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“Panda” by Desiigner started up and we ended up dancing a hell of a lot closer than I was used to.
    The alcohol swept through me, loosening my inhibitions, but it didn't knock me on my ass. When I was fourteen and Tyce was seventeen, right before he skipped out on me, we'd drive all the way out to this crazy secret swim spot and spent the day sipping whiskey. Having a mom who was a (sometimes) alcoholic had introduced me to booze at a young age. I could hold my liquor.
    Still, even though Kai offered several more drinks throughout the night, I turned them down, letting my gentle buzz fade away until all I could feel was the heat and the sweat of the club, the crush of so many bodies moving together. Kai and I stuck close throughout the night, even though he was approached by a number of other girls. Clearly, he was a popular guy.
    “Good luck at the game on Saturday,” one of them said after last call was made and another round of drinks circulated through the club. I paused for a moment as Kai traded in an empty shot glass for water and downed it all in one go. I seemed to be a magnet for coincidences lately, so …
    “The game?” I asked over the wild bass, leaning up on my tiptoes so he could hear me above the murmur of the crowd. “Are you on the team? The football team,” I clarified although I needn't have bothered. During football season, there was only one team anyone really cared about.
    Kai grinned nice and wide, his teeth bright white in the swirling darkness and the strobe lights.
    “Linebacker for the Oregon Ducks,” he stated proudly, holding out his hand for another shake. “Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand back and returned the friendly smile. Speaking of coincidences … how random is this? With the luck I'd been having, of course the first nice guy I met was on the team.
    “Do you know Tyce Winship?” I asked. I couldn't resist. Kai's smile slipped a little, and I realized how that probably sounded out of context. “I'm not, like, a fan or anything. I don't even really like football.”
    “Well that's good to know,” Kai said with a boisterous laugh, nodding his chin towards the door. “Can I give you a ride home?” he asked, and I paused, thinking about the number of drinks he'd had. He should be good to drive.
    “That'd be great, thanks,” I told him as we left the club and the cool autumn air pricked my bare arms. “I took a cab over here, but if you don't mind driving me over to the stadium, I'd love a ride.”
    “Sure thing,” Kai said, showing me to his car, a swanky new black sedan that must've been a gift from a family member. I knew the guys on the team, although swathed in luxury, didn't actually get paid. “Hop on in.” Kai opened the door for me, still smiling with those warm brown eyes of his.
    After he climbed in on the driver's side and we pulled onto the nearly empty street, he brought up Tyce again.
    “So how do you know Winship?” he asked, and I could tell from the tentative note in his voice that Tyce probably had a reputation. Based on what I'd already seen from him, I wasn't surprised. I could still see the image of his hand cupping Jia's ass firmly in my mind. And taste the warm bourbon vanilla flavor of his lips. He tasted like home and comfort and old memories.
    I blinked back the blurry memory of my first kiss. It might've just happened this afternoon, but the moment was so heated and emotional, I could hardly bring it up in my mind. I picked at the red tie on my pink clutch, staring at the painted face of a woman with a butterfly in her hair.
    “Tyce and I go way back,” I said, looking over at Kai's rugged viking face. He had a much rougher look than Tyce, just as wild but in a different way, like he was a polar bear and Tyce was a panther. “We grew up together,” I continued, wanting to wipe that knowing look off of Kai's face. If he'd thought I'd slept with Tyce, he was dead wrong. That would never happen. “I was just curious about him. He