One Condition (The Lust List: Kaidan Stone #1) Read Online Free PDF

me?
    Then the band moves into the club, and Kaidan says something to one of the bouncers and follows them in.
    I whack Char with my clutch, and she gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry. Had to try.”
    “ So embarrassing.”
    “You,” says a deep voice.
    I whirl to find the bouncer Kaidan talked to standing on the other side of the rope.
    I look around to see who the guy is talking to, but the bouncer’s looking right at me. “Me?”
    “Yes,” he says gruffly. “You and your friends. You’re in.”

Did Kaidan just get us in? My heart races as we duck under the velvet rope and go in the front door. Everyone’s staring at us. It’s intoxicating. I could get addicted to this—the jealous looks, bypassing the line.
    But… No . I don’t want to be here. I want to start a new life, somewhere else, where no one knows me. Don’t I?
    Once we’re through the door and strobe lights are flashing over us, the pulsing sound of the bass is reverberating through our bones, Char and Levi edge close to me.
    “Kaidan wants you,” Char says, her eyes bright.
    Levi squeezes my arm. “You gotta find him. He definitely just got us in.”
    “No, guys. Drop it,” I say, shaking off Levi’s tight grasp. “If he wants to talk, he can find me . I’m… I’m getting a drink.”
    I pull away from them both and head straight for the bar, hoping my friends will let me lose them in a crowd. My mind’s racing now, along with my heart, and I just want a minute alone so I can try to think clearly without worrying they’ll embarrass me some more.
    What just happened? Kaidan’s a “notorious playboy”, according to Char, and he has ties to a famous actress. Did he really just get me in? Why?
    Maybe he didn’t let me in. Maybe he did, because he’s just being nice, like he was nice the other day.
    I thought those paparazzi were for me at the law firm, but they weren’t. They were for Lust List Bachelor #1. I’m total B-List in LA. Maybe even D-List, now that my dad’s dead.
    Ugh. That reminds me of Luis, of the black SUV that will be back tomorrow morning. I’m in too deep, and I need a drink.
    I weave around crowds of barely-clothed women and well-dressed men, but Levi catches up to me and grabs my arm again. I try to shake him off, but he twists me around to face him.
    It’s not Levi. It’s Kaidan.
    I look up at him, tongue-tied. His hand is warm on my arm, and when he lets me go, I wilt a little inside.
    “Hey.” He gives me that little smirk he gave me outside my car the other day, and like that, all the dancing creatures in my stomach start up again.
    His eyes are intense, full of thoughts unspoken. I want to know his secrets—why he invited me in, what it’s like to be him, what it’s like being #1 on The Lust List , desired by everyone. He could have anyone right now. My gaze travels to his full lips. I want them on me. Everywhere.
    “Hey.” I finally say, pulling myself out of it. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, but this close, I inhale the heady woodsy scent of him, and that sends me over the edge. I’m hot all over. I want someone to bump into me, force me to cross the crackling space between us. I want to touch him. I’m sure he can see it on my face. I blush and look away, pretending to look for my friends.
    He leans close. “How ‘bout a drink?”
    Gah. He smells delicious.
    “Sure.” I try to act cool, like I really don’t care. Why should I care? He’s just a guy.
    Just a guy. Women all over the country aren’t drooling over his pictures right now. Nope.
    Just. A. Guy. Why am I even fazed? I grew up around celebrities. Maybe I’ve been away too long.
    He grabs me by the hand and leads me through the crowd. People part before us, and sidelong looks and whispers follow us as some of them recognize Kaidan.
    “What are you drinking?”
    “Um… Something fruity.”
    Kaidan lifts a brow and orders our drinks from the bartender.
    I stand behind him, awkward, and smooth my dress. He