Page 44 of Branded

“Why didn’t you mention it when we went out Saturday night?”

I shrug. “I guess I just wanted to make sure I actually wanted to go before I mentioned it to anyone else. When I realized the excitement was staying, I decided to mention it.”

“And you all haven’t… you know… yet?” she asks with raised eyebrows.

“No.” I shake my head. “We’ve just kissed, and those are just as good.”

“Bullshit. That’s just not true at all. You just haven’t had sex in a while,” Liv teases.

“You haven’t made out with Isaac Black.”

“That good, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Are you nervous? Overnight trips like that usually lead to sex, especially at weddings. Those make everyone horny.”

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. Hell, having sex with Isaac enters my mind six hundred times a day. I knew when I agreed to go away with him I was essentially agreeing to sleep with him, or at least be open to the idea if our time together leaned that way.

“I am nervous, but not like I expected to be. It’s more of an excited nervous. I’ve never been to Napa and I have an excuse to dress up and dance with a hot guy. It’s formal attire.”

“You know what that means.”

“What?”

“We have to go dress shopping!” Liv exclaims and claps her hands.

Isaac

“You invited her to Napa? Seriously?”

“Don’t sound so shocked, Finn.”

He cracks open the peanut in his hand and tosses the shells into the basket at the end of our table. “Why not? You never introduce girls to all of us at once. We are lucky if one of us gets to meet someone you’re with.”

“I’m not with her. We are just, I don’t know, seeing what happens.”

“Sounds like something a pussy-whipped asshole would say.”

“Hard to be pussy-whipped without the pussy.”

“You still haven’t fucked her? Jesus, man, who are you, and what have you done with my friend?”

I point at him. “Watch it.”

“Fine, fine.” Finn looks around, as the bar grows more and more crowded. “Where’s Caleb? He’s been in the bathroom for fifteen minutes.”

“Maybe he fell in.”

“Nah, we aren’t that lucky.”

I laugh and swallow a gulp of beer. “I told Christopher I was bringing someone. He was just as shocked as you.”

Christopher went to high school with all of us. We were all extremely close, hell, if he lived closer, he’d be here with us anytime we came.

“I still can’t believe he’s getting married.”

“Right? It’s like saying Caleb is going to get married. I never thought anyone would tame Christopher, but I guess Danielle is gifted as hell.”

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