Page 39 of Until the End

Ginny’s face flames, her smile turning bashful when she looks at me. “You look amazing, too. I’ve never seen you in a sports coat like that.”

Fancy is not in my vocabulary, but Mom got me this jacket when I moved out of the house. She said I’d be glad to have it at the most random time, and she was right. I’ve never wanted to wear it until tonight.

“These are for you.” I hold out her flowers. Her blue eyes light up when she takes them from me.

“They’re beautiful.”

“Ryan arranged them, of course.”

She tilts her head in understanding. “Of course. I’ll have to send him a thank you.” Ginny walks to a side table in the kitchen and pulls out a vase. I’m mesmerized by the way she moves. Every step is graceful yet purposeful. It’s as if she’s dancing to music only she can hear.

It hits me then what we should do tonight. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about it before now. I have this whole fancy date planned, and now I’m wondering what the fuck I was thinking. Ginny might be a celebrity now, but that hasn’t changed who she is on the inside. Fancy isn’t what she’d want.

“Hey, Goose. I need to step out to make a phone call real quick. Give me a second?”

A line forms between her eyebrows as she looks at me over her flowers. “Sure. I hope everything’s okay.”

“It’s perfect.”

She relaxes at that. It only takes me a minute or two to cancel the original reservation, and then I’m walking back inside.

Daren is standing by the door to the garage, his hands in his pockets. He turns to me when I get into the kitchen. “We were discussing whether security would be needed tonight.”

I look at Ginny. “It’s up to you, Goose. We’ll be in Westlake. Do you think you’ll be safe there?”

Ginny scrunches her face. “I don’t know. Probably?”

“If you had a panic button or something, we could have a couple of guys posted outside just in case. I don’t think anything’s going to happen, and you know I won’t leave you alone the whole time we’re there, but it might make us both feel better.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ve got something we can use. Hangon.” Daren heads back to the guard house, I assume, leaving Ginny and me alone.

I sidle up closer, my hands settling on either side of her neck. “Have I mentioned you look gorgeous tonight?”

Ginny grins. “A couple of times. Thank you.”

I lean in to kiss her, unable to hold back now that I’m allowed to do it. God, her lips are so fucking soft. I could kiss her for hours, and I’d still want more.

“We’re not going to be late for a reservation or anything, right?”

I shake my head. “We’re good. Besides, your safety is way more important than making a reservation.” I press my lips to hers in a soft, teasing kiss. I can’t afford to get too worked up, otherwise we’ll never leave.

The garage door cracks open, signaling Daren’s return. I take a small step back but keep my hand on the back of Ginny’s neck. I massage the muscles there, and the little noise that escapes her throat sends a bolt of lust straight to my cock.Jesus.

“Here. Put this on your cell. It’s similar to those Pop Socket things. All you have to do is pull it out, and it’ll trigger the alarm.”

Ginny takes it and sticks it to the back of her phone. “That’s handy. Now I don’t have to worry about accidentally pressing it or something. Plus, my dress has pockets, so I won’t need to worry about not having it close at hand.”

I hold my hand out to shake Daren’s. “Thank you. This is going to give us both peace of mind. Are you going to be with the guys tonight?”

“Yes. There will be three of us. One by your car, one on the front door, and one by the back.”

“Sounds good.” I squeeze Ginny’s neck. “You ready to go?”

She nods, anticipation gleaming in her eyes. I am so fucking glad I changed our plans.

“You know,for a very talented singer/songwriter, you’re incredibly bad at dancing,” I tease.

Neon strobe lights flash across Ginny’s face as she throws her head back laughing. I hold her close to me, one arm around her waist, the other pressing her hand to my chest. The music is loud, a bass line thumping through the speakers. I haven’t recognized many of the songs playing, but I couldn’t care less. They’ve all given me the chance to hold my best friend in my arms all night.

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