The Art of Kissing by Jessica Sorensen

Raven

When I step backinto the bar area, the fight has dwindled down, but the place is a mess. Tables and chairs are broken, shattered glass covers the floor, and it’s pretty clear people have been thrown out since the place is down to about half the capacity it was before I was dragged back into the hallway

Since I can’t see the guys anywhere, I head for the entrance doors with the card in my hand. I’m not sure what to do with it. Should I tell Jax and Hunter? I mean, I don’t have any reason not to except for that the stranger told me not to.

By the time I step outside, I’m still unsure what I’m going to do. Or where I should even go to find Jax and Hunter. I don’t have a cell phone, which turns out to suck. And, to make things even more uneasy, the parking lot is filled with drunk people.

As a few guys glance at me, I quickly scan the parking lot for the car, trying to remember where we parked. When I spot it, relief washes over me. Jax, Hunter, and Benton are standing by it. Benton is leaning against the car while texting someone; Hunter is near the front of his car, looking around; and Jax is pacing beside it with his arms crossed, probably freaking out.

I hurry over to them, ignoring a few catcalls in my direction. Normally, if I wasn’t in such a hurry, I’d tell them to go fuck themselves, but I just want to get the hell out of here.

While I’m powerwalking across the gravel, I hear a woman talking to a man about how Benny is a douche for kicking everyone out just because Joe decided to sucker punch Dick, who I’m assuming is some guy. Honestly, she could be referring to some guy’s junk. Who knows with this crowd?

“We need to get back inside,” Jax is saying to Hunter as I near them. He’s bursting with so much anxiety that I swear I can taste it in the air. I guess that’s better than tasting drunken people’s sweat, so … “She has to be in there.”

“I know we do, but the fucking bouncer is bring a prick …” Hunter trails off as he spots me. So much relief consumes his features that I almost feel like I’m drowning in it for a moment. Then he’s rushing toward me, taking long strides.

“What the hell happened?”

All right, Raven, it’s decision time.

Do I tell them?

Who do I trust?

They saved me. Took me in.

No one has done that for me before.

Think about it, Raven. Think about what they’ve done for you.

“The guy in the corner sort of pulled me aside,” I tell Hunter as we reach each other.

Well, there you go. I guess I have my answer. I do trust these guys. A lot. I just hope I’m not making a mistake.

Most of my doubt about that dissipates when Hunter wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. So much adrenaline rushes through me that my body begins to tremble, and I wrap my arms around him, mostly to keep from falling down.

“You’re shaking, baby,” Hunter whispers, his lips brushing against my neck as he scoops me up in his arms. “What did he do to you?”

“He didn’t do anything,” I assure him, briefly shutting my eyes as I wrap my legs around his waist. This … This is nice. “I’m … It’s just the hug. I’m not used to it. Like, you know when you touched me on my waist. But it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” he double-checks with his arm positioned under my butt.

I nod. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Good.” He breathes in relief. Then he does something that can only be described as soul-stealing. He kisses the side of my neck, a soft brush of his lips against my flesh.

Oh my God, how could I have gone years without being touched? It’s insane how depraved my mind and body are.

He pulls back and looks me in the eyes. “I want you to tell me what happened, but first …” He sets me down, steps back, and then he pulls me forward but moves out of the way.

I’m confused at first until I see Jax, right there in front of me. He instantly opens his arms and hugs me so tightly I swear he’s trying to pull me into him.

I hug him back, telling him, “I’m fine. I promise. Nothing bad happened to me.”

He continues to hold me, his hands trembling. “When I couldn’t see you, I thought …” A faltering breath flees from his lips.

“I’m fine,” I promise, skimming my finger down the back of his neck. “But I do have some stuff to tell you guys … when we’re in the car.”

“Okay.” He releases a shaky breath, and I move to step away, but then he tightens his grip on me. “I don’t want to let you go yet.”

“I’ll totally be fine,” I try to reassure him. “We’re just walking, like, the twenty feet to the car.”

He pulls back to look me in the eye. “I literally was holding your hand when I lost you in the bar.”

He has a point.

“Well, unless you plan on carrying me, I have to walk in order for us to get to the car,” I say in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood.

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. Those pretty lips that have touched mine. “Can I carry you?”

I arch a brow. “You want to carry me?”

He nods, wisps of his hair falling into his eyes. “Yes.”

I glance at Hunter, wondering what he thinks about this.

He mouths, “Just let him.”

I really don’t mind. Though, I do think Jax will have to deal with this issue one day. I won’t force him to do that tonight, though.

I shrug. “You can carry me, if you want.”

A drop of tension evaporates from his body. Then he slides his hands to the backs of my thighs and lifts me up. I latch my legs around his waist and loop my arms around the back of his neck as he proceeds to carry me to the car. He carries my gaze most of the time, only occasionally glancing around to see where he’s going. And, when we reach the car, he doesn’t immediately put me down until …

“It sure looks like you’re dating,” Benton remarks, and that’s when Jax finally sets me down. “Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d guess the three of you were,” he adds as Hunter steps up beside me and places a hand on the small of my back.

