A nervous laugh leaves her, and she recoils, her eyes flying right briefly.
“I...” She starts pulling away with a shrug. “Look, I’ve been dying for this, and maybe I was looking at you, but that’s all. Before, I’d have been all over this, but things have changed. I have a shoot next week, and I can’t risk getting my ass beat. Sorry.” She hops off the bar and walks away.
“You’re an idiot.”
I spin around to find Vienna behind me. Cap and Royce walk over to us.
“I told you to be here at ten,” I hiss.
“And I had to wait for Maybell to pass out, then hitch a ride here because I don’t got it like that. But...” Vienna licks her lips and smiles up at me. “I’m here now.”
“Why’d you even go for this?” Royce questions, studying her with his cloudy glower.
“Like I told you guys before, I happen not to like her newest move. She shouldn’t have gone against you.” Her hand reaches out to touch my bicep and I glare. “I don’t believe she’s as scandalous as her little trade-off paints her.” She steps closer to me, her palms now planted on my chest. “So, like I said I would, I’m gonna take one for the team here, Brayshaws, hoping that it helps you get what you want.”
My brothers reluctantly take a few steps away, both mumbling something under their breaths as they do.
Vienna hesitates a moment, then cautiously pulls herself up on her tiptoes and slides her lips across mine.
It takes me a second, but I force my hands around her and pull her body against mine.
She grins and covers my lips with hers, driving her tongue inside my mouth. I kiss her back, forcing my tongue to meet her careful swipes.
It’s all fucking wrong.
My baby would never be careful or cautious with her mouth.
She’s demanding, punishing and eager.
And she hasn’t stepped in to fucking stop this.
Goddamn it, Raven!
I pull away from Vienna’s lips, but hold her there a minute, jerking my hands away from her when she smiles up at me.
She reaches up to touch her lips, hesitates a moment longer, and then disappears down the hallway toward the bathroom.
Captain and Royce move toward me again.
Anger and annoyance mixed with flat out fucking disappointment slices through me, the same pained expressions clouding my brothers’ eyes.
Captain sighs, dropping his chin to his chest while Royce’s jaw sets and looks away.
That was it, Raven didn’t make her move. She let it happen, stuck to the little bitch’s side all the while. I don’t know what the fuck I thought would happen just now, but what I didn’t expect was the sharp ass pain hitting my chest. A sting so deep my facial muscles tighten, forcing my eyes to squint.
She might as well have rammed that knife of hers into my gut and twisted. Something tells me that would’ve done less damage than standing here knowing it’s not where she wants to be.
Raven for real just stood back, watched this chick stick her tongue down my throat and did nothing.
My Raven would never stand for that.
Guess she thinks she’s no longer mine.
Royce kicks a stool and it knocks to the floor, but the music is so loud and the lights low, it doesn’t create a scene.
He storms off.
Cap picks it up, signaling the bartender for another round.
Fuck this shit.
Brave little bitch.
And she tried to front like she had a thing for Royce. I knew she was too easily roped in by the glitz of their world, she showed it in her envious words at the very first party the group home girls dragged me to at Collins’ house.
She’s just like the rest, waiting for a turn with any Bray they can climb on.
I should break her fucking nose.
I slip out the door and start back down the dark hall, but I’m yanked to the side and shoved against the wall – a move he’s getting far too fucking comfortable with.
Collins gets in my face. “What the fuck are you doing?” he growls.
I jerk from his hold in the same second and shove at him, stepping into his face. “I told you, Collins, you put your hands on me again, without my permission which you’ll never fucking have, I won’t hesitate to stick a four-inch piece of metal through your lung and laugh as you drown in your own blood.”
His head draws back a second before he glares. “You think I didn’t notice what you just did? That I didn’t watch the entire fucking thing, same as you, and then trail your ass when you disappeared in the same direction?”
“Like I fucking care.”
He growls. “You can’t run around acting like the jealous little girlfriend! You belong to me as far as these people are concerned.”
“Back the fuck up, Graven.”
Both our heads snap right to find Royce swaying slightly on his feet, eyes dull and bloodshot.
Fuck. Did he hear that?
“Fuck you, Brayshaw. Just getting some time in with my girl, here. Dark corners are my favorite—”
Royce swings before Collins sees it coming, landing a hard one across the jaw.
I step back, giving him more room, and Collins shoots me a glare, rubbing at his jaw.
Collins lifts a hand, pointing at Royce as he starts walking away – he knows better than to pick a fight with them here. “Let’s go, Rae,” he commands but doesn’t stand there waiting.
Royce does, however, and as soon as Collins is around the corner, he steps closer to me.
“Back off, ponyboy,” I force past my lips, taking a step away. “None of your business.”
“It is my fucking business. We brought you in, trash,” he slurs angrily, but it’s the ache laced in his tone that has a twinge hitting against my ribcage.
“We gave you a place, twice, and you wanna fuck us over? You wanna fuck my brother, then let the guy trying to fuck our family stick his dick in you?” He creeps closer. “You’re loosening it up real good, now aren’t you? Trying to get on your mama’s level?”
“Enough,” Bass barks, now joining the party.
I grow rigid. The last thing I need right now is for him to spill what he knows.
I slide my eyes his way right as Royce spins to face him.
“Fuck you, Bishop. Bet your ass was in on this shit too, huh?” He gets in his face. “Poor little punks like you two stick together, don’t you? I should kick your wannabe ass.”
“You’re drunk.” Bass blinks at him. “Just go.”
“You go, bitch.” Royce grips his belt stepping closer, his eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t forget where you are.”
As if this isn’t bad enough, the door to the restroom flies open and Vienna appears.
She jerks to a halt at the sight of us all, her eyes wide, lip still bleeding.
I freeze where we stand, we all do, minus Bass.
No, no, no. Fuck!
I told her to wait five minutes ... five fucking minutes ago.
Finally, Vienna jump starts and rushes away.
That kicks Royce back into motion and his head snaps my way, but I can’t bring myself to look at him.
He’s motionless a minute, but then a light laugh leaves him, and he stumbles off. “Well, fuck me, baby girl...”
Bass slowly follows him down the hall, glancing back at me once on his way.