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Dakota buirl tiotten about me”

That little dig was for my benefit I’d kept my distance, even from my best friend, because she was icheerleader in rehab, constantly pushing me to try harder, do better—rah, rah, rah!—but I had practically caved from the pressure

“I’d never forget you, babe” Still, she was the one person who knew me best

Or at least she used to Little did Dakota know I’d spenta new person A different person With a second chance at life I hadn’t let things tie et too close I’d bedded whomever I wanted and I always up and left thee

That’s why Avery and I saw eye to eye She had the sauys Until she met Bennett And then Ella met Quinn—but that was just in time for me to leave town for the summer, anyway

Avery and Ella accepted et close enough to learn about irl I’d always drea ging me to move back hoed visits since high school

But Mom had been there for me, and now I needed to return the favor I needed to revisit my old ties and responsibilities

“How do you think your bro’s adjusting to being home?” Shane asked, and my head immediately snapped up at the mention of Dakota’s older brother

When Dakota convinced me to live with her, she hadn’t toldabroad in A the past week I’d spent with the two of the at the pseudo Dutch accent he’d picked up or secretly drooling over his new physique I mean damn, he must have bench-pressed some serious windmills or shit over there

Not that he wasfor jocks And Kai—with his rotating selection of Vans sneakers and pants that fit his lean thighs like a second skin—was most certainly not a jock

Still, Kai and Dakota were hts It wouldn’t be the first time I’d admire Kai from a distance and it wouldn’t be the last

Dakota and Kai were easily two of thepeople I’d ever laid eyes on A mix of Dutch from their mother’s side and Native American from their father’s side, they’d been blessed with shiny hair that resembled silky strands of onyx

They also had the sao eyes as their mother, who had sandy-brown hair and fair skin Next to Mr Nakos, with his deep brown eyes, hair, and skin, she and her husband ether, in their children, was breathtaking Mrs Nakos liked to joke that her children were ree that the fa the most exquisite, exclusive island

At least Dakota did Kai looked s and shoulder-length hair

Kai’s family had owned several successful businesses over the years, including the casino a few rew up A part of me wondered if Kai had returned from Amsterdam to join his father’s ventures, but I instantly batted the idea down Kai wanted nothing to do with the faotten hi studio Their mother’s Dutch cousin had all but kicked him out after that

Kai had always been kind of a loose cannon—a lost soul He’d been in his share of bands, played several instruments, and had a reputation as a bad boy around town And beautiful bad boys always got the girls There’d been no shortage for him in that department

But he was also a walking contradiction His true passion was jazzaround his upright bass in a beat-up hard-shell case that looked as if it’d been on tour with a rock band And maybe it had—at least for that one su band and afterward hooked up with a local celebrity roup, in which he’d primarily played the keyboard That boy was mad talented

“Looks like nothing’s changed, right?” Dakota said

Kai stood near the bonfire surrounded by a few girls who no doubt wanted his undivided attention, just like old times He had on a pair of black skinny jeans that nobody had any business wearing, with so frolossy black hair was pulled away froray on top of white, thick enough to hide his nipple piercings, but every feeneral vicinity knew that if luck were on her side, she’d be able to find them

“That’sKai’s best friend had its advantages when it came to the female population, but Shane had always been the more serious one when it cairlfriend, but his relationships never lasted for too long, and in between, he’d pine over Dakota Or

When Kai’s eyes latched onto mine from across the yard, I felt that familiar pull toward hiularabandoned our hoer to find our way

Hoping to make it work

And dah the stray pieces of hair that fell from his makeshift elastic tie, I remembered what a beautiful soul he was He’d always had his looks going for hi across his bronzed cheekbones, he see in his stance—the way he toed the dirt, fists clenched at his sides that made him seem vulnerable Exposed More open than I’d ever witnessed before

The vision of his

But then he ruined that perfect i of the joint in his hand I hated when he smoked Still, I couldn’t help but notice how his full lips curved over the top of the blunt

What in the hell rong with me?

I’d grown up with Kai and was practically aabout o

Dakota said he’d been s to do with it being legal in A Kai ever wanted to do with his life was play music in some way, shape, or form So when he decided to study music theory in Amsterdam, I was actually i with a neas close to doing soed hiet the hell out of the country