“Slightly.” I pushed his chest and entered a stall. “I can’t go potty if you’re listening.”
His voice bounced off the tiled walls. “Should I plug my ears or what?”
“Sing a song.”
“A song.” He cleared his throat and started belting out Benson Boone’s, Beautiful Things, a favorite, and I enjoyed the performance very much.
I walked out just as he turned on the water, and I soaped up my hands. “I’m impressed.” I flipped off the water and grabbed a towel. “Let’s see, you can carry a tune, do the worm and Magic Mike moves? You got it goin’ on.”
“Is that right? Because when I see you across the bar, I can barely contain myself.” The flash in his eyes shook me. “The thought of anyone else being close to you makes me crazy.” He opened his arms, and I stepped into the space that fit me perfectly. “But you like a little crazy, don’t you?”
I nodded, realizing I wanted to be whatever he was. My arms wrapped around his waist while his hands cupped my face. His kiss had an urgency or desperation to it, and I couldn’t grasp the effect I could feel I was having on him. When we were close, there was something explosive, primitive, and uncontrollable that scared and excited me at the same time.
He spoke through the kiss that I thought might just melt me all together. “Do you even know the things you make me think about?”
His words had my heart tap dancing against my ribs as there was a new kind of trust I didn’t know what to make of. “You can do anything.” It came out in a whisper, although I hadn’t intended it to come out at all. But I felt no regret.
He rested his forehead against mine, and we stood for a long moment just being. I swear I could feel a surge weaving between us and knew my heart would pay the price for whatever was happening in the men’s room at the Blind Pig bar. “We should probably get back.”
He gently kissed my cheek while stepping away, allowing me a moment to pull myself together.
After unlocking the door, oh no started simmering in my stomach. We were standing face to face with Dave.
“Hey, Novots.” Gabe’s voice was an octave or two higher than it should be while Dave examined his face.
I took a step forward, almost putting myself between them. “The line to the girl’s room is almost out the front door. Gabe stood watch so I could sneak in.”
A nervous throbbing started in my temple as Dave wore a stone face while Gabe swallowed hard. Was there any shot in hell I could tackle my brother to the floor, allowing Gabe a few seconds to run for his life?
After the longest seconds in the history of time, a huge smile shot across Dave’s face before he slapped Gabe on the shoulder. “Always looking out for my crew. You’re the bomb, man.”
Whew.
Ten minutes later, I stood at the bar with Pam and Katie, doing a shot of Fireball that I had no business doing as I felt warm and dreamy. Always my cue to switch to water.
Katie pointed to Ed and Tawnee on the dance floor. “She makes him so damn happy.”
Pam slammed her empty shot glass dramatically on the bar. “I knew the minute he met her that the boy was off the market.”
She pointed to Gabe who was walking off the dance floor and immediately had a hot red head approach, take his hand, and pull him back on the dance floor. “Then there’s Gabe.”
I pulled out my I don’t give a shit voice. “What’s his story anyway?”
The bartender set down three more shots I didn’t remember anyone ordering. I tossed mine back, deciding a little more liquor wouldn’t kill me.
“Well, before I met any of the guys, Gabe was married to his high school girlfriend.”
“Really?” I shuddered at the spicy alcohol as it slid down my throat but mostly at the thought of my weekend pass being married.
“Yeah, but she died in a car accident a few years ago.”
“That’s horrible.” I looked over at Gabe the same second he looked at me and gave me a chin nod before turning away. My heart pinched, imagining that kind of loss. He hadn’t mentioned her at all to me. But I suppose that topic would rarely come up. Fern, let me tell you about my dead wife.
Katie slid her shot over to me. “Do it, Fern. I’m already drunk.”
I nodded like an idiot, and down the hatch it went.
Pam took out a lipstick from her purse. “I think that’s why he has problems with partying and women. I love him to death, but he’s got some issues.”
