Edge of Chaos (Love on the Edge #1) (18 page)

Blue stage lights sparkled off thick layers of smoke in the air. My head buzzed with a wonderful mixture of loud music and floaty-sensation. My muscles had never been so relaxed as I swayed rhythmically to the sound of the electric violin and closed my eyes as the lead singer crooned the first note of my favorite song. The music touched me, soaked through my skin, and hummed in my bones. The pleasure built inside me until I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I let out a scream and threw the rock sign up. Dash followed suit, and so did a bunch of others in the crowd.

Dash stood next to me, nodding his head to the music. I glanced around at Justin, who was behind us with his hands crossed over his chest. He stared at the stage but remained still. I couldn’t fathom how he could be surrounded by such awesome music and not move.

I turned my attention back to the stage and nudged Dash when the band segued into his favorite song. He let out a holler of his own. We both mouthed lyrics at each other over the next few songs and banged our heads to the beat. I’d never been to a show with someone who loved the band as much as I did, and I instantly decided it was the absolute best way to experience it. Blue slowed down to a soft tune and my heart jumped when Justin left the bar and pulled me closer to him. My shock of him asking me to dance quickly vanished when he continued to tug me toward a clear space closer to the bar where I could hear him easier.

“We have to go,” he said.

“What? No. They’re not even close to finished yet.”

“Look, I’m sorry, but the guys have this major tournament up. They can’t finish it without me. Our team will forfeit.”

I freed my wrist from his fingers as an angry response churned itself up in my stomach. “I can’t—”

“I can take Blake home.” Dash cut me off, and I only then realized he stood next to us.

Justin’s eyes went to slits, looking Dash up and down. Of course he didn’t know that Dash knew exactly where I lived and had hung out with me—John and Paul as well—plenty of times. The battle in his eyes was clear, but I couldn’t tell where he’d land.

“Fine.” Justin took my hand again. “We will do breakfast tomorrow though. And the movie. I promise. Be at my house at eight. Okay?”

I nodded. “Thanks for bringing me,” I said as he walked out of earshot.

Dash grabbed my hand and guided me back to the dance floor before I could contemplate how, or
if,
I was even upset.

I quickly focused on the band who launched into a fast-paced number that I knew by heart. The sweet, bubbly sensation still popped underneath my skin, and chased away any thought I’d have given to Justin’s departure. Instead, I let loose the moves I normally saved for my kitchen. Bouncing from side to side, I grabbed Dash’s hand and spun myself around, the night from our failed chase fresh in my mind. It wasn’t anywhere near club music, so Dash didn’t take control and draw me close like he had before, but he twirled me a couple times before letting go and matching my steady bounce.

Soon we each played an air instrument in perfect synchronization. Caught up in my mad air-guitar skills, I didn’t see a man the size of a linebacker making his way toward the bar and stepped right in his path. The sheer mass of his movement knocked me off balance, and I toppled hard into Dash.

I gripped his shoulders, and he steadied me with one strong arm wrapped around my lower back.

“Sorry!” the man shouted and continued to the bar.

I glanced up at Dash, my lids slightly hooded.

“You all right, woman?”

“Couldn’t be better.” The truth rang clear in my voice and I don’t know why I was surprised at the notion. Justin had left, had bailed once again, and I just . . . didn’t care.

Dash raised his eyebrows but didn’t break our gaze. I stared back at him, enjoying the hard press of his body against mine. My eyes trailed to his lips. I wondered what he tasted like? I imagined something sweet and intense, like dark chocolate and cayenne. I blinked a couple times and realized I hadn’t let go of his shoulders. I slowly pulled away. He unwound his arm from my waist, and my heart raced.

He winked at me, and my limbs melted. I quickly bounced up and down to the next song, desperately grounding myself in the present and forcing my mind to stop fantasizing about Dash. I blamed the brownie.

The band did an encore, but it still ended too soon. I’m pretty sure I could watch Blue perform for well over their normal two-hour limit.

We funneled into the line of a hundred or so other people exiting the building at a slow crawl. There were only inches between me and the person in front of me, but Dash’s chest pressed against my back as he stood behind me. I couldn’t deny how safe I felt with him there. And I couldn’t stop my body from reacting the way it did, or my mind from trying to make the friendship I had with Dash into something more. I focused my thoughts on Justin and our breakfast date tomorrow, instantly deciding I’d use the time to talk and find common ground again. I assured myself that is all it would take to end the madness filling my head.

Then Dash shifted his weight behind me, his hand accidentally grazing my hip causing an electric current to run through the center of my body and crackle.