Benton grins, and Hunter grins right back at him.

“So what if we were?” Hunter says with a roll of his eyes.

Um … What?

Hunter pulls me closer to him. “So, do you have our drinks or what?” he asks Benton. “Because we’d like to get out of here sometime tonight.”

Benton studies us for a beat before pushing away from the car. “Yeah, it’s in my truck. Hang on.” Weirdly, his gaze lingers on me for a second or two before he starts across the parking lot to the red, lifted truck that Jax and Hunter said was his.

“Let’s get in the car,” Jax says as he threads his fingers through mine.

I become super aware that I’m holding both of their hands again and wonder if it’s okay. I truthfully don’t know, since neither of them seem bothered with the other one touching me. And it’s not like any of us are actually dating. We’re just friends. And friends can hold hands, right?

Still, I feel a little weird.

Clueless Raven.

I’d always thought I knew a lot of shit, and I do. But, when it comes to guys, I’m starting to realize I’m kind of naïve. I don’t know what to do with that, and I don’t like the feeling at all. So, I just decide to go with the flow and let both of them hold my hands as Jax steers us to the passenger side of the car.

He opens the door up and has me climb inside. Hunter lets go of my hand as I do, yet Jax keeps a hold of my hand as he scoots in right beside me. Then the second he closes the door, he rotates toward me and releases my hand, but only so he can slide his arm along the back of the seat, angling his body toward me with his knee pressed against mine.

Hunter opens the driver’s side door then and gets in. Then he shuts the door before twisting toward me, our gazes colliding. “So, what happened?” he asks, brushing strands of his hair out of his eyes.

Sucking in a breath, I proceed to tell them about what happened once the fight broke out all the way up until I found the card on the floor. Once I’m finished, neither of them speaks. Benton still hasn’t returned to the car, which I find a bit odd, but he was on his phone before he left, so maybe he’s talking to someone.

Jax and Hunter exchange a look through the darkness of the cab.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Hunter asks Jax with a brow raised.

Jax nods, dazing off for a moment while combing his fingers through my hair. I can’t tell if it’s an absentminded act or not.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking.” I look between the two of them. “So, how about you guys let me in on your secret?”

“It’s not a secret,” Hunter informs me. It’s hard to read his expression due to the fact that the only light in the cab comes from the moon and the neon signs. It gives everything this eerie glow, as if we’re in a horror movie. “We’re just thinking that the bar fight probably wasn’t accidental.”

“Someone probably set it up so the guy could grab you,” Jaxon adds, opening and flexing his hand and bouncing his knee up and down. “It pisses me off that people just keep grabbing you.”

“I’ll second that,” I mumble, sinking back into the seat. “I was about to punch him, too, but then he started talking, and I decided to hear him out. Although, I don’t know why he acted like he knows me. I don’t know him … I don’t think … Or maybe I do and just can’t remember. He did say something about me not remembering, but I don’t know from where or how …” I waver. “It’s kind of creepy, right? The stuff he knew about me? And the card?”

“Absolutely.” Hunter gives a short, considering pause while dragging his tongue ring along his teeth. “Can I see the card?”

Nodding, I hand it to him. He takes it from me, digs out his phone, and then searches the address and phone number on some sort of app he has.

“The phone number isn’t listed,” he mumbles. “That doesn’t mean it’s completely untraceable. It just means that it’ll take longer.”

Something dawns on me. “This sounds an awful lot like what you told me about that unknown caller that was sending me all those messages.”

“You think it might be the same person?” Jax questions, shifting his weight closer to me, causing his scent to flutter in the air around me.

I waver. “I don’t know … Possibly. But the messages and this guy were giving out a totally different vibe. The messages sounded more threatening, whereas this guy seemed like he wanted to help me.”

“That’s the start of every stranger-danger story,” Hunter mutters with a frown as he sets his phone down.

“Yeah … I guess.” I ravel a strand of my hair around my finger. “Still … maybe we should see what this club is? It wouldn’t hurt, right?”

Hunter and Jax both hesitate.

“The address is unlisted.” Hunter is mostly speaking to Jax. “However, I think one of us should at least go check it out. Maybe tomorrow after school or something.”

I raise my hand. “I wanna go.”

Jax opens his mouth then closes it. I have a feeling he was about to say no, but he told me he wasn’t going to tell me what to do anymore, so he stopped himself.

“Maybe we could all go,” Hunter suggests, putting his keys in the ignition. Then he starts the engine up, leaving puzzlement to web through me.

Are we leaving?

But he simply turns on the heater then rolls the window down. An engine grumble later, Benton appears at the window with a small backpack in his hand.

“Sorry that took me so long,” he tells Hunter as he drops the bag through the window and into Hunter’s lap. Then he crouches down so he’s at eye level with Hunter. “But I have a proposition for you. One that could get you a lot of cash quickly.”

Hunter picks up the bag and hands it to me. I can hear glass bottles clinking together as I take it.

