Page 53 of Hard Rock Fling
August's turn came again. His ice blue eyes barely blinked, flicking from one card to another as if they held the secrets of the universe.
"Do you have…" He paused for a long moment, staring intently at Natalie sitting to his left. She inched away from him, nervous. The silence lingered, all of us holding our breath as if something of great importance was about to happen. "…a five?"
"Go fish." She flopped back in her chair, relieved the tension has broken.
August unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it into the pile. I let out a small noise in the back of my throat, but quickly cut it off. August was still wearing a thin white undershirt. His toned upper arms were the kind that made girls squeal. He took a card from the deck and slid it carefully into his hand. He hunched over his cards, eyes narrowing in thought, blond hair falling over his face.
"You got a two?" Natalie took her turn, asking Jen to her left, who handed a card over silently. She played a pair and took a shirt from the pile, pulling it over her head.
Jen looked at Cameron. "Do you have a six?"
He chuckled darkly. "Go. Fucking. Fish."
"Ugh. Fine." She took off her sparkly blue sequined tank top and picked up a card, leaving her in a strapless bra.
"Better stop losing or your boyfriend's gonna be upset you're flashing everyone," Cameron said.
"Better stop taking all my clothes or my boyfriend's going to clock you one in the mouth," she said with a sweet smile.
"Wait," I said. "There's a rumor the girl who helped Noah write his song started dating him. Was that you?"
Jen's smile went soft, almost sappy. "Sure was."
From her glowing face, it looked like she really was in love. She must have been something, to be able to work with, and snag, a man like Noah Hart.
"I heard an early leaked version your song," I told her. "It was awesome. I loved it."
"Thanks!"
"Speaking of His Royal Highness, why isn't he here?" Ian glanced around the room. "Shouldn't he be sullenly glaring at any man who ogles Jen's half-naked body?"
"He and Morris went off to get drinks," Natalie explained.
"And they're not afraid to leave you two alone with Cameron?" I asked.
Cameron winced and placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "Fucking ow. Has my reputation gone that far south?"
"Despite what you might have heard, Cam does havesomestandards," Ian added.
"I know I come off like a lecherous fiend, but I'd never touch another man's girl. Not once he's made his claim." Cameron took a swig of his beer and turned to Ian. "Got a queen?"
"You're cheating," Ian accused as he handed it over.
It was the fourth time in a row Cameron had guessed correctly. He was going to win at this point. Cameron took Jen's blue top from the pile of clothing.
Jen arched an eyebrow. "You better hope I win that back before Noah gets here with the drinks."
Cameron's eyes sparkled. "What would be the fun in that? I love seeing High Royal Highness with his feathers all ruffled."
August reached out for his beer, not lifting his eyes from his cards. He nearly knocked it over. I shot out my hand to keep it from tipping. He didn't notice, making uncoordinated grabby motions in the air. I placed the bottle in his hand. He wrapped his fingers around it without a second glance at me. How much had he had to drink so far?
"You got a jack?" Ian asked, nudging me to get my attention.
Ian was already shirtless. I had avoided looking at him, not wanting the others to see me drooling. He'd also lost his shoes, his pants, and was now down to his boxers. If I didn't have a jack…
I quickly scanned my cards. I had to suppress the upward twitch of my lips, not wanting to laugh at Ian's misfortune. "Nope. Go Fish."
He bitched and grumbled, but stood up to take off his boxers. A flash of silver on his wrist got my attention.
