Darken (Siege #1) Read online

He watched Hailey bend over, pushing her ass in the air and giving a little wiggle. The glance she gave over her shoulder told him it was a less than subtle attempt at seduction. Like all her other attempts to grab his interest lately, it failed, yet he winked to reassure her, and she turned back to the game.

  Hailey didn’t have the same level of skill as he did on the table, but she was damn good, so he wasn’t surprised when she cleared nearly all her balls before he had a shot. He hit the three ball in first and the cue ball glanced off the eight, sinking it and ending the game.

  Not used to losing, Hailey gave a little pout. She took her time racking the balls, and as she lined up her next shot, his attention wandered.

  Cora sat with a woman he vaguely recognized. He tried to place her, but nothing clicked. They must have been deep in conversation, because when Josh appeared at their table, neither of them looked up. At least not until Josh placed his hands on Cora’s shoulders and slid them down her arms.

  Gavin’s grip on the cue stick tightened as Cora tossed her head back and laughed up at Josh. Before he even realized what he was doing, he was walking over there.

  “What are you doing?” he asked Josh, who now sat with the two women.

  His brother stared up at him confusion, wrinkling his brow. “I’m having a drink. What are you doing?”

  “Aren’t you working?”

  “Finished my shift ten minutes ago, so I thought I’d hang with my favorite girl.”

  Gavin’s eyes narrowed and he glared at his brother, his fists itching. Josh might look a little on the scrawny side, but he possessed the same iron-fisted strength Gavin did. It wasn’t often Gavin had an opportunity to fight, and Josh was always game to exchange blows, but Gavin knew his anger would give him an edge that could cost him his control. That knowledge was enough to convince him to step back.

  Josh peered around Gavin. “There a reason you’re playing boss?”

  “Nah, just making sure you’re not making an ass of yourself,” he said with a smirk.

  “I think you covered that for him,” Cora’s friend said, and Gavin turned his gaze to study her.

  Up close, he got the sense again that he should recognize her, but still couldn’t figure it out. She was on the plain side with her mousy brown hair, although her big hazel eyes were pretty.

  “You remember Eve?” Cora motioned to her friend. “She went to high school with us.”

  “Ah, I thought I recognized you.”

  “That’s okay, I don’t think we ever had any classes together.”

  Unless she was a couple years older than Cora, they wouldn’t have. He and Caleb only attended the high school for a year before they were on their way to college. The time they did spend there had been in advanced classes with the seniors despite being three years younger.

  Cora giggled, and the three of them turned to stare at her.

  “I just got it,” Cora said, clearly experiencing the effects of her drinks.

  “Got what?” Josh asked.

  “Eve called Gavin an ass.” She laughed again and took a sip of her drink.

  Gavin frowned. “What are you drinking?”

  “Bahama Mama Mama.” She lifted her drink to toast him and it waved dangerously close to his face.

  “You know those are triple shots, right?”

  She gave Josh a mock-angry look. “You didn’t tell me that.”

  “Hey, I warned you they were deadly.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. You did. Now if you boys would please leave. I am here to catch up with Eve, and we don’t want to be distracted by your gorgeous faces.”

  “All right, we’re going,” Josh said. He stood up and slapped Gavin on the back. “I’ve got a hot date, and you’ve got a pissed off bitch.”

  Gavin twisted around to see Hailey shooting daggers at him with her eyes from across the floor.

  “Shit.” He stomped off, ignoring the sound of laughs and a sweet, slightly-drunken giggle behind him.

  He gave Hailey a shrug. “Sorry. Needed to ask Josh something.”

  Judging by her narrow-eyed glare, she didn’t buy it, but he wasn’t about to explain the real reason he’d gone over there. He wasn’t even sure he could explain it.

  “If you have something better to do …” she said, her words trailing off.

  “No. I’m here.” He drained his beer then ran a hand over his mouth. “I’m gonna grab another, do you want one?”

