Page 29 of If You Say So

“Fine.” I hold my hands up. “Just know that when we’re all bickering and hating each other an hour from now, you’re to blame.”

She giggles and takes another drink, draining the glass. She frowns when she realizes she’s out of wine, and it’s so overly exaggerated that it’s cute. Carsen laughs and pushes her off his lap, grabbing her cup and heading to the fridge to refill it.

I follow him over there and pull open the cabinet, snatching a glass from the top shelf and twisting off the top of a nearby two-liter.

“No booze tonight?” Carsen asks.

“Who says I’m not adding to it?”

He watches as I pull a bottle of vodka from the freezer and pour two fingers worth into my Sprite.

“It’s so weird that you don’t put ice in your booze,” he remarks.

I shake the frozen bottle his way. “That’s why I freeze it. Keeps it nice and cold.” I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip. “The ice just waters everything down.”

“Spoken like a true boozy.” He fills Elliott’s glass up about halfway before returning the bottle to the fridge and pulling out a water for himself. He nods his head for me to look behind me and says, “Someone’s gotta stay sober tonight.”

I turn to find Nate throwing back a shot of whiskey then popping the top off a beer.

Shit.

“Oh!” Elliott claps her hands together. “I haven’t introduced everyone.” She points to a cute brunette girl sitting to her left and then to the guy sitting next to her. “This is Cate and Chris. They’re together.”

They both give a polite wave.

Next she points to a guy with dark hair and rectangle glasses covering his eyes. He’s sitting at the end of the table alone, and he’s cute.

“Jay, say hey.” She can hardly contain her giggles as she says this. “We’re taking an advanced photography class together.”

“Hi, I’m Blake.” I extend my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, thanks for letting us come have a game night.”

“No problem, man,” I say, pulling out a chair and sitting next to him.

I’m acutely aware of Nate resting against the island behind me, his eyes burning into the back of my head. The heat he’s radiating is making me sweat, and I can feel the dampness forming on my nape.

“Do you go to school around here?” Jay asks.

“Yep. Same college as Elliott. You?”

“Nah. I graduated last spring. I’m just taking the photog class for fun while I continue trying to find a J-O-B.”

“Slim pickings?”

“That, and I’m picky.” He winks. “I know what I want and won’t settle for less.”

“I can respect that.”

Nate scoffs, and I try not to react to him.

His oaky scent wafts closer as he takes a seat in the empty chair beside me, his arm brushing against my shoulder as he scoots around. It feels likesomuch more than a light touch.

I love it and hate it all at once.

“I’m Nate,” he says, inserting himself into our conversation with a flirty grin. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Jay’s lips tilt up at the corners, and it doesn’t take a genius to decipher that look in his eyes. His interest is officially piqued.

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