Scandalous Series Starter Set: Books 1-3

by R. Linda

  ***

  The nightclub wasn’t much better than the bar. Too hot and too many people bumping and grinding against each other. I didn’t see the appeal of places like this at all. They were sleazy, dirty, and full of losers trying to prey on young, hot women, like Indie. Bailey. Kenzie. Harper. I gritted my teeth and shoved my hands in my pockets as I edged my way toward the bar.

  “Whiskey.” I nodded to the bartender because beer just wouldn’t cut it tonight.

  “On the hard stuff now, huh?” Brody shouted in my ear after ordering himself a beer.

  I slumped against the bar. I was on the hard stuff now, only because it made dealing with Jack-ass a little easier. “Where is everyone?”

  He tilted his beer bottle toward the centre of the dance floor, where I could just make out Kenzie’s mass of blonde curls and Nate’s terrible dance moves. “Come on. Don’t be a stick in the mud.” He nudged me with his elbow.

  I wasn’t a stick in the mud. I just didn’t want to go over there and dance when I had a perfectly good spot at the bar with a regular supply of liquor.

  “I’m fine here. You go. You look like you’re itching to bust out some moves.”

  “Your loss, man. Indie’s there.” He slapped me on the back and walked off, leaving me to nurse my whiskey.

  Everyone greeted him when he made it to their little circle, which had now shifted closer to the edge of the floor. Indie stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around him in a hug and proceeded to hang off his shoulder until Jack-ass finally pulled her away.

  They danced together. Like couples did. But they were too close. Their hips were touching too often. His hands were everywhere. In places they shouldn’t have been. Her hands were holding onto him. Touching his neck. His hair.

  My eyebrows pinched together, and my jaw hurt from clenching it so hard. I was considering getting up and leaving when I noticed Jack-ass dragging her toward the door while she struggled to get out of his hold. I stood at once and moved in their direction.

  “Jack, stop. I don’t want to go,” Indie tried to argue with him as I reached her side.

  “Don’t care, Indie. What the hell were you thinking, huh? Wearing something like that to a nightclub,” he hissed at her. “You look like a whore.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks, causing him to jerk backwards.

  I grabbed Indie by the arm and put her behind me. Squaring my shoulders, I glared at Jack. “That was out of line. Apologise.”

  “Whatever. Look at her. Every single guy in this club can’t take his eyes off her.” Jack looked around the club, my gaze following his, and I realised he was right. Not everyone, but a lot of guys were looking at her because she looked gorgeous.

  “Still no need to speak to her that way.”

  “Look, bro, I don’t care right now. I’m done. I’m tired. She can either come back to the hotel with me like the good little girlfriend she is, or she can stay here, and you can deal with her.”

  I turned to face her. “What do you want to do, Princess?”

  “Stay,” she breathed hesitantly, her gaze darting over my shoulder at Jack. Was she scared of him?

  “Fine. Don’t come knocking on my door in the middle of the night, baby cakes. I won’t answer.” And with that, he turned and stormed out.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Want to go back over and dance?”

  “No, I need a drink.”

  “I can help with that.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bar.

  Two tequila slammers later, she had me on the dance floor with everyone else. Somehow, Nate ended up dancing with Harper, and Brody was wrapped around Kenzie, completely oblivious to the threatening glares Ryder was sending his way. I kept my distance, dancing beside Indie.

  That was until some loser worked his way into the middle of our small group and began grinding against Indie. She looked at me with wide eyes and tried to step away, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. I took one step forward and crossed my arms.

  “Back off, man. We’re just having fun,” he said with a sneer. The gel in his hair made it stick straight up like a porcupine.

  “Does it look like she’s having fun?” I asked, aware Nate, Brody, and Ryder were watching closely.

  “I don’t hear her complaining.” She was struggling against his hold.

  “Well, I am. Piss off and leave my girl alone.” I grabbed Indie’s hands and pulled her against me, where she fit perfectly.

  “Sorry, man. My bad.” He held his hands up in surrender before scurrying away after one look at Nate and Brody flanking me on either side.

