Page 38 of Cinder & Secrets (Ink & Ashes #2)

Charlotte

“Please tell me why we’re going all the way to the other side of town for dinner when there are plenty of places we could simply walk to.” Maisie groans next to me.

“Because it’s your birthday and the usual places won’t do,” I say from beside her, squeezed between her and River in the back seat of Kai’s car.

Between classes and moving, this week has been stressful, to say the least, and while River and I still have a million things to do to get our apartment in order, I’m grateful to have a reason to stop and celebrate this time with my friends.

Maisie’s birthday.

Kai and Lyric’s engagement.

Me and River moving in together.

We have many things to celebrate as of late.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” I nudge her with my elbow.

“Buried somewhere under my lack of sleep,” she grumbles.

“Don’t worry. You’re going to wake right up when you see where we’re taking you,” I reassure her.

Kai, Lyric, River, and I, along with a handful of Maisie’s other close friends, spent the entire afternoon decorating and getting everything set up for tonight. I don’t have to wonder if she’ll be surprised. I know she will be.

It’s going to put last year’s party to shame.

Though party might be a bit of a stretch.

We really just went to dinner and then went back to our dorm and got drunk on alcohol Kai bought for us.

It was low-key but fun. This year, however, Lyric and I wanted to do something more for her.

Part of it is because we both feel guilty for being so MIA this year.

The other is because we love Maisie and want to show her how much.

It can’t be easy for her, watching her two best friends so happy in their love lives while she’s still living in denial over the fact that Macallan Stewart thwarted her last year and she’s spent every day since trying to exact her revenge, to no avail.

Not that any of us are going to point this out to her. I’ve tried, and it did nothing but piss her off, so I’ve opted to bite my tongue and let her do whatever it is she feels like she needs to.

Besides, I’m not really one to judge. I’ve done worse in the name of getting the last word in.

“Are we almost there, at least?” she asks the group.

“Two minutes,” Kai says from the driver’s seat.

“And Jackson is meeting us there?” she confirms.

“Yep. He’s already there,” Lyric answers this time. “Someone made us late.” Lyric turns her head to look at me, giving me a pointed stare.

“Don’t glare at me. Talk to your brother.” I hitch a thumb at the man next to me, who looks so handsome in his dark jeans and blue button-down that I can barely keep my eyes off him... Or my hands, for that matter. Hence why we’re late...

“I offer no apologies.” He drops an arm over my shoulder, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Worth every second,” he murmurs so only I can hear.

“I’m going to pretend like you were busy unpacking and not”—she gestures between the two of us—“doing whatever it is you were probably doing.” She makes a face like she’s just bit into something bitter.

“Like you two don’t fuck like rabbits,” Maisie fires to Lyric with a knowing smirk.

“Um, brother in the car.” River shifts uncomfortably.

“Like you have room to talk.” She turns her attention to us. “You two are worse than they are.” She points at Kai and Lyric. “And that’s saying something.”

“I offer no apologies,” River repeats a second time, his smirk morphing into a full-blown smile.

“I’ve been abandoned for dick.” She huffs, but it doesn’t hide the glint of humor in her expression.

“There are worse things to be abandoned for,” I offer.

“Spoken like someone who’s not on the receiving end of her two best friends leaving her high and dry.”

“Mais...” Lyric starts.

“I told you I’d stay with you for the rest of the semester,” I remind her.

“And have to deal with you two...” She gestures between me and River. “I’d rather live alone.”

“At least this way, you get the room all to yourself...” I nudge her again with a lift of my eyebrows. “You know, to do... whatever.”

“I could do that even when you lived there.” She nudges me back.

“Yeah, but now you can do it without causing my eyeballs to bleed,” I tease.

“We’re here,” Kai announces before Maisie can say anything back, pulling the car into a vacant spot across from the restaurant.

“What is this place?” Maisie looks up at the awning, where the name is so faded it’s illegible.

For someone who grew up not far from here, we had to find a place she wasn’t familiar with so that she wouldn’t piece together what we were up to.

This was Kai’s suggestion. When you walk in, it’s just like any other run-of-the-mill bar and grill.

But the cool thing about this place is they have a back room that’s cut off from the rest of the restaurant, with its own private bar and stage, which is what we rented out for the night.

Not that any of us girls are legally old enough to drink, but that’s where dating older men comes in handy.

“Claire’s,” Lyric answers. “And don’t judge it just yet. I know it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but trust me, the food is amazing.”

Kai kills the engine and we all climb out of the car.

The second my feet hit the ground, River tucks me into his side like he can’t stand it when there’s any sort of distance between us.

Not that you will ever hear me complain about this.

I love it. Every graze of his fingers. Every brush of his hand.

