas and her scent still clinging to him. He’d spent all afternoon feeling like an asshole and wondering why Keira made him feel guilty for doing something that was second nature to him.

But tonight with her across the room, looking as beautiful as she did, smiling, relaxed, had Kona itching to beg her forgiveness. That live wire was too damn tempting and he wanted to burn in her. He wanted to burn in her so bad. He knew what she thought of him and the only thing he wanted right then was to change her opinion.

Keira took the drink that Leann handed her, then held it still in front of her when something her cousin said made her laugh. Those blue eyes shone across the room in her humor and then landed right on Kona. He tried smiling, even sat up and pushed Vanessa’s legs off him, but Keira’s gaze shifted from his hands on the drunk girl’s ankles, extracting her away from him, to Luka at his right. The smile fell from her face and she returned her attention to her cousin.

“Shit,” Kona said, feeling stupid and guilty again.

“Man, she looks good tonight.” Luka moved Vanessa head out of way and smiled at Keira.

“Why you looking at her?”

Luka’s mouth hung open and Kona could see his brother was trying hard not to laugh at him. “Brah, that’s why you’ve been acting like a dick?” He nodded toward Keira, then finally let go of his laughter. “You’re worried because she saw you with that Tonya girl?”

“No.” Kona knew his answer came too quick and he rolled his eyes at Luka when his laughter grew louder.

“Go talk to her, asshole.”

A low grunt vibrated in Kona’s throat and he punched Luka in the shoulder, feeling like Keira’s presence tonight would have him on edge. But, he knew his twin was right. He was acting like a punk because Keira made him feel guilty, made him feel like he was something undeserving of her attention. Right then, he really wanted that attention. He leaned forward, took a final sip of his beer, steeling himself to walk across the room, and then dropped his glass onto the floor when he saw a guy walk right up to Keira and kiss her cheek.

“Damn, brah. Too late,” Luka said, his amused voice only adding to Kona’s simmering anger.

Keira turned to face the guy and the smile that the sight of Kona with Vanessa’s legs on his lap had erased, returned and she let that motherfucker hold her hand.

Shenanigans were stupid.

That’s the first thought Keira had when Leann dragged her into the party. There were too many people acting like depraved idiots. Too many girls drunkenly dancing on the furniture or straddling whatever football player had a free lap. The music was too loud and, oh yeah, Kona Hale was glaring at her like she had stolen something from him.

“We don’t have to stay.” Leann’s voice carried over the music, but Keira still had to lean toward her to make out what she’d said.

“It’s okay.” She moved her chin toward Michael and Mark, smiling. “Looks like they’re having fun.”

Leann shook her head and slid across the bar to stand closer to her cousin. “Who knew, right?” She glanced again at her boyfriend and the animated way he was talking to Mark. “Freaking lacrosse. We won’t get two words in for the rest of the night.”

Keira smiled, then nodded her thanks to Leann when she handed her a shot. She hesitated only for a moment but then caved when her cousin’s eyebrow disappeared beneath her bangs. “Fine. But this is the last one.” The tequila went down with a burn, but before Keira could do more than squint and frown at the taste, Leann shoved a lime in her mouth and the bitter taste disappeared. “
God.
Why?”

“We’re young and irresponsible. We’re supposed to do stupid things.”

The juice from Leann’s lime ran down her wrist and Keira grabbed a napkin off the bar to hand to her cousin. At least she tried to, but Kona walked up on the other side at the same time and Keira moved her hand off of the counter. She meant to turn, to stare over his head, look anywhere other than at his scowling, bad-tempered expression, but Keira was trying something new; she wouldn’t let Kona’s mood ruin her night. So, instead of scampering away like a coward, she lifted her chin, then squinted at him, silently challenging Kona to say anything to piss her off.

Kona’s stare lingered for a moment and in his expression was something Keira knew wasn’t forced. He either didn’t like her being here or he was still pissed off at the low blow she’d served him at the team house. At least, that’s what Keira thought his look meant. But then Kona shifted his eyes to her left and his frown deepened, lips pursed as he watched Mark laughing with Michael.