Page 123 of Desperate Pucker
We head out of the hotel suite and down the hall to a massive staircase that leads down to the main part of the venue, where Casino Night is being held.
“Just texted Del,” Ingrid says. “The guys are already one drink in at the bar.”
“I’m jealous of how quickly guys can get dressed,” Abby says. I stop to help her fix the zipper of her silky, burnt orange floor-length dress. “When I asked Gavin how long he was going to take to get ready, he said ten minutes,” she says.
Sophie chuckles. “Yup. That’s my dad.”
She walks next to me and smiles. “Team pink!” she says, holding up her hand.
I chuckle as I high-five her. “You look so pretty,” I say. “That color of pink is beautiful on you.”
She beams and skims a hand along the front of her satin gown, which is a rose-pink color. “Where did you get your dress? It’s stunning.”
“Kara Salonga’s boutique,” I say.
“That’s where I got mine too,” Dakota says. She smiles down at the strapless plum-hued gown she’s wearing. “Did you go during her opening weekend? I can’t believe we didn’t see each other.”
I fight a smile. “I went before it opened, actually. Ryker took me.”
All the ladies look at me.
“He did?” Bella asks. I nod.
“He, um, asked Kara Salonga to open the shop early so I could go shopping.” My face heats just remembering how thoughtful and romantic that was.
They all stop talking and look at me.
“You two are definitely hooking up,” Bella says while adjusting the strap of her black midi-length dress. Ingrid gently nudges her, but she doesn’t even notice.
I glance around, making sure there’s no one around us. Part of me doesn’t want to divulge what Ryker and I are doing because we promised each other to keep things private…but they’re my friends. It feels wrong to lie to them.
I look at them, my cheeks sore from smiling. “Yeah. We are.”
They all squeal and crowd around me in a group hug.
“I could tell something was going on between you two in Montreal,” Sophie says.
Ingrid nods. “Yeah, he was looking at you a lot in that protective, yearning way that guys do when they’re totally into you. Especially that night at the bar when that random guy was hitting on you.”
I let out a flustered laugh, a little embarrassed at how quickly they picked up on all that.
“So you’re officially together then?” Dakota asks.
I shake my head. “We’re just friends having fun.”
Bella laughs. “Famous last words,” Maya says.
I remember that the two of them started as friends with benefits with their guys too.
“We’re just friends,” I say again. “And not to be a buzzkill, but we promised to keep things private between us,” I say.
“Say no more. We get it,” Ingrid says. They all nod.
Sophie beams. “We’re just really happy for you.”
“Yeah. Get it, girl.” Bella pats my back, and I burst out laughing.
We make our way down the staircase and see the crowd of people filtering into the ballroom where Casino Night is being held. I follow the ladies to the bar, where the guys are. I spot them standing around in their tuxes, sipping on drinks.