Every touch, no matter how small, lights my insides on fire.

“Come on, birthday girl.” I extend my free arm to Maisie, who slides hers through mine, joining me on the opposite side of where River is.

Kai leads the way, Lyric’s hand tucked in his, the other three of us fast on their heels. River keeps his hold on me until we reach the door, and then he’s forced to let me go so that Maisie and I can step inside.

Lyric approaches the hostess, speaking low enough that Maisie can’t hear. With a nod, the young girl turns and leads us toward the back of the restaurant. It’s not until we stop in front of another door that Maisie seems to take notice something is up.

She looks at me, but before she can ask the question on her lips, Kai opens the door and I all but shove her inside the dark room.

The lights click on seconds later and an uproar of “Surprise!” fills the space as everyone in attendance jumps to their feet, some setting off poppers, little shards of colorful paper flying through the air.

“What the fuck!” Maisie steps back, a wide smile on her pretty face as she takes in the scene unfolding before her.

She looks at Lyric and then at me.

“You didn’t.”

“Happy Birthday!” we say in unison, wrapping our arms around her from opposite sides, enclosing her in a hug.

“I can’t believe you bitches.” She shakes her head as she pulls back, looking out over the dozens of people in attendance.

“Yo. Yo. Yo. Yo,” the DJ, Kai’s friend, speaks into the microphone set up on stage with his turn tables. “Now that the guest of honor has arrived, I think it’s time we get this party started!” He presses a few buttons and music fills the room seconds later.

Jackson appears through the crowd, pulling his sister into a hug before dragging her farther into the room.

“Well, our work here is done.” Lyric extends her fist and I bump it.

“I say it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labor,” I tell her with a smile.

“I would agree.”

I turn to River, batting my eyelashes dramatically.

“Froufrou or hardcore?” he asks.

I tap my chin like I’m really considering it.

“Hardcore,” I finally answer.

“Froufrou,” Lyric says at the exact same time.

We look at each other and burst into laughter.

“Women.” Kai grins at Lyric before looking at her brother. “Bar?”

“Bar,” River agrees, kissing the side of my head before disappearing through the crowd.

“Well, soon-to-be Mrs. Elliot, may I have this dance?” I bow dramatically in front of Lyric, my eyes falling to the gorgeous engagement ring now sitting on her finger.

She tips her head back with a laugh before taking my outstretched hand, and together we make our way to the dance floor, which already has a few people on it, swaying to the music.

Minutes bleed into hours, the night going by in a blur.

There are shots.

Music and dancing.

More shots.

A couple of frat guys giving Maisie a lap dance, which is only made funnier by the fact that her brother Jackson is in attendance.

Pretty sure Kai had to restrain him. Otherwise, he would have knocked the two guys’ skulls together for violating his little sister, though she didn’t seem to mind one bit.

All in all, it’s been a pretty incredible night.

One of the best.

Something I’ll remember for a long time to come.

And it’s only made that much more special by the people surrounding me.

Lyric, with her kind nature and soft heart.

Kai, the man responsible for my best friend’s immeasurable happiness. Even with all his brooding, I’m happy to call him a friend.

Maisie, fearless and unapologetic, the life of any party. My spirit sister.

And then there’s River.

The kind of man romance novels are written about.

He’s perfection in every way.

There isn’t a day that will pass that I won’t feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to have him at my side.

This feeling is only reiterated when he pulls me close, nuzzling his face into my hair in that sexy way he does.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go home and finish what we started earlier,” he murmurs into my ear, sucking the soft lobe in between his teeth.

My body sings to life in an instant, every other thought outside of being naked beneath him lost to the hum his touch evokes beneath my skin.

“I think I could be on board with that,” I admit, my arms going around him.

“Think anyone would miss us?”

“Do you really care?” I pull back to meet his gaze.

“Nope,” he says matter-of-factly, pulling a smile to my lips.

“Then what are you waiting for?” I arch a brow in challenge.

Without warning, he swoops down and picks me up. The next thing I know, I’m over his shoulder, my face at his back.

“River!” I squeal in laughter, the alcohol burning away any embarrassment I might feel under normal circumstances.

“I guess I’m leaving,” I call to Lyric, who gets one look at me draped over her brother’s shoulder and starts laughing.

“Don’t you need a ride?” she calls after us, but River doesn’t slow.

Guess that’s a no.

“Tell Maisie bye for me.” I have no idea if she hears me as we disappear into the crowd, and frankly, I don’t care.

Right now, the only thing I care about is going home and letting River have his way with me.

Naked beneath him is my favorite place to be, and I don’t see that letting up anytime soon.

Guess happy endings really do exist.

Though we’re nowhere near the end...

We’re only getting started.