Page 10 of Our Sweet Destiny
Chapter Six
“GIRL, YOU ARE smoking hot,” Riley said. “I have the perfect dress for you next time we go out. I whipped up this gorgeous white backless number, and it’ll fit you perfectly.” Riley had a degree in fashion design, but after college, she hadn’t been able to break into the industry and had also returned to her hometown.
“Running from a stalker definitely agrees with you,” Riley said as she drove toward Fingers.
It was just like Riley to make a joke out of her life-altering situation. “He wasn’t a stalker. Besides, it’s more like not having sex for months on end agrees with me,” Jade said with a smirk. She’d thrown on her sexiest black minidress in an effort to lure a man for a quickie. She wasn’t proud of herself, and she’d be mortified if her father ever found out, but darn it, sometimes you just needed to scratch that itch. After the way Rex raked his eyes over her and then acted like a jerk, she deserved a little ego boost.
“Months? Like, plural? Really? Why didn’t I know that?” Riley hadn’t aged a bit since college. She was a curvy woman, and she wore the curves well. She’d never given in to perms or waves, and her straight, shoulder-length brown hair remained the same, with the recent addition of longish bangs, which gave her a playful appearance no matter how she was dressed. Tonight, with her skinny jeans and black blouse with a plunging neckline, she definitely looked playful.
“You knew. Who have I been with since moving here?” Jade asked.
Riley pursed her lips and swished them from side to side. “Hmm.” She held up an index finger, then lowered it. “I think you might be right.”
“I know I’m right.” She laughed.
Riley pulled into the parking lot of Fingers, and Jade’s nerves twinged. It’d been a long time since she’d gone out looking to bed a man.Have I ever?
“Are you sure I look okay?” she asked.
“Yes, woman. Better than okay. What’s with you? You aren’t usually nervous about how you look. You know you’re hot,” Riley said.
Jade blew out a breath. “I can’t tell anymore. I’ve kind of been given conflicting messages lately.”
“From who? Want me to take them down?” She grabbed her purse, and before Jade could reply, she said, “Come on. Let’s get in there and have some fun.”
A neon light read, LADIESNIGHT,MONDAYNIGHTS,6–10P.M.
Jade tossed a sneer at Riley. “You could have told me.”
“Would you have come if I had?”
Jade weighed her answer. “Maybe. I mean, my whole goal tonight is to get lucky, so…”
Riley was a head taller than Jade. She threw her arm around Jade’s shoulder and rested her cheek on her head. “I’ve got your back, sister. I’m the designated driver, so we’ll liquor you up. I’ll do a sober check of any guy you want—I won’t let you get into a car with anyone drunk, and I’ll personally review their driver’s license and take down name and address in case your body goes missing tomorrow. And if you don’t get lucky, I’ll tuck you in tonight.”
“You’re the best, Ri.”
“Yeah, I know.”
REX SUCKED DOWN his beer, and for the first time in what felt like forever, his body relaxed. He loved music, and his foot bounced to the beat on the hardwood floor. The beat of the music lured the females onto the dance floor, giving him plenty of entertainment.
“So, Rex, Max and I are considering building a house nearby,” Treat said.
Rex enjoyed spending time with Max and Treat. When he’d first met Max, he wasn’t sure she’d be enough for his oldest brother. She was very casual, donning a ponytail and jeans on most days, but once he’d gotten to know her, he realized how smart and warm she really was. Shortly after they’d met, she’d begun to wear more feminine, sexier outfits, and Rex could see the appreciation in Treat’s eyes—the way his eyes drank her in, in the same way Rex knew his eyes drank in Jade. He knew he shouldn’t even look at Jade that way, but no matter how hard he tried not to, his body and eyes had a mind of their own.
“About time,” Rex teased. Treat could afford to buy half of Allure if he wanted to, so it surprised Rex that he’d remained at their father’s house for so long. Treat had been working out the final details with his new staff and redefining his business infrastructure.One thing at a time, he’d told Rex two months ago.
“Not that you’re waiting for me to leave with bated breath or anything,” Treat said with a tilt of his glass.
“Nah, it’s cool. I’m happy for you. Where?”
Treat pulled Max against him and kissed the side of her head. “Wherever Maxy wants.”
“I think we should stay closer to your dad. You guys have so many family functions, and with Treat helping on the ranch and running his business, it makes sense that he should spend less time in the car. Besides, Weston is less than half an hour from Allure, so it’s not a big deal for me, and Chaz will let me work from home when I want to.” Max had worked for Chaz Crew, the owner of the Indie Film Festival, headquartered in Allure, for the past ten years, and she had no intention of leaving, no matter how much money Treat had.
“I’m all for it. The closer the better. I like having you guys around.” Rex took another swig of his drink. Fingers had opened just a few weeks earlier, and although Rex had been there only once before, he had heard that Monday nights pulled the best-looking women from all of the nearest communities. Not that he would go home with anyone while he was with Treat and Max, but a little eye candy never hurt. He scanned the dance floor, trying to find someone who caught his eye enough to take his mind off of Jade, but no matter how pretty the women were, no matter how tight their clothing was or how curvaceous their bodies were, none of them was as appealing as Jade, and it was starting to piss him off. He had to get that woman out of his head.
The song changed to a slow tune, and Max took Treat’s hand. “Dance with me,” she said with a flirty grin.