  Indie waited until the douche with too much gel had disappeared before trying to move away from me.

  “Uh-uh.” I pulled her so her back was pressed to my chest. “You’re staying right here with me.”

  I expected an argument or for her to roll her eyes at me and tell me I was being an idiot, but she didn’t. No, she relaxed into me and began dancing, swinging her hips to the beat of the music, one hand raised in the air, the other gripping my forearm tightly to her waist, which was perfectly okay with me. I hated dancing, but that was how much I loved that girl.

  We moved together languidly. I had no idea if we were keeping time to the music or not, and I didn’t care. I was just enjoying the moment while it lasted. No way would Nate be okay with me dancing with his sister like I was if it hadn’t been for the other loser trying to get under her dress. I didn’t know how long we danced, but it was long enough that the others had stopped for a breather and a drink or two. Yet we continued dancing, only stopping when Kenzie came running over to tell us, “Body shots!”

  “Body shots?” Indie looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. “You game?”

  I gulped. Hell yes, I was game, but I didn’t want to face the repercussions. Nate would kill me in my sleep if I so much as glanced at the wrong body part, let alone did shots.

  “You have to. It’ll be fun.” Indie laughed as she pulled me over to the table where there were sixteen shot glasses filled with what I assumed was tequila since there was a salt shaker and a bowl of sliced lemon.

  “All right! Let’s do this!” Nate cheered. His eyes were glassy, a red tinge covered his cheeks, and he swayed a little on his feet.

  “How much has he had to drink?” Indie asked.

  “No idea.” I held her in front of me as we watched Nate pull his shirt off. What the hell was he doing?

  “Okay, Harper, when you’re ready.” He winked. I rolled my eyes, Indie groaned, and Harper giggled. Jesus.

  Body shots were incredibly uncomfortable to watch. All the licking, drinking, sucking. It was gross. At least until it was my turn to taste Indie’s skin. Everyone else had taken their shots. Nate and Harper, Brody and Kenzie—much to Ryder’s disgust—Ryder and Bailey, and now it was our turn. I was just hoping Nate had had enough to drink that he didn’t care I was about to lick his sister and suck a lemon wedge out of her mouth.

  Damn. Dreams really did come true.

  I stepped back to examine Indie in her tight, strapless silver dress, trying to decide where I wanted to put the salt, but she had other ideas.

  “Shirt, please?” she asked, holding out her hand to me.

  I looked down. I was not taking my shirt off. “No.”

  “Come on, man. Don’t be a wimp.” This from Nate.

  I rubbed my hand over my face. Fine. They asked for it. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and handed it to Indie.

  “Hmm…” She tapped her finger to her lips in contemplation. I didn’t like being studied that way, but I couldn’t deny I liked her looking at me all the same.

  She twirled her finger, indicating for me to turn around.

  “Perfect.” Her voice was soft as her hand wrapped around me from behind, bringing a lemon wedge to my lips. “Okay, you ready?”

  I nodded, my back still to her. Her fingers danced along my back for a moment, but then the warm
th of her breath caressed my shoulder blades, just before her tongue slid across my spine, directly in the centre of my shoulders. A few seconds passed, and I knew she was sprinkling the salt over the place she licked. Her fingers pressed into my biceps, and her tongue darted out and swiped across my spine. Not once. Not twice. But three times, licking up every granule of salt from my overheating skin. A groan escaped my lips, and my eyes might have rolled into the back of my head. Why did that feel so good? Turning, I caught her just as she swallowed down her shot before standing on the tips of her toes to lean in close and bite into the lemon that was still hanging from my lips. It took every ounce of self-control I could muster not to drop that lemon and kiss her senseless.

  Dammit. I should have gone first. How was I supposed to do a body shot when all I wanted to do was run my tongue over every square inch of her skin?

  “Your turn.” Indie smiled and handed me the salt shaker then put another lemon wedge in her mouth. I licked my lips, suddenly feeling parched.

