Page 23 of The Secret
Oh, God. Busted.
“And you say you don’t play games?” I say, looking at him sideways.
“At no point did I flirt with her,” he says with a frown, reaching out and running a hand down my back to my butt like he’s claiming me. Blue eyes narrow on mine, and I stare at his pulse thumping in his neck, the firm line of his lips.What were we talking about?
“You flirted with me,” I say.
He grins. “Why might that be, I wonder?”
I’m melting like that chocolate cake he likes so much. I move my bar seat around, widening my legs and pulling him toward me. A deep rumble vibrates in his chest. “Careful,” he says, “or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and fuck you in the alleyway.”
Laughter bubbles up as my ribs expand, and I lean forward smiling. “Please,” I say, perhaps to be outrageous, but I’d also be down with him carrying me outside to do just that.
He laughs and runs a hand down his face. “You’re a bad girl.”
“I’m really not,” I say, but he grins down at me and takes a strand of my curls and winds it around his finger, shaking his head.
“How come no guy has tied you down in New York and tamed you?”
Tamed me?“A few have tried …” I say honestly. “But I’m not sure I’m up for a lot of taming. My dad’s a control freak, and I don’t respond well to men telling me what to do.”
“No kidding. They must have been doing it wrong,” he winks, grinning. “Are you this much of a firecracker in bed?”
Tongue in cheek, I say, “Absolutely. Boom.” I make a big explosion motion with my hands, and he laughs again, leaning in to kiss my neck before pulling back and looking over my shoulder.
“Do we have to be careful about Brian?”
Tightening my hand on his side, I shrug and say, “Not sure, but he’ll tell us if he’s not happy. He’s pretty straight.”
Dan shifts away, adjusting himself with a shake of his head as Emma suddenly materializes behind him.
“Someone’s pestering me,” she says, and he turns, eyes scanning the room.
“Who?”
Emma blinks up at him, a smile curling over her lips. “It’s fine,” she says, squeezing his arm with a giggle. “No fighting over my honor. He won’t pester me with you here.” Her hand lingers on his forearm.
The urge to roll my eyes is almost irresistible. Didn’t she just see him kiss my neck?
Henry appears next to her. “Shots anyone?” he says, with a wide smile.
* * *
When we arrive back at the house hours later, Dan falls out of the front seat nearly hitting the dirt, and Emma doesn’t fare much better. Henry weaves his way unsteadily toward the door. How did Brian drive? I collapse down onto the sofa on the veranda as Henry lurches through the beaded curtain, closely followed by Dan. Then Dan reappears with a bottle of tequila in one hand and shot glasses in another.
“Henry’s passed out on a bed,” he says.
Brian flaps a hand at him. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He’s fine. Can’t stand, though.” Dan laughs as he stands waving the glasses around. “Anyone for tequila?”
“Just one drink!” Brian protests, but Dan dumps the booze down on the low table and pulls a pack of cards out of his pocket with a flourish.
“Poker!” he says, and I groan. How am I going to focus on a game?
And we keep playing it all wrong, getting drunker and drunker as one round turns into three. Or is it four?
Emma leans into Dan as he deals, and after a couple more hands, she shifts to sit on his knee, putting her head on his shoulder. Dan’s eyes meet mine with a rueful smile.Shit. But eventually, she slides sideways and lies down on the grubby sofa, closing her eyes. Brian moves over to her and takes her pulse, examining her face.
