Page 83 of Resilient Love

“Hey, Rafa, you want anything besides a water?” Nakoa calls over to him, dragging Rafael’s attention away from me.

“No, I’m good, man. Thanks.” As I’ve learned over the last few months, Rafael takes being the designated driver very seriously, which I can appreciate. There’s nothing more selfish than putting yourself in a position to potentially harm tons of people for no one’s benefit besides your own.

Getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking isn’t something anyone should be comfortable with, in my opinion.

“Who's this?” Jelani asks, setting Letty’s drink down beside her, swiping her phone from her hand.

“None of your business,” she says, rolling her eyes and grabbing for her phone. He raises it high above her head,wearing an easy smirk as he chuckles deeply. “I'm serious—give me my phone back,” she grits out with a pointed glare.

His shoulders drop, and all the laughter leaves his expression as he immediately hands it back to her. “I'm sorry, Letty,” he says, leaning in to whisper something into her ear that I don’t catch, and not for lack of trying.

I watch in awe as her tanned cheeks pinken and the smallest smile grazes her lips.

“I won't lie and say it's okay, because it's not, but you're forgiven.” He gives her a small smile and tucks a rampant curl behind her ear, taking a seat at the other end of the table.

“So, whowasthat? I wanna know too,” Chelsea says, smiling into her glass as she takes a sip of her beer, the froth coating her upper lip.

“Just someone I met online. It's nothing serious,” she says, tucking her phone into her back pocket.

My eyes flick to Jelani, whose jaw is set, tension rippling through him no matter how much he tries to hide it.

“How's that going?” Adhira asks.

“It's fine,” Letty says. There’s a beat of tense silence before she slumps forward, shaking her head. “I'm lying, it sucks.”

We erupt in laughter and spend the next half hour discussing the many failed prospects Letty's encountered while online dating, several of whom are apparently already dating at least three or four other people in our area.

“Anyone wanna play pool?” I ask, standing from the stool. The back of my hand grazes Rafael's, and I feel him stiffen beneath me before pushing out of his seat to join me.

“I'm game,” he says.

We enter the side room, still in full view of our table, but with fewer people around, it's easier to actually speak to each other.

I wrack the balls before grabbing a cube of chalk and a stick.

“Clearly you've played before?” he asks with his cut brow raised.

“Sure have. You need a lesson?” I smirk.

“Actually, yeah. I could use a lesson,” he tells me, grabbing the stick from my hand and positioning himself in front of the Q-ball.

My grin widens, my gaze flitting to our table of friends. They’ve all dispersed around the small stage, where a few patrons are belting out popular karaoke songs.

I slide around him, pressing my fingertips into the space between his shoulder blades, and push him forward as I plaster my body to his.

He shakes his ass against my front, and I can't help the squawk of laughter that leaves me. I smack his hip, shaking my head as I lean over his large frame, cupping his hand in mine.

I have to stand on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “Not like that, princess.” He snorts as I reposition his hand on the stick, then the other on the table.

“Okay. You gonna show me how it's done?” he asks.

Warmth spreads through my chest, and I bite my lip, helping him mimic the motion a few times before allowing him to do it himself. He misses the ball entirely, spinning around and snatching me by the waist, twisting to press me into the smooth, glossy wood frame of the pool table, and whispers in a low growl against my ear, “Stop playing games with me,peligrosa. We're in public with too many prying eyes, and I can't punish you yet.”

I flit my gaze around the room, catching Adhira's unimpressed expression as she rolls her eyes at me and looks back to the stage on the opposite end of the building, where Letty, Chelsea, Jelani, and Nakoa are now belting out the lyrics to “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.

I grab Rafael's hand and drag him behind the bar, pulling him into the restroom and twisting the lock as soon as we're inside.

His hands are on me in an instant, pushing me up against the door as his lips travel the length of my neck, nipping at my jaw before finding my lips.

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