Cecilia can’t hold back a smile when I get her settled into her chair. I’m starting to wonder if no man has ever gone out of his way for her before. She’s so easy to please it kills me.
The line dancing on the floor has dissolved and people either pair off or wander away in search of another drink. The band announces a break and the volume takes a nosedive. My brothers have amassed a fan club over at the bar and they’re already drinking like it’s a competition.
When a gum chewing waitress stops by our table, I plunk down five twenties and order a soda. “You want the same?” I ask Cecilia.
“What’s your most popular beer?” she asks the waitress.
The girl scratches her cheek and snaps her gum. “Miller Lite if you just want something basic.”
“Sounds good. One pint please. Wait, I think I’ll try a shot too.”
“A shot?” I say. “Kind of risky if you don’t drink.”
She looks at me a little funny. “Maybe tonight Idodrink,” she replies with a touch of stubbornness. “Give me a whiskey.”
“Jack all right?” asks the waitress.
“Sure,” Cecilia says, looking the opposite of sure.
“No change needed,” I tell the girl and she snaps up the cash and takes off.
Cecilia folds her arms on the table and gives me an arch inspection. “I’ve been to bars before, you know.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“And yet you seem to be under the impression I’m a little inexperienced.”
“Then prove me wrong and tell meall about your life experiences.”
She rolls her eyes. “You sound like your brother right now.”
“Which brother?”
“Tye. He manages to insert hints of sex into nearly every situation. I’m not even sure it’s intentional.”
“You can stop wondering. With Tye, it’s definitely intentional. And don’t look now but he’s already inserting sex into another situation.”
Cecilia swivels to observe Tye playing tonsil hockey with a tall brunette. “The boy works fast. I’ll give him that.”
“Are you offended?”
She blinks at the question. “No. But I guess I come off as a real prude or you wouldn’t have asked.”
“I’m just trying to get to know you better, Cecilia.”
Our eyes lock and the heat shifts between us.
“Ditto, Julian,” she says, hunching her shoulders and leaning a little closer.
Too fucking tempting. My eyes drift down and devour the curve of her breasts. My cock surges and my balls throb. I’m rapidly reaching the breaking point.
Our drinks are dropped off. I’d really like to steal her whiskey shot in the hopes of distracting from my massive boner. However, I can’t get buzzed when everyone else is getting frat party drunk. I’m stuck suffering with a hard dick and a soda.
Cecilia sips her beer. It’s clear she doesn’t like the taste but she gulps a few mouthfuls anyway before setting the glass down and giving me a frank stare. “My cousin Lianna lives in Portland now. She’s married with a little boy.”
“Good for her.” I wondered if this would come up at some point. The last time I saw Lianna Grimaldi was the day of the wedding massacre. A bullet shattered her collarbone and her father, Cecilia’s uncle, was killed.
“Is it true about you and her?” Cecilia asks. “I always wondered if she was lying about hooking up with you.”
