Page 73 of Resist

Coulton growled. “I should have broken his fingers.”

“Bit rude of us to walk away like that,” she added, though her tone and smile let him know she was grateful for the save. “Without saying goodbye and shit.”

“I don’t like that fucker.”

This was hands down Ainsley’s favorite conversation ever. “Me either. FYI? You are getting sooooo lucky tonight.”

Coulton laughed loudly, then turned her toward him, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “God, you’re gorgeous. And I can see I’m not going to be able to leave you alone for fear that every other guy in here will try to snatch you away from me.” He placed a quick, hard kiss on her lips, then continued dragging her toward the bar to meet his friends.

Another hour passed as she and Coulton bounced around the bar, socializing with his teammates and various members of the Collins family. He’d even introduced her to Lucas Whiting, so she had the opportunity to thank him for letting them borrow his yacht, and she’d been pleasantly surprised by how nice the billionaire was, part of her expecting him to be a major snob.

A cheer captured their attention, and they watched Tank taking shots with four puck bunnies, two of whom were hanging off him.

Coulton rolled his eyes.

“You realize you could have your pick of any woman in here tonight,” Ainsley pointed out, hating that Montgomery had planted that seed and she’d let it take root.

“Don’t want any of them. I’m already here with the smartest, sweetest, sexiest girl in the bar.”

Ainsley looked around as if searching for someone. “Really? Where is she? I’d like to meet her,” she joked.

Coulton wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a gentle kiss that lingered. “We’re going to have to work on your ability to take compliments.”

“Yeah. I think we are,” she admitted begrudgingly. “I don’t have a lot of experience with them.”

Coulton’s eyes softened. “I know you don’t. But I intend to change that.”

In that moment, Ainsley swore she must be hovering several feet in the air, her feet no longer touching the floor.

The entire night had been surreal and fun and a welcome relief from her real world, where she spent too much time with miserable, grumpy assholes.

“Damn, I still need to go to the bathroom,” she said, pulling away from him. “Never made it there the first time. Fucking Monty.”

As the night progressed, the crowd in the pub had grown until the place was so packed, Ainsley had lost sight of Montgomery completely. She was hoping that meant he’d left.

“How about I settle up the tab and we head home?”

“Home?” she asked, in no hurry to see the night end.

Coulton tapped her nose playfully. “Home. My place.”

Ainsley nodded in agreement, secretlywishinghis place was her home. She shoved that thought away quickly because there was such a thing as dreaming too big. Tonight had been amazing, but she had to keep her expectations reasonable. She recalled Coulton’s little voice, the one that kept him from getting too disappointed if he didn’t get what he wanted. She needed that voice right now, she thought, as she slowly made her way through the swarms of people to the bathroom.

She stood in line for a few minutes, cursing herself for not excusing herself earlier. By the time the bathroom was available, she was all but crossing her legs.

Once she was finished, she washed her hands, then fluffed her hair. Coulton had told her countless times how pretty she was. So many times, in fact, she was starting to believe it, starting to see herself through his eyes.

She’d always thought herself too thin, her cheekbones high and sharp. She didn’t have the full lips or long lashes or bright blue eyes or wavy blonde hair that seemed to be the standard as far as puck bunnies went. But she realized she liked that she wasn’t a cookie cutter of every other woman in here. She was unique, and Coulton liked her for who she was, not what she looked like.

Walking out of the restroom, she was surprised when she felt a rough tug on her upper arm. She twisted as Montgomery pulled her farther down the hallway, away from the main room of the pub.

Ainsley jerked her arm out of his grip. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“You look so hot tonight,” Montgomery said, slurring his words.

“You’re drunk,” she said.

Montgomery didn’t hear her as he continued, “Come home with me, Ains. I promise I’ll rock your world.”

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