  He didn’t want for her answer. Hailey was always up for another drink. When he got back with the beers, all was forgotten and she challenged him to another game.

  For the next hour, he tried to focus on Hailey and the pool table. Not the easiest task. Despite her short shorts, Hailey held no interest for him, and pool didn’t take much concentration.

  Making it even harder was the fact that Josh’s date must have fallen through and he was back at Cora’s table—she obviously found him more amusing than possible. Even then, she was leaning into his brother, and it took everything in Gavin to not storm over there and drag Josh away from her.

  A cue stick slammed into his chest, and he looked down at Hailey. Somehow, he’d missed seeing her standing right in front of him. If he thought she’d been pissed earlier, it was nothing compared to the expression she wore then.

  “Do I look freakin' stupid?” she asked. Guessing it was a rhetorical question, he kept his mouth shut. “I don’t do games.”

  “What?”

  “Look, Gavin, I like what we’ve got. It’s fun. No strings. But I’m not sticking around if you’re spreading it around.”

  “What does that mean?” He had no clue what she was talking about.

  “It means I’m not gonna play second to Cora, and I’m sure as hell not gonna stand here and be ignored.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and straightened her back. “Give me a call when you’re done with your little waitress.”

  Denial was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it in, recognizing it for the lie it was. He wanted Cora. As fucked up as it was to want the woman responsible for destroying his life, he wanted her with a fierceness he’d never felt before.

  Hailey snorted at his lack of response and snagged her coat from the hook on the wall. His eyes followed her path to the exit before returning to Cora.

  He remembered when he first met her back in high school. She’d been so little, especially standing next to Lela. In so many ways, the two of them had been opposites.

  Lela had been tall and slender, with an outgoing and headstrong personality that drew him to her the instant they met. She never sat back and waited for someone to speak for her. Cora, on the other hand, had been a tiny blond mouse, blending into the background so much he sometimes never even noticed her presence.

  Staring at her now, he wanted to still see Cora as that young girl. He didn’t want to think of her as the person responsible for Lela’s death, and he sure as hell didn’t want to see her as a sexy woman whose husky moans left his body aching.

  “See you finally managed to shake loose from Hailey,” Noah said as he approached the end of the table.

  Gavin grunted and reached out to roll the last few balls into pockets, clearing the surface.

  Noah propped his shoulder along the wall, crossing his arms. Already a big guy, the pose made him appear even more bulky. It would be normal if he actually needed to work out, but thanks to the Posthuman Project, working out wasn’t something any of them needed to do.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “Fuck no. Hailey’s fine.”

  “I’m not talking about Hailey. I’m talking about Cora and this silent battle the two of you are in. I understand you’ve got your issues with her, but you can’t keep raking her over for what happened.” He waited for Gavin to say something, but when he was met with silence, he turned on his heel and went back to Alicia.

  Gavin scraped a hand over his face, letting out a sigh of defeat. If only it were that simple. If it was only a matter of blame, he could handl
e it, maybe one day even get over it. Noah was right; Gavin was in a battle, and it was one he couldn’t win. No matter what he did about Cora, things were gonna get fucked up.

  He grabbed his beer and walked over to where she sat with Eve and Josh. When he sat beside her, the three of them briefly glanced at him, and he gave them a terse smile. Eve and Cora went back to talking while Josh was busy giving Gavin a knowing smirk.

  Gavin sat there, listening to the two women share memories of high school. Some of the things they talked about were familiar, stories he’d heard from Lela only with a different perspective.

  “Do you remember the time Terrance Melton toilet papered the teacher’s lounge?” Eve asked.

  “No.” Cora shook her head and squinted as if searching for the memory. “When was that?”

  “Eleventh grade. Wait, it might have been when you were in—” Eve’s words were cut off by the chiming of a text message alert. She checked her message, her lips tightening as she read it. “I’ve gotta go. Jamie’s dad got called into work and needs me to pick Jamie up.”

