“I’m fine. She texted me earlier to make sure I was all right. Didn’t hear about the water main break.”
I frowned. What was with all the bad luck surrounding us lately? Even stuff that didn’t fall under the category of hassling from some anonymous stalker.
I shuddered. I hoped like hell they were anonymous and not known to us. If I had to shoulder that guilt too…
No. Pat wasn’t involved. Period.
I took a deep breath. “What a pain in the ass, but I’m glad it wasn’t something more serious.”
“Think it’s cleared up now, but it’s getting late. And you know those two.” He rolled his eyes. “Probably been naked for hours.”
The universe wanted me to be jealous of everyone, apparently. Even one of my closest friends in the world.
I smiled faintly. “Right. I just wanted to Ricki to have a chance to catch up with Priscilla.” I turned to the woman in question.
She was gone. Just gone.
“What the hell?” I asked Cooper. “Did I hallucinate her?”
His laughter was warm and rich. I was just glad he found me amusing at the moment, and things weren’t weird between us for a myriad of reasons. “No, she had to get back to work. This place is crazy tonight, and she said something about being short-handed.” He pressed a drink into my hand, bigger than the one I’d left almost empty on the table. “I got this for you. Blue Shark, was it?”
It was my turn to laugh. “No, Blue Lagoon. Not sure what the difference is.” I plucked one of the gummy sharks off the rim. “I like that it comes with candy though. Thank you.” Impetuously, I leaned up to kiss his cheek.
He gripped my elbows and held me against him when I would’ve eased back. “Dance with me?”
His eyes were so dark, deep and entrancing. I could’ve gotten lost in them and happily stayed there forever. Even in the crowded club with our bandmates and friends at the table just behind us, it was as if we were alone.
Guess my two drink limit had been optimistic, since I’d only had one and my blood was already buzzing. Oddly, it had started right this instant.
I didn’t trust my voice right then, so I just nodded and turned to set my new drink on the table near my spot. Everyone was talking and laughing, and Lauren was telling a story about a couple she’d married last month. Not only did she play in Warning Sign when needed, she also wrote sex books and married people as an officiant for her alternative church, because why not?
Sometimes I felt not colorful enough to be part of my circle of friends.
Then I turned back to Cooper and thanked my lucky stars that Jamie or Oz wasn’t paying attention to us. I wasn’t the best at picking up cues from the opposite sex, but even I could detect something was up. Imagining Cooper literally up in my direction was…not unpleasant, not at all. Just weird.
Everything was so weird right now. Including me, apparently, since I wasn’t running in the opposite direction.
Swallowing hard, I snagged his hand and pulled him across the club toward the packed dance floor. But he didn’t let me take control for long. He grabbed me from behind, making me laugh—and proving without a doubt that the up thing was no longer a matter for debate.
The size of his feet related to his manstrument question had also been answered.
Hot damn.
My laughter died quickly as he maneuvered us into a corner of the dance floor. He started moving with me with his palm low on my belly, grinding his cock against me.
So much for subtle.
My throat went dry as I tried not to stumble over my own feet. I didn’t recognize the hip hop song that was playing, but it had a good beat and I was a decent dancer when I wasn’t overwhelmed and dazed and kind of turned on.
So, that was a lie. I was turned on. I just didn’t know what to do about it. He was my closest friend. My rock. We spent so much time together.
Easy access to that cock would not be a bad thing.
I shut my eyes against the blinding whirl of colorful lights and the blur of bodies gyrating around us. I could not make Cooper into a sex toy, even in my mind.
Even in my oh-my-God-it’s-been-a-lifetime-since-I’ve-had-sex-with-a-dick-that-isn’t-plastic, horny as hell state.
“You’re too quiet,” he said against my ear, his warm breath pleasantly fluttering my hair. “I get worried when you’re not chattering.”
Rather than answer, I gathered my nerve and turned around to lay my hands on his chest. He scooped me up against him, so close that a breeze couldn’t have slipped between us. I laughed again at the sudden movement, especially when he dipped me in a way that didn’t match the frenetic song. But when he lifted me again and I slipped my arms around his neck, our faces neared, and I had to fight every impulse that told me to close the distance.
His lower lip was just a bit fuller than the top. Completely bitable. Why hadn’t I ever noticed before?
Oh, yeah, because yesterday he was just my best friend. Today, he was the guy who was making me jealous by kissing fans.
His eyes narrowed before he leaned close to my ear again. “Where did you go?”
To make it easier for me to answer in the noisy club, he hoisted me higher up his body—and slowly dragged me over his cock.
I was supposed to have an actual conversation with that between us?
My lips were dust dry as I attempted to speak next to his ear. Sexy. Why hadn’t I gone for gloss before this? Oh, yeah, because I had no purse.
Normalcy was not part of my life right now.
I licked my lips dangerously close to his earlobe and hoped I hadn’t made contact. That was kind of…a move, and I was still debating mine.
I was also shamelessly enjoying my current position with my
