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It was probably just the atmosphere. Something chemical that would burn off by morning. He’d definitely never felt that jolt in her direction before, although he’d pretty much steered clear of her. Understandable, since his first glimpse of Chloe had been in the photographs taken by the PI he’d hired a couple of years back.
The PI hadn’t been a real one, just a former high school friend, and Michael hadn’t been trying to get pix of Chloe. He’d been trying to get photos of Lila with Nick—back when she was still married to his father—in the hopes of showing her how indiscreet she was being. He’d only wanted to remind her what was at risk if she got caught cheating, not cause her any trouble.
Yeah, it sounded crazy even in his own head. Which was why he’d swiftly disavowed the whole thing, including Chloe. She’d become persona non grata in his mind. Any reminders of the period when he’d been so worried about Lila had been shoved to the back of his thoughts.
And that included the cute redheaded preggo girl inadvertently captured with Nick in the PI’s pictures.
Fuck, she’d been pregnant. She had a baby. So much for being just some young girl out having fun. She was somebody’s mother.
He took another long swig off the bottle and glanced around the empty hotel room. Ry had probably gone to shower.
Chloe might be showering too right now. Getting ready for the night.
For him. And wasn’t that a kick in the ass?
Talk about unbelievable.
He and Chloe had bumped into each other a few times on holidays and such, since she was now on the fringes of their group of friends and family. He didn’t know her whole backstory, just that she’d dated one of the guys who’d started Oblivion and had his kid. The guy was dead, and he’d caused a bunch of trouble for Oblivion before he passed.
And this is who you want to have a meaningless hookup with?
He took another belt from the bottle. He didn’t give a shit about what was right or wrong. Not tonight. She’d been flirting with him just as much as he’d been into her. So what if they kind of knew each other? Everyone knew what happened in Vegas stayed there.
One night. One morning after. Two satisfied people.
Hell, if she sucked in bed, or their chemistry fizzled out, well, he’d just avoid her end of the dinner table at family events. No big. Lila wasn’t exactly Chloe’s biggest fan anyway, since she had some past with Nick too.
He rubbed at his temple. What past, exactly? Why couldn’t he remember? Shit was already getting a little fuzzy at the edges, which on one hand—fucking awesome. On the other, his lizard brain didn’t have the best track record.
Especially since the serpent in his pants didn’t know the meaning of the word discriminating.
Things were getting too serious. He’d just had the best show of his life. Mal had disappeared before he could speak to him, even to say thanks, but that was okay. The rest of Warning Sign had stuck around through Brooklyn Dawn and Oblivion’s kickass sets, and the amount of excitement flowing through Michael’s veins was nearly at the illegal limit. He’d be damned if thoughts about Chloe’s home life lessened his buzz.
She was just a pretty girl. He’d get her over or under him, or maybe they’d just dance and flirt. If she wasn’t into it, or she wasn’t around, there would be someone else.
Even if he didn’t want anyone else. He wanted her. Just her.
Fuck, he needed another drink.
He traded the first bottle of whiskey—hey, it was empty, look at that—for another. He tucked it into the inside pocket of the jacket he shrugged on just before Ry stopped by Michael’s bedroom to remind him to bring ID.
His buddy wouldn’t let him open carry into a party. Even if everyone else and their cousin was tipsy, his best friend would make sure Michael kept up appearances.
Still, he managed to get more than a few sips off the bottle as Ryan finished getting ready. The alcohol was definitely doing its job. When Ry made some comment about him needing to beg Mal to come back for their next show, Michael only laughed. Mal was his brother. He wouldn’t need to beg.
Damn, he loved whisky.
He’d cleared a quarter of the bottle before they passed by security at the front door of the club. They met up with the rest of Warning Sign just inside the entrance, along with a few members of Brooklyn Dawn and Oblivion. For once, no one was pregnant in the Oblivion crew, and it looked like everyone was in the mood to have a good time.
Just like him.
He’d made it about three steps before he bumped into Lila. His luck was in, however, since she was currently engaged in a conversation with her husband and didn’t notice Michael behind her.
“I told you that we shouldn’t have done the new single first. You just bowed to Donovan’s pressure.” Nick tossed back whatever he was drinking and set aside the glass. “As usual.”
“I don’t bow to any male’s pressure, thank you very much. Including yours.”
“We’ll see if you say that in ten minutes.”
