Page 63 of Rare Blend
“Sit down for a second. Before you get hurt,” Cole says, tugging on my arms until he’s gently guided me into a barstool. His eyes dance with amusement as he watches me. “You gotta watch out for the Ledger girls, they’ll drink you under the table.”
“I had no idea,” I say more to myself than to him.
He hops on the barstool next to mine, looking completely content and relaxed. In fact, he looks sober.
“Have you had anything to drink tonight?” I blurt out.
He chuckles. “Just a beer.”
My already flushed skin heats even more.
I drink more water and start to feel my eyes growing heavy. I could fall asleep right here if I let myself.
“Maybe I should take you home,” he says, his brows scrunching in worry.
My head feels too heavy for my neck, so I let it tip back to relieve some of the tension. Unable to stand the vest any longer, I work at the buttons, fumbling slightly because the tips of my fingers feel numb. Eventually, I get it off and take a deep breath, my first all night, and I feel so much better already. When I sit back up, Cole is watching me with an odd look.
He smirks. “Even drunk off your ass, you’re easily the sexiest woman in the room.”
Oh.
My brain grabs hold of his suggestive words, bouncing them around. It’s not that I think Cole is bad looking, it’s that I don’t think of him that way. In fact, I can only think of one person who’s suggestive words I want and it’s?—
“Ready to go home?” a voice says, sneaking up on me.
My head whips, trying to find the source, even though I know exactly who it is because I’d recognize that deep timbre anywhere.
“Ethan!” I yell excitedly and fling myself at him, my arms wrapping around his neck.
A whoosh of air leaves him as he grunts from my forceful leap.
“I thought you left.”
“Nope,” he whispers against my head, his warm breath caressing my ear.
I fight the urge to burrow into him at the same time that he starts to peel me off, taking a noticeable step away from me. I avert my eyes, trying to mask my disappointment. He clearly doesn’t like me touching him.
“Ledger.” Cole assesses Ethan, standing and squaring up against him.
“Benton.” Ethan mirrors Cole’s stance.
My eyes bounce between the two men. Are they going to fight? What’s happening right now? Their eyes are locked in what looks like a deadly stare-off. Tension crackles in the air, and a bundle of nerves tightens in my stomach. Positioned in the middle, am I the only thing keeping these two from pouncing on each other?
Cole cracks first. A grin splits his face, and before I can fully register the shift, he bursts into laughter, doubling over and slapping his knee. I look over at Ethan, he’s not laughing like Cole is, but the corners of his lips are twitching and the edges of his eyes are creased with a hint of humor.
Am I missing something?
“What just happened?” I ask Ethan, still trying to wrap my mind around their interaction.
Cole wipes a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “Good to see you, man.”
Ethan nods, moving around me and clapping Cole on the back. “What are you two up to?” Ethan asks us, but he’s looking directly at me, his expression unreadable.
“I was about to take her home. She can barely stand,” Cole says, like I’m not right next to him. He points between us. “How do you guys know each other?”
Ethan stiffens slightly, and his eyes grow darker. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a challenge there, unspoken but clear.
“Marisa is staying in my cottage,” he tells Cole, eyes still fixed on me.
