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She shrugged. “Why not? I’m celebrating anyway.”
Mike motioned the bartender over and then turned his attention back to Morgan. Her sapphire eyes glowed with excitement. Who would have thought his telling her he didn’t want to be with her forever would make her so fucking happy? And who would’ve thought that her being so fucking happy would make him so fucking mad? “Why are we celebrating?” he barked, the words coming out harsher than he intended.
Ignoring him, she smiled at the bartender—who had just placed their drinks on the bar in front of them—a bit too warmly for his liking. Some country song twanging all about protecting your woman from asshole losers came out of the speakers. For once, he could identify with the damn song. “Thanks, Hugh. You working with me tomorrow night?”
“Yep.” Hugh said, cleaning the bar directly in front of Morgan with a white rag. The bar looked perfectly clean to Mike. “Wanna ride home with me again?”
“Sure, if you—”
“I’ll get you,” Mike said quickly. When Hugh shot him a dark look, Mike leveled a back off or die stare at the fool. Then he smiled at Morgan, letting his left hand skim over her lower back. “I’ll be here to see Brianna anyway.”
“Uh, sure.” She shot him a weird look and pulled away from his hold. She tried to hop off of his lap but he gripped her hips too tightly. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Hugh gave him one last look and then stomped away.
“No problem.” He picked up the shot glass and tried to ignore his motivations for offering her a ride. It wasn’t because he didn’t want her alone with Hugh. It was so he could get laid. That was all.
Morgan traced the wood particles engrained in the bar top. “So…why are you coming tomorrow? And what is Brianna to you?”
Was that a hint of jealousy he detected in her voice? Nah. Couldn’t be. “She’s my sister.”
“Oh.” She relaxed against his chest again. “I didn’t know you were her brother. You’re the oldest, right?”
“Right. One other sister…living, that is.”
“Yeah, Brianna had mentioned that she had a sister who was killed in a car wreck about thirteen or fourteen years ago. Your other sister took in her baby, right?”
“Right.” Kiersten had done a fantastic job raising Chris.
She hugged him, her sweet fragrance washing over him. Calming him. He held her close and wanted to punch himself for the feelings sweeping through him. Since when did he want comfort from a woman? “I’m sorry. And I know about Brianna’s husband, too. Well, the first one. But now she’s married again and so happy. So in love.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. Brianna definitely loved Thomas. So much that sometimes, on a rare occasion, Mike wondered if he was being an idiot to avoid love. Then he remembered he wasn’t and went back to his ways. As he damn well should anytime the thought of settling down occurred.
Morgan didn’t seem to notice his silence. “Isn’t your other sister getting married soon?”
“Yeah. To my best friend.” He played with her hair. He liked the way it curled over his fingers. “That’s the party I was at when we met.”
“You mean the night you stole my seat and called me a st
ripper?”
“We took an empty booth—and I made a mistake.” He shrugged. “But yeah. That night.”
She rolled her eyes but ruined the effect by grinning. “I’d argue more but I’m in too good of a mood.”
“All because I don’t want a relationship?” His heart did an odd little twist. “That makes you so damned happy?”
“Don’t be so conceited. I’m not happy because of you.” She spun her empty shot glass on the bar. “I’m happy because I got a callback.”
A callback. That must be a dancing thing. “A callback, huh? That’s exciting. What’s the part?”
“It’s Chicago.” She practically bounced up and down on his lap, which did amazing things to his cock. “Freaking Chicago, Mike!”
He smiled. He had no idea what significance the city in Illinois played on her audition, but she seemed awfully excited about it. “Is it in Chicago?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes and laughed lightly. “Chicago is a play. A musical, actually.”
He released a breath he’d been holding. He vaguely remembered seeing a trailer about a movie called Chicago. He hadn’t realized it was a play, too. “Oh. I didn’t know they were opening a show here in Vegas.”