  Reaching over the table, I plucked an ice cube from the wine bucket and turned to smile at Indie. Her eyes widened, and she stood perfectly still. Brushing her hair over her left shoulder, I traced below her collarbone with my finger, watching as her chest rose and fell rapidly, before following the same line with the ice cube. I dragged the frozen block of water across her warm skin and watched goose bumps appear on her flesh.

  I popped the ice cube into my mouth and sprinkled the salt shaker over her collarbone. Reaching for my shot, I chanced a glance at Nate, but he was too engrossed in a conversation with Harper to notice what I was doing. Brody gave me a knowing look. Ryder appeared to be bored, and Bailey sat, watching with rapt attention, which I found a little weird but brushed aside.

  “Ready?”

  “Uh-huh.” Her voiced sounded choked, strangled, like she could barely speak.

  I dipped my head, taking advantage of the fact that Nate seemed to have been swept off his feet by Harper, and gently dragged my nose down the column of Indie’s throat before sliding my tongue across her skin, swirling and licking all the salt clean, sucking slightly on the protruding bone. Why? Because I wanted to drive her as crazy as she drove me. I felt her gasp rather than heard it, and that was enough for me to know it was working. Pulling back, I downed the shot and didn’t hesitate to wrap my lips around the lemon wedge between her teeth. Our mouths brushed as I sucked on the fruit, getting every drop of juice I could. I didn’t know who dropped the lemon first, but it fell to the floor at our feet while I traced my tongue along her lips, lapping up the tartness left over from the citrus fruit.

  Indie’s legs gave out. Wrapping my arms around her, I caught her just before she fell.

  Brody cleared his throat. Kenzie studied me curiously with the exact same look her brother was giving me.

  “That was, umm…interesting.” Bailey laughed. “I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment.”

  “Nothing intimate about body shots,” I lied. That body shot was undeniably intimate, but I didn’t want to call attention to it, not when Nate hadn’t noticed, but everyone else appeared to have.

  “Umm…Well, I’m tired. So I’m gonna head back. Night, guys,” Indie announced, wrapping her arms around her chest and turning away from me. She waved to everyone and walked toward the door, leaving me staring after her like a complete fool.

  “You’re an idiot,” Bailey and Brody said the same time, looking at me like I had just told them I was a blue alien from Mars.

  “What did I do?” I really didn’t know. She said she was tired, but she could have at least waited thirty seconds for me.

  “Go,” Ryder and Kenzie ordered simultaneously. Like some freaky twin thing, they ushered me away from the table and after Indie.

  Chapter Eleven

  Indie

  He was such a jerk. Completely clueless. I shouldn’t have let his comment bother me, because I should have been used to it by now, but I did. It hurt. I wouldn’t do body shots with just anyone. I couldn’t even date anyone because I always compared them to him, and then he went and brushed it off like it was nothing.

  “Indie, wait!” he called from behind me. I didn’t stop or turn around. I only wanted to go back to the hotel.

  “Hey.” He fell into step beside me. “You can’t walk back by yourself.”

  I ignored him and kept walking. I wasn’t wasting any more time on him. I really wasn’t. We continued silently side by side until I stumbled on the cracks in the concrete path. Linc’s hand shot out and grabbed my elbow, steadying me.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. Stupid heels and tequila didn’t mix. Me and heels in general didn’t mix. “What was everyone else doing?” I was making small talk because the silence felt weird, uncomfortable.

  “Drinking. I think they’re all going to be very sick tomorrow. Probably won’t even leave their rooms.”

  We were approaching another bar with a loud group of—I squinted to see better—men and their motorbikes out the front. A biker bar in Fiji?

  “I wish you weren’t wearing that dress right now.” Linc tensed beside me.

  “Excuse me?” Was he telling me I looked like a whore as well? It was not my fault. It was all Jack and Bailey’s stupid idea to replace my clothes and make me dress like…this.

  “You think I look like a whore too?” I stopped walking, a frown tugging at my lips.

