He caught me, squeezing me around my middle. “How are you this drunk already?”
After hugging the other guys in the group that consisted of Gears, Grim, and a man they called Smoke, I settled back in my seat. I had a permanent smile attached to my face, my cheeks aching.
“I’m not drunk, you are,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You’ve had five shots over three hours and you can’t even figure out how to cross your arms. That’s the definition of a lightweight,” Gears said, taking a drink of his beer.
I looked down and noticed I hadn’t crossed my arms but instead was holding my own hand over my chest. Huh, I really thought I’d crossed them.
I squinted at the monitor sitting on the table. The image was grainy, but when I saw Luca and Lena still fast asleep, I relaxed back into the couch.
“So how did you meet Ace?” Gears asked. “You don’t seem like his type.”
“You mean he doesn’t like a woman with a brain? Or is it the kids? The half-Asian thing? You gotta be more specific here, dude.”
Grim smacked Gears over the head and murmured something to him, causing his face to blanch.
“Sorry, Nora, that’s not what I meant. Forget I said anything,” Gears said, his eyes shifting from me to Grim and back.
I waved him off, too drunk and happy to be offended by the comment. “Don’t worry about it. I know I’m not exactly a catch.”
Grim heaved himself up and squeezed in next to me. “Girl, if I was twenty years younger, I’d ask you to marry me today. You are the full package. You can cook, you’re beautiful, you’re funny and smart, and did I mention you’re beautiful?”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Thanks, Grim. That’s a really nice thing to say.”
“Don’t let Ace hear you,” Talon said from Grim’s other side. “He’ll make you disappear faster than you can say ‘wedding.’”
Grim grunted in agreement and patted my hand that was holding on to his bicep. “I don’t fear many things, but that man’s wrath is one of them. Sorry, girly, no marriage for us.”
“Shame. I was looking forward to it. I’ve never been married before.”
There was silence on the table and I sat up, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “What? I bet none of you have been either.”
“You didn’t marry the kids’ father?” Talon asked.
“Nope. We were together eight years, had two kids, and he always said it wasn’t the right time. Should have known something was up. But I guess I like to learn my life lessons the hard way. Anyway, it all worked out for the best, because there’s no way I could afford an attorney to get a divorce.”
“That deserves another drink,” Grim announced and got up.
He poured as much tequila in each shot glass as he could fit and handed me mine. “Drink up.”
We clinked glasses, and I chugged the vile liquid, holding my breath the whole time. I took a large gulp of water to chase it down, taking a deep breath once it was done.
“Isn’t there something else we can drink?” I asked, my voice croaky from the alcohol.
“Nope. If you want to sit at the big boys’ table, you have to drink tequila,” Talon said and winked at me. “If you prefer a girly drink, you’re welcome to sit at the bar.”
I eyed the bar and suppressed the grimace that wanted to escape. Most of the girls were gathered along the metal bar, spanning almost one whole side of the warehouse. I looked at my sweats and T-shirt and knew I’d rather drink a whole bottle of tequila than go over there.
It was safe to say that the club didn’t attract shy girls. Or girls who wore clothes.
I poked my tongue out at Talon. “Hard pass. How about a round of poker?”
Talon’s face lit up, and he looked like a kid who just got the key to a candy store. He pulled a deck of cards from somewhere and shuffled them.
“Who’s in?” he asked.
Everyone murmured their assent, and he started dealing the cards.
Lucky for me, I wasn’t drunk enough that I couldn’t read the numbers on the cards anymore. Poker was also something my dad taught me when I was ten years old.
The guys were loud and boisterous while playing. Every time I beat them, they made such a ruckus that soon we were surrounded by a wall of bikers who watched in fascination as I wiped the floor with my new besties. I couldn’t lie if my life depended on it, my facial expressions always giving me away. But when it came to poker, I somehow managed to keep a straight face. Now if only I could transfer that skill.
“Are you cheating?” Talon asked for the third time.
“Maybe you’re just bad at this game,” I said, putting my full house down.
Gears shot up, throwing his cards on the table. “Where are you hiding the extra cards to pull this off?”
I didn’t get a chance to respond before he was on me. He pinned me under his arm and stuck his hands in my sweatpants pockets. I giggled, fighting him off with little success since he was about twice my size.
And that’s when all hell broke loose.
Gears was ripped off me, and I stumbled to my knees from the sudden loss of contact. When I looked up, I saw Sebastian, face contorted into a furious mask, throwing a punch at him.
Sebastian looked ready to kill Gears, who was already bleeding from a cut on his lip. He wasn’t defending himself, his face slack in shock. I jumped up and in between them before my brain had time to catch up with my terrible decision.
Sebastian released Gears and turned his crazy eyes my way.
“Are you insane stepping in front of me? You could have caught a fist to the face,” Sebastian yelled, his eyes spitting fire.
“Am I insane? I should be asking you
