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“We leave you alone for one night, and you’re getting swarmed.”
At the sound of Ivy’s voice, I turned, my stomach dropping quickly at the sight of Ivy, Poppy, and Harlow next to our table. Harlow’s dark hair was braided off to the side of her face, and quickly, I studied her expression. Did she have tangles and knots in her head too?
It was just in my head, based on the looks of things. She didn’t look mad or upset or even annoyed at what she’d just witnessed. She walked over to me and smacked my arm like she would have any other day. “Holy shit, was that Constance McKenzie?” she whispered.
I sighed. “It appears so.”
With her eyes wide, she studied Constance at the bar. “Wow. She got hotter, didn’t she?”
The ease was back, and something in my chest unclenched. We’d be fine.
Ivy sniffed. “As long as she wasn’t hitting on my Wilder, I’ll admit she’s got a certain appeal.”
Harlow and Poppy laughed as Cameron wrapped an arm around Ivy’s waist and pulled her in next to his stool. “She was definitely hitting on the less nice brother, which means she has terrible taste.”
Ivy arched an eyebrow. “Good.”
“Hey,” I said. “I’m sitting right here.”
“Do you think you’re friendlier than me?” he asked condescendingly.
As Harlow laughed, I grimaced into my bottle of beer. Cameron gave Ivy a quick kiss, and I watched with interest as Harlow and Poppy immediately tugged stools up to our table. Jax, blank-faced, studied the new additions without a word.
“So,” I said slowly, “what happened to girls’ night?”
“We’re still having it,” Poppy said. “We’re just … having it here.” She waved a hand. “Once Ivy saw Cameron, it was all over.”
Jax snorted.
To my little sister’s credit, she ignored him completely. Which was a feat, if you considered the fact she’d been in love with him for years. Jax almost always ignored her, so we were used to that. It was probably the only reason Cameron allowed them to be in the same area, because Jax had never given her a single reason to believe there was a chance.
Ivy lifted her hand for a server. “Don’t feel like you can’t continue your conversation now that we’ve joined you. What were you talking about?”
Jax took a slow sip of his beer, then set it down, eyes unflinching. “We were talking about sex.”
Poppy cut him a wide-eyed look.
But if he meant to deter Ivy, she did nothing but smile. “Funny, that’s what we were going to talk about too.” Then she cut Cameron a quick, heated glance, and he grinned like the cat who ate the fucking canary. Then Ivy shifted those eyes to Harlow, and I found myself holding my breath. “Harlow, you first. What’s the best story you’ve got for us?”
Harlow froze. “I don’t have any good stories. The last time I got laid, there was a different president in office. The only person who sees me naked on a regular basis is my doctor.”
I hid my smile as Cameron and Ivy laughed.
Poppy slung an arm around Harlow’s shoulders. “Isn’t it fun being the new one at girls’ night?”
At the miserable expression on my friend’s face, I took pity on her.
“Poppy,” I said, “why don’t you tell us all about the last time you surprised Cameron and Ivy, if they’re so keen to talk about private things.”
Cameron’s cheeks flushed, and Ivy merely arched one eyebrow. “Go for it. Maybe Jax needs some tips.”
Underneath the table, Harlow’s knee brushed mine, and our eyes met and held.
She gave me a tiny smile. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
My hands tightened around the beer bottle as I let out a slow breath. All the knots and tangles were gone for the moment, and I could breathe easier because of it.
It was just a night out with friends, something we hadn’t done since she moved in. It was the perfect thing to reset whatever knocked loose in my head earlier.