“I’m listening,” Hunter says to Benton.

Benton glances around at the parking lot. Some people have left, but a lot are still loitering around, smoking, drinking, and basically just hanging out outside of the bar. Some dude is even howling at the moon, totally on something.

“I need a place to hold a party,” Benton says as he returns his gaze to Hunter. “Tomorrow night. And I was thinking I could use your house.”

Hunter rests his hands on the steering wheel. “Dude, we’re not party event holders.”

“Dude, I’m not asking you to be,” Benton mocks. “I don’t want you to just let me hold a party at your house. I’m trying to be a little bit evasive since I’m not quite sure how much she knows about what you guys do.” He nods his head at me.

“She knows everything,” Hunter replies with a shrug. “We’re actually having her work for us.”

“Really?” Benton comments with a look of intrigue on his face.

I sense Hunter and Jax stiffen at that, but I’m not sure why.

“Okay. Then I’ll just lay my proposition out there,” Benton says, digging a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. “I want you to set up some massive security so I can spy on the entire party.” He pops a cigarette into his mouth and lights up, smoke circling around his face and snaking into the cab.

Hunter taps his finger against the steering wheel, his gaze flicking to Jax.

“Zay would have a fit,” Jax reminds him, sliding his arm down from the seat and wrapping it around my shoulder. “Remember what we talked about before we left the house.”

“Don’t worry about my brother,” Benton says, taking another drag. “I can get him on board with this.”

Hunter stares at Jax for a moment before directing his attention to Benton. “How much does it pay?”

“Five thousand,” Benton replies, resting his arms on the windowsill.

“Five thousand dollars?” I didn’t mean to say the words aloud. They just slipped out. But for a good reason. “Holy crap, that’s a lot of money,” I mumble with wide eyes.

A smirk touches Benton’s lips as he flits his gaze over to me. “I think I’m starting to get the appeal of this.”

I’m not certain what he means, but Hunter apparently does.

“Watch it,” he warns in a tone that doesn’t sound like it belongs to him.

Benton raises his hands, but his eyes continue to glint mischievously. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cross a line.”

“Yeah, you did,” Hunter says, his gaze searing into Benton’s. “So just lay off, okay? She’s off limits. And make sure to spread the word about that.”

My heart pounds in my chest at the way he says it—so protectively.

Benton assesses him then the mischievousness slowly fades from his eyes. “Fine. I’ll let it drop. Although, I am sort of interested in seeing where my baby bro plays in this weird dynamic you three have going on. Guess I’ll get to observe that while you’re working for me.”

“We never agreed to the job,” Hunter points out.

Benton takes another drag from his cigarette then stands up straight. “I know, but I know you three well enough to know you won’t turn down the job.” His eyes briefly land on me. “Not sure about her, but I guess I’ll find out how this fourth plays into your Raven Three … Or, I guess it’s The Raven Four now.” He smiles at me in a way that I’m not sure if it’s friendly or mocking, which is really fucking weird. But before I can even attempt to dissect it, he directs his attention back to Hunter. “Let me know by tomorrow morning. And call my burner cell. This job … it needs to be hush, hush, especially from the bosses.” With that, he backs away, heading toward his truck.

Once he’s gone, no one really says anything for a second or two, so I decide to be the silence breaker.

“So, he’s intense. But he’s related to Zay, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Hunter chuckles, while Jax smiles and shakes his head.

“Yeah, he’s definitely intense,” Hunter agrees as he reaches for the shifter. “However, I don’t think we should totally dismiss his job offer. Five thousand dollars is a lot.” He drives forward. “Plus, I really want to find out what in the hell he’s doing that he doesn’t want the bosses to find out.”

“What about going to this club, though?” I say as Hunter peels out of the parking lot and onto the night-kissed road. “Because, if you guys are setting up surveillance for a party, you won’t have time to do that. So, maybe I should just go check it out.”

“Not by yourself,” Jax quickly says. “We can split up and should be able to handle everything.”

“That’s a lot to handle,” I tell him. “And I feel like I might be causing some of it.”

Jax shakes his head. “Trust me, sweetheart; our life is always chaotic, even when you’re not in it. But we prefer you to be.”

There he goes with that sweetheart stuff again.

I wrestle back a smile. “Sweetheart, huh? So that’s what you’re gonna call me, Jaxon?”

His brows briefly crease then rise. “Um … Yeah …” Embarrassment laces his tone. He then clears his throat, and his voice turns playful. “You know what? I am as long as you keep calling me Jaxon.”

I can’t help chuckling, and he is smiling, too. Then he reaches into the bag Benton gave us.

“I think Raven and I need a shot,” he announces as he rummages through the bag.

As Hunter steers down the road, he leans in and whispers in my ear, “Mad props, bestie. I’ve never seen anyone cheer up Jax like you just did when he’s in one of his anxious moods.”

I shrug like it’s no big deal, but I’m starting to think maybe it is with how much everyone worries about him. It makes me wonder just how deep his scars run and what they’re temporarily holding together.