  “No, of course not.” He stopped and faced me, his left hand coming to rest on my hip, while his right traced the neckline of my low-cut dress. My breath hitched. “I love this dress on you. But—”

  “But?” There was always a but.

  “You’re going to attract all the wrong attention, like back in the club.”

  I cringed at the thought of the greasy guy who tried to dance with me. He smelled of stale beer and onions. I wanted to throw up. Yuck.

  Linc dropped his hands and shifted me to his other side, putting himself between me and where the bikers were already whistling and calling out.

  Slinging his arm over my shoulder, he pulled me against him. With my head tucked under his chin, he directed us across the street away from the bar, keeping me shielded from the leering creepers hanging out on the footpath. Once we were a safe distance from the bar and the street was quiet, I expected Linc to drop his arm and let me go, but he didn’t. He kept me close until we reached the door to his room.

  “Well, goodnight. Thanks for walking me back.” I stepped over to my door, but then I froze. “Dammit.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My room key. Jack has it.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache forming. I would bet that was his plan. Leave me alone at the club and take my room key so I had no choice but to call him or go to Linc’s room. He’d expect me to do the latter, but I had news for him. I was going to call him, wake him up, and make him bring me my key. It was only—I checked my thin silver watch—four a.m. It was only fair after calling me a whore when he knew damn well I wasn’t.

  I didn’t have my phone. Jack had it. I groaned and dropped my head to the door, banging it a few times. Why did Jack like to torture me? It was like he was doing everything in his power to force me and Linc together, but it wouldn’t work. Lincoln didn’t see me that way. I was like his little sister. He’d made that perfectly clear on many occasions, and I was stupid for holding out hope. Jack was only making it worse.

  “What’s wrong?” Linc touched my shoulder.

  I pulled my head back to look at him. “Jack has my phone, too.”

  “Why?” He stepped away and nodded at his door, indicating for me to follow him.

  So I’d do exactly this. Follow him into his room for the night.

  “In his pockets, so I didn’t have to carry everything all night.”

  “Here,” he pulled his phone out and handed it to me, “call him.”

  I smiled gratefully and took the phone, punching in Jack’s number quickly and putting it to my ear. It rang three times before he answere
d.

  “Tell me you’re in his room right now.”

  “Yes,” I sighed.

  “So why are you calling me at four a.m.?”

  “Because—”

  “You want me to join you?” He cackled into the phone, sounding far too excited by the thought.

  “No! I need my room key.”

  “Nope, sorry. You’re just going to have to stay with lover boy.”

  “Please, Jack. Please bring it up for me,” I begged, my voice catching at the end. I’d had too much to drink, and I was still hurt from Linc’s comments earlier. For some reason, my head kept replaying every conversation and interaction we’d ever had that turned bad, that usually ended with me crying myself to sleep. From our first kiss in my dad’s office, to the time I thought he was going to kiss me again when I returned home for the summer holidays after being away for most of the year, only to jump back in shock and mutter something about “little sister,” and to every other time he acted like he cared, flirted, looked after me, only to ruin it by dismissing it as nothing.

  But it was never nothing. Not to me.

  “Okay, baby cakes, I’ll be right there.” Jack’s voice softened in understanding.

  “Thanks.” I hung up and handed the phone back to Linc, who was pacing the room, pulling on his hair.

  “So?”

  “Jack’s on his way up.” I stood and moved toward the door, intending to wait outside.

  “Stay. Wait here for him,” Linc said. “I’ll get you a water.”

  “Water?” I turned and crossed my arms, watching him curiously. He pulled a bottle of water from the mini fridge and gave it to me.

  “You’ve had a lot to drink. You should drink all of that before you go to bed. Have you got painkillers for the morning?”

  So we were back to the caring big brother act. And this was why my head was always a mess around him. I didn’t know which way was up. “I think so.”

  We stood awkwardly facing each other, me taking sips of my water, unscrewing the lid, and putting it back on, over and over. Finally, after what felt like hours but was more like two minutes, the door burst open and Jack came charging in.