Page 98 of Dirty Martini
He grumbles, eyes still locked on wherever Knox went. “Well, it’s working.”
I snort and reach forward to walk my fingers up his chest. “I’ll make sure to show you tonight just how much I love this hot, possessive thing you’ve got going on.”
“Yeah?” he questions, brown eyes practically glowing with lustful excitement when they dart back to me. “And how will you do that?”
“With my cock.”
“And what if I want inside that ass tonight?” he teases, his chest already heaving at the thought.
I shrug with a shit-eating grin. “I’ll fight you for it.”
“Be careful what you wish for, baby.” Chuckling, he brushes a piece of hair behind my ear. “You know I always win.”
I throw my head back with a laugh because this fucker is way too competitive for his own good. When I stop, turning back to him, he’s staring at me with an unreadable expression. Where I would have been insecure before, I’m only curious now. “What?”
“I love you so much, Everest,” he whispers so quietly I can almost barely hear it.
Damn him for making me get all teary-eyed. “I love you too.”
“Hello, my two favorite people!”
I reluctantly pull away from my boyfriend to greet Elton in all his bubbly glory. He squeezes himself next to me, slinging his arm around my shoulder, and ruffling my hair with the other. I laugh, batting his hands away, a familiar gesture from when we were kids that feels good to do again.
In the month that’s passed, things have been better between us. It’s not perfect, and we still have a lot of getting to know each other to do, but it’s so much better than it was. I feel like I can actually talk to him now and that significant progress means the world to me.
“Hey, bro,” I say, shrugging out of his hold. “How’s it going?”
“Eh. Going. I plan on getting wasted tonight, so keep the drinks coming,” he says as he drums his knuckles against the bar top.
Rhys and I exchange a look. Elton getting trashed can only mean one thing. He struck out…again. Not sexually, as he has a revolving door of women who want him, but romantically. It’s because he comes on too strong, always wanting to jump straight into forever, and hating the feeling of free falling when no one’s there to catch him.
“So you want to keep your tab open, I’m guessing,” Rhys asks, cocking an eyebrow as he starts making a drink. I don’tthink Elton cares one way or another what the drink is, just that it has alcohol and a crap ton of it.
“Yup, and I think this should more than cover it.”
He smacks an envelope down on the bar top in front of Rhys, gesturing for him to open it when he just stares at it. Rhys looks a bit skeptical as he takes the envelope, carefully tearing it open. I can’t see what it is inside, but whatever it is makes him curse. “The fuck is this?”
I take the envelope from him and gawk at what’s inside. It’s a check. A prettybigfucking check, made out to Rhys’s name. I stare at Elton, wondering where the hell he got all this money from, and why he’s giving it to Rhys.
Elton knows that we want answers, so he just shrugs. “You know how you’ve been‘paying rent’ all these years? Well, my dad thought it was a good idea to squirrel away that money into a high-yield savings account. Just a bit of looking out.”
“Wait… This is all mine?” Rhys asks, eyes widening as shock makes his face freeze. “Elton. Don’t mess with me.”
“Every single dollar.” Elton snaps his fingers and digs into his backpack. “Oh, and this is yours too.”
Rhys takesanotherenvelope from him, this one larger and padded. He examines it and then throws Elton a glare. “You took my mail?”
Elton chuckles and rubs his hands like an evil villain. “It wouldn’t have been as fun if you didn’t get the two together.”
“Wait, is that what I think it is?” I ask. My heart beating fast, excitement and anticipation race through me because this can only mean one thing.
“I didn’t commit the federal crime of opening it, but I’m pretty sure the fat envelope is good news.”
“Dear, Mr. Rhys Conway. We are happy to inform you…” Rhys lifts his face, a breathy laugh leaving him as he shakes his head. “I got into UM.”
I wish the bar wasn’t in between us or else I’d be throwing myself at him. I jump, fist pumping the air. “I knew you could do it!”
Rhys just stares at me. I’m just about to ask him what’s wrong, when all of a sudden, he’s pulling a Superman and hopping over the bar top. I’m not prepared for the way he basically tackles me, taking my mouth in a brutal kiss. I’m disoriented but don’t dare not return his embrace. I groan into his mouth when he palms my ass and lifts me, twirling me in the air as his tongue fucks into me.
