Page 6 of Wrecked Rose

She gives us a quick grin. “What? I’m never the troublemaker. Can’t a girl let loose for once?”

Lyla reaches across the counter, snagging the bottle of Malibu rum and a stack of cups. “I’m down with shots. Who else is in?”

Scarlett raises a hand with a quick nod, then pokes me in the side. “Max? You drinking with us?”

I glance into the living room where I see Stacia on a couch next to Griff. “Fuck yes. Bring it on. You only live once, right?”

The three girls cheer. Daphne lets out a “Hell yeah!” that tells me she’s definitely already feeling it.

Before long, we’ve all had two shots on top of whatever else had already been consumed, and we’re feeling good.

Through my drunken haze, I peer at Daphne and see two of her. “You know, I had a bunch of whiskey while I was playing pool with Griff earlier.”Whose wise idea was this? I’m half bombed. No way am I driving home.

“Did you now?” She covers her mouth, giggling. “Well, I had a bunch of rum punch, so we’re even. That means …” She slides down off the stool and holds out her hand.

I give her a terrified look because I have a feeling I know where this is going.

Scarlett claps. “Oh yes! Daph promised me if she had enough to drink that she’d dance. Let’s go.” She grabs Lyla’s hand and makes a beeline for the living room while I follow with Daphne.

I tug on her hand and tuck my face down near her ear. “Seriously? You hate to dance.”

“Eh, whatever. Let’s do this!” She gives me a quirky little smile.

I return her grin. “Well, all right, then. You sure are coming out of your shell.”

“What can I say? Micah brings a whole new girl out of me.” She turns her head back to look me in the eye. “Is that bad?”

“It’s not. It’s just surprising. I think I kinda like it.”

We join Lyla and Scarlett in the living room, where all the furniture has been pushed against the walls to make room for a dance floor. For a while, the four of us dance together, facing each other in a circle. Then Xander and Beau join, peeling Scarlett and Lyla away from us, until it’s me and Daphne left on our own.

A slow, sexy song starts up. Selena Gomez starts singing something about looking good for her man and the ladies in the room lose their minds. Pretty sure the guys are going along with it so they have an excuse to get closer and grind. Thanks to a bunch of alcohol, inhibitions are thrown out the window, and hips sway, roll, and gyrate everywhere I look.

Xander and Scarlett are all over each other, her leg hooked over his hip, grinding right in the middle of the dance floor. Beau’s got Lyla’s back pressed firmly to his front and his hands roam over her body in a seductive way. The way these couples are so in tune with each other is hot.Wayhot.

Daphne glances back at me, lifting her arms over her head and securing her hands behind my neck. She rests her head back against my chest just under my chin.

My best friend and I don’t usually dance like this, but there’s a first time for everything. Hell, Daphne doesn’t usually dance like thisat allbut I’m not going to be the one to tell her no.

I whisper next to her ear, “Is Micah going to kill me if I hold onto you?”

She shakes her head, smiling up at me. “Nah. You’re being silly.” She rakes her teeth over her lower lip, her gaze a bit unfocused.

I chuckle softly. “Okay, Drunkie Daphne.” Tentatively, I wrap one arm around her middle and settle the other on her hip. Slowly, we begin to move to the music. And as much as Daphne says she doesn’t like to dance, she’s a natural. She feels the beat and moves perfectly in time with it. If I were into girls, Daph would be at the top of my list. And I think what I like most is that she’s so damn full of surprises. You’d think I’d know she could dance after a year and a half of being her best friend, but I had no idea she was capable of this. I laugh to myself—she probably hadn’t either.

After a few minutes, she tilts her head up and whispers, “I’m roasting in this sweater.”

“Got anything on under it?”

“A tank top.”

“Let’s lose it, then.”

She clumsily reaches for it, struggles for a second, and I help her lift it over her head.

Somewhere between Daphne’s sweater being on and me helping her out of it, Griff has appeared in front of her. My eyes snap to him, taking in his slim hips encased in jeans and the broad expanse of his chest filling out a waffle-knit shirt.

He glances down at her, and I can tell from the twitch of his lips that she’s probably not hiding her surprise at his appearance very well.

---