“Chloe Cooper, do you drink tequila? You strike me as a tequila girl,” Maverick asks while leaning his thick forearms on the table top.
Her gaze flirts with me for a brief second before turning her big, green, doe eyes back on Maverick. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had tequila before.”
Now I have to avoid looking at her as well. With my head on swivel, I look around the bar, anywhere but at my best friend, and Maverick erupts in shock and outrage.
“Neither of us have.” She continues her act while grabbing my wrist.
Maverick pounds a fist on the tabletop. “That’s a sin! Let’s go get a round… or three.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Milly, come help us carry them. We’ll be back.” He pats Noah’s shoulder and Chloe follows them back to the bar, leaving Noah and me alone together again.
“So those are your teammates, huh?” I feel like I have to yell louder than necessary over the crowd and Fetty Wap song blaring.
“Teammates second, best friends first.”
My eyebrows pinch together, shocked that he put their friendship above how well they play together. “Are you judging me?” He drops his head to his shoulder and steps closer to me. His thick thigh grazes against my knee, and I’ve never been so alert to how denim felt against my leg before.
“No, it’s… ” My voice comes out in a breathy whisper. I clear my throat and flip my hair over my shoulder. “Cutesy.”
“Aw, yes.Cutesyis how I’m so often described.”
I’ve avoided it all night but there’s no stopping it now, alaugh bubbles out of me. I cover it with my hand when something shifts in Noah’s expression.
“Don’t hide it.” His hand engulfs mine, and he gently pulls it away from my face.
Not for the first time tonight, my breath gets lodged in my throat. It’s like trying to swallow through concrete when I realize he’s talking about my laugh. He presses my hand against his chest, and Jesus, if I didn’t know who he was, I would think he bench-pressed oak trees for a living. My fingers press in against the soft fabric of his hoodie, curling in slightly, like I’m trying to hold onto him all on my own. An easy smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, and the sight is like a reward for exposing a tiny crack in my armor. His thumb strokes the back of my hand and his eyes lock on mine. It feels like not a single other soul exists right now.
He doesn’t dare move, but I don’t know if I can either, and I’m desperate for a break in this tension.
As if on cue, I hear a chant of “Shots! Shots! Shots!”
Thank you, Chloe.
I swallow, pulling my hand back, and there’s a moment where I swear I feel him tighten his hold before he lets me go.
“How’d you know she wouldn’t go home with Gabe tonight?”
“She’s a hopeless romantic and she doesn’t do one-night stands.”
He shakes his head in a ‘damn that was a stupid bet’kind of way.
The chanting gets louder as our crew of friends make their way through the crowd, each carrying a glass or two per hand.
“Alright, Stella and Luna.” Maverick addresses us, and I laugh at Noah’s confused face.
“Stella.” I silently mouth the word, pointing to Chloe, and understanding dawns on him. He’s quick, I’ll give him that.
“Now, for your first time, you might want some limes.”Maverick turns, handing the rest of the tequila-filled glasses out.
Chloe hands me two, grabs her two, and drops her head back laughing at the ceiling while I roll my eyes. We clink both glasses together with matching grins, and then it’s bottoms up. I throw one back and then immediately down the other. It happens so quickly that the burn is delayed.
We drop the empty glasses to the table with an approving head nod, because the boys bought the good stuff, and we look across the table to find three sets of jaws practically detached.
“What the hell just happened?” Silas looks around, dumbfounded.
“Not what I was expecting for your first time.” Maverick eyes Chloe suspiciously.
“Well, it wasn’t exactly our first time.” Chloe shrugs. “That’s just what we tell people to get free shots.”
Maverick drops his head to his hands, rubbing his temples. He clearly hadn’t planned on getting duped tonight.