Hail sat on the floor, resting her head on Dash’s knee, the perfect pout plastered on her face. We were devouring the two pizzas we’d brought home after the concert, and she was in a mood since I wouldn’t let Dash give her any. She already weighed fifty pounds and didn’t need any more jiggle. I told her she was perfect the way she was, but she continuously begged for food like I starved her.

“Did you get a good look at Ryan’s new violin? It was badass!” Dash said, stuffing another slice of pepperoni in his mouth.

“Yeah, it was wicked! I loved the bright blue flames.” I finished off my fourth slice and carried the empty box to the kitchen. I set it on the counter and grabbed two more beers from the fridge, twisting off the caps and tossing them in the box. I stopped when I turned back around, finding Dash petting Hail as she leaned against his legs. I swear both of them were smiling, and the sight warmed my insides.

“You going to drink both those beers, woman, or are you sharing?”

I handed Dash one of the bottles and sat back down.

“So, Dash Lexington, what’s your real name?” I asked, hoping the abrupt shift in conversation would shock him enough to tell me.

“Nope.”

“Seriously? Beer and a pot brownie and you still won’t let it slip?”

“Never going to happen, Blake.” He took another swig from the bottle.

I sank further into the couch and fake-sulked while nursing my own longneck. The beer tasted unusually good tonight, as did the pizza. The credit could go to the brownie, but I suspected it was because the night had been utterly awesome.

“So, are you upset that Justin bailed to play video games . . . again?”

“No.”

“Really?”

I shrugged, unable to convey the battle of thoughts raging in my head. “He promised breakfast tomorrow. What more can I ask for?” The question sounded much more depressing than I’d meant it to.

Dash sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Just seems like he should be here and not me.”

My stomach sank. “Do you not want to be here?”

He glanced at me, his green eyes intense as ever. “Not what I meant. I love being around you, Blake. You know that if the choice came down to it, I’d rather be with you than do almost anything else in the world. But I also want you to be happy.”

“I’m happy—”

“Tonight,” Dash cut me off. “And it’s not due to him because whenever he does something for you, it’s
still
about him.”

He was right; I couldn’t deny it. A slow, familiar dull ache surfaced in my chest. “I know that, but what would you have me do?” He knew the reasons I stayed.

Dash set his beer down and gently clutched my shoulder, pinning me with those damn green eyes. “I’d have you realize that the woman you are deserves better than the man he is.”

“But . . .” It wasn’t that simple. “Who’s to say I deserve better than what Justin gives me? It’s been like this forever. I don’t know anything outside of it.” I chided myself, because I
did
know better. Because of Dash.

The warmth from his hand slid across my skin as he moved it to my neck. “Don’t think that. You deserve more, Blake. And you need to understand that you are so much more than how you see yourself and a hell of a lot more than how he treats you.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I tried to ignore the sparks erupting low in my belly from Dash’s words and touch. I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. He studied me, gauging me for a response, but I didn’t have the words.

“Do you . . .” I inhaled sharply. “Do you want another beer?” I asked instead of opening the door he knocked on.

He let out a long breath, like he’d been holding it. I glanced at him and his eyes were on me. Really on me, with a deep, almost magnetic stare I’d never seen before. It made my heart race. He reached his hand up and touched the ends of my hair where it lay on my shoulder. The light caress sent a wave of heat throughout my entire body.

“You deserve to be free.” His voice was soft and low and different, like I was hearing it for the first time.

I parted my lips, but only air escaped.

Dash sighed. “I better go before I have too many and have to crash here again,” he said, standing from the couch. The playful grin he sported set my nerves at ease but didn’t erase the seriousness of his earlier words.

“Yeah, my couch isn’t much to sleep on,” I said and couldn’t stop the blush that flooded my cheeks. The first night Dash and I hung out he’d ended up sleeping over. And look how far we’d come. My best friend—I couldn’t imagine life without him.

Dash took a step closer after kissing Hail goodbye. He looked down at me, his eyes hopping from mine to my lips and back again. My hands trembled.

“I didn’t mind it.” He winked before he turned and walked to my door. “See you later.”

I stared at the door long after he’d left, desperately trying to ignore the shockwave of heat pulsing throughout my entire body.

I STOOD OUTSIDE
Justin’s door, thirty minutes after eight a.m. I’d wanted to give him some extra time—knowing mornings weren’t his strong suit—to start our day on the right foot. I heard laughter from the other side of the door, followed by insults and playful shouting. The boys were over and still playing COD. Had they even slept?