Tags:
Fiction,
Romance,
YA),
hollywood,
Young Adult,
teen fiction,
ya fiction,
angel,
fallen angel,
archangel,
contest,
City of Angels
myself. Fortunately, small, intimate sitting areas were clustered around the perimeter with one VIP area, a white gossamer-draped tent set on an elevated dais that overlooked the entire club.
Des too, goggled at our surroundings. âThe only thing missing is a harp and some feathery wings,â she gasped.
âCheck it. ThereââJameson pointed to an ornate, golden harp sitting in a corner like a decorative fernââand there,â he said, nodding his chin toward a downy pair of oversized angel wings mounted above the crystal bar. His expression remained inscrutable, but I heard the suppressed distaste in his tone.
âI donât suppose thereâs a dart board with white feathered darts?â Des asked hopefully, and I motioned for her to shush.
âDarts?â Jameson asked in surprise.
Ignoring my âzip your lipsâ hand signals, Des said. âYou should see Aly. She can beat anyone. Iâve tried
convincing her she could play her way into a fortune because no one would suspect her of being a dart shark, but sheâs too nice.â
Jameson turned to me with raised brows. âReally?â
âMy dad taught me.â I gave a demure shrug. âItâs a hidden talent.â
Des spun on her heels to get a slow, 360 view of the club. âI canât decide if this is my worst nightmare or a dream come true I never knew I had.â
âItâs ⦠itâs ⦠â I stammered, unable to decide between âoutrageousâ and âprofane.â
âMine,â a voice finished.
Dakota!
âWelcome to my club,â he said as he brushed a warm kiss on my cheek and then bent to do the same to Des.
ConfessionâI felt torn between wanting to sigh out loud and flinching because I still felt rattled over what had happened at the photo shoot. Not surprisingly, Dakota looked perfectly normal now. Yet I couldnât shake a residual unease.
Glancing at Jameson, my resentment flared. Would I even be having these doubts about Dakota if not for him? Probably not.
âYou own Chastity? â Des stopped herself with a giggle-snort. âRephrase ⦠This club is yours?â She openly appraised the snug white jeans and Dolce & Gabbana dress shirt with black trim that Dakota was wearing.
âYep.â He shoved his fists in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels. âItâs one of my favorite investments.â He proudly soaked in the celestial sexiness before giving Des an impish wink. âAnd a fun poke at the otherworldly darkness of Paranormal PI.â
It certainly was the antithesis of his show.
âArenât you a clever beast?â Des said in a flirty tone.
I could swear Jameson barked a âha!â and then covered it with a coughing fit. âSorry,â he finally said, clearing his throat. âThink I need a drink.â
âGood idea, bro,â Dakota said, slapping him on the shoulder. He led us up the stairs to his private, unoccupied sitting area and we sank into a plush, U-shaped sofa. Surely a cloud would feel just as fluffy and decadent.
Des artfully arranged her retro skirt, with its tulle fullness, around her so Dakota could sit close. His gaze strayed to the ample cleavage peeking out of her push-up corset bodice. âYou girls look amazing,â he said, encompassing us both in the compliment even though his eyes never strayed from my BFF.
Des gave a demure âthank you,â and I had a gut âuh-ohâ reaction. The warning sirens shrieked even louder when Dakota wrapped his arm around her shoulders and snuggled her closer to his side. Joy burst across Desâs face and her body oozed against him like hot candle wax.
Houston, we have a big ole freakinâ problem.
It was one thing for her to crush on Dakota, another for her to fantasize âwhat if,â and an entirely different
matter for her to actually succumb to his much older, much more