Tish POV
Kaden kisses me on the cheek before I get in the car with Kai. He places a phone in my hand and growls in his brother's direction. "My number is already in there. If you have any issues with him, just call me, and I will come get you."
Kai pops his head out of the car and snaps at his brother. "I know you aren't talking about me."
"Well, I certainly wasn't the one in the closet with Jessica," Kaden snarls.
Kai is getting ready to march around the side of the car, but I scream out for them to "Stop."
"I told you," I force the words from my mouth. "I don't care. We slept together one time. It's not like that makes us exclusive."
Even though I have said the words, I don't believe them. There is a part of me that wants to keep these brothers to myself. I want to hide them away, so no one else can see them. But that is absurd, I barely know them.
Kaden is still glaring at Kai, but Kai gets into the car. Slamming his door shut, he spouts off a string of cuss words while revving the engine. Before I can wave to Kaden, Kai takes off, flinging gravel in Kaden's direction.
I settle in the seat and try to pay attention to where we are going. The last thing I want is to be a lost human among werewolves. For some reason, I don't think that would work out well for me.
Kai's hands are gripping the steering wheel in anger. He keeps mumbling under his breath, but I can't understand what he is saying. I feel the need to take his mind of Kaden and fill the silence between us.
"Can I ask you a question?" I ask.
"I already told you," he groans. "Nothing happened in the closet."
"It's not about that. It's about that weird tingling thing you do with your hands," I ask curiously.
Kai shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "It is a werewolf sex thing."
"I don't think so," I say, wrinkling my nose. "It didn't happen when I slept with Kieran."
The car swerves off the road and skids to a stop. He turns his head slowly in my direction, and his eyes are turning black. Instinctively, I press myself up against the door and try to put space between us.
"You slept with another Alpha?" He growls in shock.
"I mean," I begin to trip over my words. "I don't think he was an Alpha when we had sex. Does it matter? It was only one time. He never called me."
I thought that bit of information would make things better, but Kai's eyes are nearly black. "He slept with you and then dumped you?"
"Not exactly," I whisper.
"Explain," Kai demands.
"It's not necessary," I say in embarrassment. "I was just curious why it tingles where you touch me."
"You aren't getting off that easy, and neither is Alpha Kieran," he snaps at me. "Explain."
"Ugh," I groan. "It's not a big deal. He came into a bar I was working at, and we had sex."
"Like he took you home, and you had sex?" Kai demands more information.
"No, Mr. Busy Body. I had sex with him in the booth at the bar while having a conversation with my boss," I respond angrily. "Why does any of this matter? It was a long time ago, and I just caught you in the closet with another woman."
"You had sex in a bar?" Kai says slowly.
"Yep," I say cheerfully, just to piss him off. I am getting tired of his interrogation.
"You aren't working for Cedric," he says quickly as he pulls back onto the road.
"Don't be silly," I laugh. "It was literally one time, and the dude happened to be another Alpha. I don't understand why you care so much. It's not like we are in a relationship or in love."
"Are you saying that sex with me meant nothing?" Kai growls.
"Oh, for fuck's sake. Are you the girl, or am I? Why are you being so sensitive?" I try to laugh off his anger.
He tries to do a U-turn in the middle of the road, but I grab the wheel and jerk it back. Kai and I are fighting over the wheel, and the car is swerving all over the road. Headlights are dodging us left and right, but I refuse to give up.
"You are taking me to get a job," I grind out.
Kai slaps my hands away, gains control of the car, and wipes sweat from his brow. I am breathing heavily, but I am not sorry for my actions. This is my chance to get out of here.
"You are fucking crazy," Kai hisses at me.
"Yep," I chirp. "And now you know that. Speaking of, I need a baseball bat."
"Why the fuck would you need a baseball bat?" Kai groans.
"Protection," I answer, obviously.
"I am your protection," Kai responds.
"Yeah, no, thank you," I laugh. "I depend on no man."
"You are going to make this way harder than it needs to be, aren't you?" Kai asks as he pulls into the gravel lot in front of a beat-up bar.
Ignoring Kai, I eagerly get out of the car. I was worried that he was going to take me to some upscale bar where I wouldn't fit in, but this place feels like home. The paint is peeling off the siding, the windows are broken, and I can smell the cigarettes from here. I bound toward the door, leaving Kai behind.
I push the door open, and everyone in the bar turns to look at me. I can't tell who is werewolf and who is human. My confidence falters, and I walk slowly toward the bar. There is an older man sitting at the bar. He doesn't look like he belongs here. His salt and pepper hair is slicked back, and he is wearing a nice suit. There is a glass of whiskey in front of him, and he swirls it lazily in his hands.
Resting my elbows on the bar, I look around for the bartender, but I don't see anyone. I bounce on my tiptoes as I try to get a good look around the place.
"You are perky," the man in the suit says.
"I am not," I laugh. "Just eager to find the person that might run this place."
He turns in my direction and looks me up and down. I know the look in his eyes. I have seen it many times before. He wants a taste of what I have to offer.
"Why?" He asks.
"I need a job," I answer simply.
"Why would a nice girl like you want to work in a place like this?" He says with a growl.
I lean close to him and whisper near his ear, "I will let you in on a little secret. I am not a nice girl."