Page 94 of Wild Ever After
“But I will. Don’t I count?” He quirks a brow as he takes a long drink from his glass.
“You just want a wingman.” I nod my head toward the guys. “You have Ash.”
“He’s a terrible wingman. He either ends up hitting on them himself or getting into deep conversations and killing the mood.”
Chuckling, I nod. He isn’t wrong about that. “I have beer at home, and I like my house.”
“And the woman in it?”
I can only grin. Especially the woman in it.
“Another beer for my friend,” he tells the bartender and then pulls out his phone.
Before I can object, he adds, “One more beer. If you still want to leave after that, I’ll call you a sober ride.”
“All right but get ready to call that ride.”
“We’ll see,” he says, a little too smug.
A new glass is placed in front of me. I thank the bartender and resist the urge to chug it, like Mikey’s been doing all night. Instead, I wander over to the rest of the team. Some of the guys are playing pool and others are throwing darts. I join in on the latter. One game of darts, while I finish my beer, and then I’m out. Maybe Jade wants to order takeout and watch something. She’s been bingingOne Tree Hilland I’m reluctantly invested in the old TV series. Though if she asks, I’ll deny it.
My mood gets lighter the closer I get to finishing my beer. I throw my final dart and reach for the glass at the same time the guys around me erupt in a chorus of cheers. I turn to see what the excitement is about and my heart lurches in my chest.
Jade. Jade is here in this bar. Damn, she’s gorgeous.
I move toward her at the same time I realize she isn’t alone. Scarlett, Piper, and Dakota are with her. Scanning the room, I find Jack watching me with a smirk. That fucker. I lift my beer to him and mouth, “Well-played.”
“Surprise!” Jade says, meeting me halfway. She pauses a step away, like she’s waiting for my reaction.
I close the space between us, framing her face with both of my hands and kissing her. She squeaks in surprise seconds before I feel her lips pull into a smile and her arms go around my neck.
I drop my hands to circle her waist and lift her. Someone, I think Ash, calls, “Get a room.”
That’s exactly what I was planning on doing. Taking her to a room—mine, but now that she’s here, the bar doesn’t seem so bad.
“I guess that means you’re okay with me crashing guy time?” she asks, when I set her down.
Her face is flushed, lips wet from our kiss, and her arms are still linked around my neck.
“Yeah. I’m okay with it.” I drop another kiss to her mouth. “Want something to drink?”
She nods and I walk with her over to the bar and order her a seltzer and me another beer.
“Scarlett said you’re celebrating someone’s birthday?”
“Mikey.” I point to where he’s sitting. His loud, drunken laugh booms above the music. He’s stayed upright longer than I expected.
“Looks like he’s having fun.” She takes her drink and stands so the left side of her body rests against mine. “It’s nice you guys did that for him.”
It is nice, and her pointing it out to me makes me feel bad for wanting to bail.
“So…” she starts and hits me with a smile. “Pool? Darts?”
“Your choice.”
“If I’m playing, darts. If I’m watching, pool.”
“Not a fan of pool?”
