about sneaking up unnoticed on the Blake house were unfounded. Scads of people and their cars—easily three dozen—gave them cover as they approached. It was dark out too, so she and Maya blended seamlessly with the incoming crowd. When they got near enough, they ducked back toward the beach and hid in the bushes surrounding the fence by the pool. Kate was gratified they would have a perfect view of the action.
What she saw was fascinating. Just breathing gave her an adrenaline rush. She and Maya giggled with the intoxication they felt, as well as at avid manner in which the party guests checked each other out. Excitement crackled in the air like electricity.
Gabe’s cousins milled around the grounds, pausing to flirt with the women they came across—or more aptly, hunted down. All of them executed a comical sequence of activities once they’d engaged a girl in conversation, which they all did without difficulty. The progression was almost identical to what she’d experienced with Hoke earlier that day.
She watched several misfires take place where a woman would start to talk with whichever man cornered her; he would remove his glasses, look into her eyes, and smile. Then he took her hand exactly as Hoke had Kate’s, holding it near his chest while placing his other hand around her wrist. Often, the girl became unnerved and backed away toward her friends. The guy would grin sheepishly, and his cousins would murmur, “Loser,” or, “Denied!” or, “Man down.”
As the evening wore on, these interactions became more purposeful. Around ten o’clock, Maya’s sister, Solange, entered the fray. She was stunning; a vital presence as she crossed the yard to check in with Michael and Carmen. All of the men noticed her, and her eyes narrowed in quick acknowledgement of their romantic intentions. She ignored them until she’d greeted her hosts.
Luke Hokeman got to her first after Carmen and Michael moved away, and his approach was much less playful than it had been with the women before her. He did not reach for her hand right away, keeping an intimate but respectful distance as they talked. His formerly flirtatious manner was now focused and serious.
They spoke for about a half hour, Solange never once looking away, even when she was approached by two other hopefuls. “Get lost,” she told them without shifting her attention from Luke. “We’re talking.”
Maya and Kate acknowledged something significant was taking place but they could not completely hear Luke and Solange’s conversation. “This is a thousand times more interesting than anything you and I could have dreamed up doing,” Maya whispered. Kate agreed.
After another ten minutes, Solange flattened her hand against Luke’s chest, their gazes on each other intense and unwavering. And, as he had before with Kate, Luke clasped Solange’s hand in one of his and circled her wrist with his other hand. His eyelids drifted to a close and he started to bend toward her, as if to kiss her. Solange withdrew a couple of inches and discreetly shook her head. Then, twining his fingers with hers, she led him away.
At this point, Kate and Maya were startled by someone behind them. “Gotch-ya!” Gabe smirked as he wound an arm around each of the girls’ waists. They both stifled screams.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Kate snapped, scowling to hide her embarrassment at being discovered.
“I had the feeling you’d show up, and I didn’t want you getting sucked into this gig. You’ll thank me someday.”
“Yeah, well, my sister Solange was definitely just sucked into this gig and disappeared with some guy,” Maya commented. “Should I be worried?”
Gabe grinned. “Is she heterosexual and of age?”
Maya’s eyes widened. “She’s twenty-one and as far as I know, likes guys. She sure seemed to like the one she left with.”
“Then don’t worry about it. And you two really need to get out of here. Let’s go.” He started to pull them
What she saw was fascinating. Just breathing gave her an adrenaline rush. She and Maya giggled with the intoxication they felt, as well as at avid manner in which the party guests checked each other out. Excitement crackled in the air like electricity.
Gabe’s cousins milled around the grounds, pausing to flirt with the women they came across—or more aptly, hunted down. All of them executed a comical sequence of activities once they’d engaged a girl in conversation, which they all did without difficulty. The progression was almost identical to what she’d experienced with Hoke earlier that day.
She watched several misfires take place where a woman would start to talk with whichever man cornered her; he would remove his glasses, look into her eyes, and smile. Then he took her hand exactly as Hoke had Kate’s, holding it near his chest while placing his other hand around her wrist. Often, the girl became unnerved and backed away toward her friends. The guy would grin sheepishly, and his cousins would murmur, “Loser,” or, “Denied!” or, “Man down.”
As the evening wore on, these interactions became more purposeful. Around ten o’clock, Maya’s sister, Solange, entered the fray. She was stunning; a vital presence as she crossed the yard to check in with Michael and Carmen. All of the men noticed her, and her eyes narrowed in quick acknowledgement of their romantic intentions. She ignored them until she’d greeted her hosts.
Luke Hokeman got to her first after Carmen and Michael moved away, and his approach was much less playful than it had been with the women before her. He did not reach for her hand right away, keeping an intimate but respectful distance as they talked. His formerly flirtatious manner was now focused and serious.
They spoke for about a half hour, Solange never once looking away, even when she was approached by two other hopefuls. “Get lost,” she told them without shifting her attention from Luke. “We’re talking.”
Maya and Kate acknowledged something significant was taking place but they could not completely hear Luke and Solange’s conversation. “This is a thousand times more interesting than anything you and I could have dreamed up doing,” Maya whispered. Kate agreed.
After another ten minutes, Solange flattened her hand against Luke’s chest, their gazes on each other intense and unwavering. And, as he had before with Kate, Luke clasped Solange’s hand in one of his and circled her wrist with his other hand. His eyelids drifted to a close and he started to bend toward her, as if to kiss her. Solange withdrew a couple of inches and discreetly shook her head. Then, twining his fingers with hers, she led him away.
At this point, Kate and Maya were startled by someone behind them. “Gotch-ya!” Gabe smirked as he wound an arm around each of the girls’ waists. They both stifled screams.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Kate snapped, scowling to hide her embarrassment at being discovered.
“I had the feeling you’d show up, and I didn’t want you getting sucked into this gig. You’ll thank me someday.”
“Yeah, well, my sister Solange was definitely just sucked into this gig and disappeared with some guy,” Maya commented. “Should I be worried?”
Gabe grinned. “Is she heterosexual and of age?”
Maya’s eyes widened. “She’s twenty-one and as far as I know, likes guys. She sure seemed to like the one she left with.”
“Then don’t worry about it. And you two really need to get out of here. Let’s go.” He started to pull them
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