My Freckles.
My girl.
41
MAISIE
“Could you not breathe in my direction?”
Cole doesn’t even bother looking up from his beer. “Hard to do when your perfume’s choking the oxygen out of the room.”
Aurora narrows her eyes at him. “I hope your skate blade snaps and takes out your ankle, Reaper.”
He finally looks up, keeping his expression flat. “Charming as always, Viper.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Then stop hissing at me.”
“Bite me.”
“Not even with someone else’s mouth.”
Ryan groans into his beer. “Jesus Christ, can you two chill for one night?”
Cole pushes his chair back, his jaw tight as he heads toward the bar.
Aurora stands a few seconds later. “I need a bathroom break before I actually poison someone.”
Logan slides in beside Austin, flashing his usual cocky grin as he slams his beer down on the table. “Five bucks they make out before the next round.”
“She’s got a boyfriend,” Isabella reminds us with narrowed eyes.
Nathan leans back against the booth, his eyes flicking to Logan with a dry smile. “Five bucks Aurora murders him first.”
Austin snorts beside me, burying his face in my neck. “They’re gonna get us all banned.”
I laugh, running my fingers through his hair. His thigh’s warm against mine, his arm slung over the back of the booth, and his fingertips are brushing my bare shoulder where my dress slipped.
I lean into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart through his chest.
I never thought I’d be part of something like this. And I definitely never thought someone like him would want someone like me. I never thought I’d be in love. But here I am, with a group of friends and a boyfriend that loves me.
Across the booth, I spot Ryan and Isabella tangled up like they’re in their own world. She’s curled into his lap, lazy and soft, doodling tiny hearts on his hand with her fingertip. He looks down at her like she’s the only thing in the room. Like nothing else even exists.
That used to make me ache.
Now it just makes me warm.
Because Austin’s watching me the same way.
He tugs my hand into his lap, tracing his thumb over the back of it. I think he’s going to lace our fingers together or make some stupid joke about my nails.
But he lifts my hand instead, brings it to his mouth, and presses a kiss to the base of my ring finger.
“A ring would look so pretty here,” he murmurs with a smile.
I stare at him, stunned. “Calm down,” I laugh. “We just started dating.”