  “That sucks,” Cora said, scrunching up her face.

  Gavin couldn’t help the slight chuckle that escaped him. Sober Cora never scrunched her nose, and this new beyond tipsy Cora was cute.

  “Yeah, that sucks, Evie.” Josh gave an exaggerated pout.

  Eva gave Cora a hug then slugged Josh on the arm. “Keep calling me Evie, and I’ll hit you harder than that.”

  “All right, no more Evie.” He held up his hands. “Promise.”

  “Sure,” she said with mock-belief and grabbed her jacket.

  “You’re not driving, are you?” Gavin studied her, trying to determine how intoxicated she was.

  “I’m fine. I’ve been nursing my first.” She dropped a bill on the table. “I’ll give you a call next week, Cora, and we can figure out a day to go for lunch.”

  She left behind an uncomfortable silence, broken only when Gavin kicked Josh under the table.

  “Hey!” Josh leaned down to rub his shin, glaring at Gavin. A brief staring contest ensued until his eyes widened in understanding. “I need to check with Noah about the schedule. I’ll catch you guys later.”

  Cora finished her drink and twirled the cocktail straw around the empty glass. Her entire demeanor change once she was alone with Gavin. Her giggles were gone and she avoided his gaze.

  “Cora—”

  “We shouldn’t talk,” she said.

  “About what?”

  “About Anything. Lela, Hailey, you … me.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, sending her curls fluttering across her face. “Talking between us doesn’t work.”

  Her eyes opened, settling on him, and the sorrow he found in their blue depths made his chest ache.

  “Then what does work?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Both of us know that’s not true,” he said, wondering if she could deny how right it had felt to be pressed against each other, feeding the embers of lust to a degree he’d never experienced before.

  “We definitely shouldn’t talk about that.” She threw the straw onto the table.

  Six weeks before, he would have agreed. Now, though … He knew how she tasted, how snugly she fit into him. As much as he wanted to go back, he couldn’t.

  “Maybe that’s all we need to talk about.”

  Her struggle played across her face in the tightening and relaxing of her lips, the way her cheeks warmed to a soft pink.

  “You both good for another?” Keeley stopped at the edge of the table. He hated the escape she provided Cora.

  “I’m done,” Cora replied and handed Keeley the cash to cover her tab.

  “Put her stuff on my tab,” Gavin said. He didn’t worry about paying, a bonus of being a brother to the owners. He was certain Logan kept track so one day he could collect for some huge ass favor.

  Cora looked about to refuse, but changed her mind and gave Keeley a grin. “Then consider it all a tip.”

  Keeley rolled her eyes and said, “That only works if I don’t know what you’re getting paid, girl.”

  She pulled out a ten and passed the rest back to Cora. Then she turned to Gavin, leaning in and poking him in the chest with a sparkly-blue manicured finger.

  “I’m trusting you.”

  He didn’t ask what she meant. He didn’t need to.

  “How are you getting home?” he asked Cora when Keeley had gone.

  She kicked up her feet. “These boots were made for walking.”

  “Alone at this time of night?”

  “Phff. It’s Thompson Creek.”

  He thought of the pictures of Sinclair Caleb found on the surveillance cameras. She wasn’t the one Sinclair was after, but her connection to him and his brothers made her a possible target.

  “I’ll walk you home.” He stood, looking down at her gaping face.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because it’s dark and you’re drunk.”

  “I’m not drunk. I only had … three Bamamamamas.”

  “Yeah, three triples. More than enough. Let’s go.”

  Out came the cute little pout. “Fine, but not because you said so.”

  She rose and walked to the door, leaving him to pick up the purse she’d forgotten and follow her outside. When he caught up with her, she stopped and spun around to face him.

  “You’re really bossy. You can’t tell me what we need to talk about.”

  “I merely suggested that maybe we need to talk about what happened today.”

  “No. We don’t need to talk about it. That’ll only make me think about it.” She started walking again, only to turn around a few feet away. She stomped toward him. “You made me go the wrong way.”

  He held up his hands. “I don’t even know where you live.”

  “I know. You don’t know anything about me.” She took her purse from him.

  “Not true,” he said, walking beside her. “I know lots of things about you.”

  “Okay. Give me the top five Cora facts.”

  “Top Cora facts? Is that what you have for me? Top Gavin facts?”

  “Five. You pretend you’re a loner, but you really like being with people. Four. You’re super smart, and if you weren’t so determined to waste away, you’d be working at TanTech with Caleb. Three. Your brothers are your best friends, even when you complain about them. Two. You look at me and see everything that went wrong with your life.”

  She picked up her pace and he was surprised at how quickly her short legs ate up the distance.

  “You forgot one,” he said.

  “One. You don’t know anything about me, or the person I am, or what I’ve done.”

  He grasped her hand, slowing her until she stopped and glared up at him with defiance that did little to conceal the hurt she attempted to hide beneath it.

  “I know you better than you think.” He pressed a finger to her lips when she would have protested. “Five. You are an amazing artist, but don’t have the confidence to pursue it. Four. Your move to Denver was less about the job than about running away.

  He tugged her closer and dipped his head down to whisper in her ear. “Three. You love the feel of my breath on your skin.”

  She shivered in response and his tongue peeked out to moisten the sensitive spot below her ear.

  “Two. You want me.”

  He covered her lips with his, and she let his tongue slip inside. The flavor of the Bahama Mamas had lingered, blending with the sweet taste that was Cora. It also served to remind him that she’d had way too much to drink. He broke the contact of their mouths and rested his forehead against hers.

  “One. You would do anything for your friends.”

  Her hands, which at some point had snuck between them and curled into his shirt, now shoved him away.

  “That just proves how you don’t know me,” she said. She wobbled a moment before steadying herself and crossed the street. They passed the bookstore and she opened a door in serious need o
f a new paint job. “This is my place.”

  “So which one are you denying?”

  “I’m not denying any of them.” She went into the small foyer and glanced back at him. “I would have done anything for Lela. I’d never have done anything to hurt her.”

  “I know.”

  “Yet, you think I killed her,” she accused.

  He stepped up and gripped the sides of the door frame. “I think you made a stupid mistake. Driving drunk—”

  She pushed his chest again, cutting him off.

  “Well … screw you,” she yelled. “I wasn’t driving.”

  Her words were a fist to his chest, slamming the air from his lungs.

  Chapter Six

  CORA TRUDGED UP THE narrow staircase, ensuring she kept a firm grasp on the railing as the steps seemed to waver under her feet. When she got to the top, she glanced back down to see Gavin standing frozen in the entryway to the building.

  The dim light in the foyer lit up his blond-streaked hair but cast long shadows across his face, concealing his features. She wasn’t certain she wanted to see him. She wanted to sleep until she was strong enough to forget the sensation of his lips on hers.

  “Good night, Gavin,” she said and entered her apartment, quietly closing the door behind her.

  She made her way across the living room area and flopped onto the couch, exhaustion finally hitting her. What had possessed her to go out? She should have vegged out in front of the TV and caught up on Criminal Minds episodes. Now, she was going to suffer the hangover from hell.

  Lifting a leg high into the air, she ran her hand along the smooth black leather. She adored those boots. They made her three inches taller and were sexy as hell. She pulled down the zipper and undertook the task of wiggling her foot out. She’d managed to get the left one off when there was a knock on the door. Maybe she would ignore it. Then again, she couldn’t remember locking the door. With one boot still on, she hobbled toward the door.

  Gavin didn’t wait for her. He’d flung the door open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut before she even made it halfway across the room. A scowl wrinkled her face as she tried forming some sort of reprimand about knocking, but he did knock and she couldn’t come up with anything else.