Page 98 of Last First Kiss

“Getting drunk to forget every terrible decision I’ve made so far?” She beams for Jamie. “Best idea I ever had.”

Jordan snorts.

Jamie tips his head back, laughing. “Whatever the lady wants!”

He starts gathering bottles. The woman settles onto the stool next to Jordan. “Meg,” she announces. “Figure we should be on a first-name basis since you’re saving my life.”

“Jamie,” he offers. “And that’s Jordan.”

Jordan nods at her sash. “Maid of honor?”

“Fuck no.” Meg cackles. “Just a bridesmaid. My cousin is way too controlling. She’s gone throughthreewedding planners now.”

“Wow.” Jordan’s heard horror stories like this from his uncle Kenny. He didn’t want to believe them but, well, here he is.

“She even organized her own bar crawl,” Meg says with a sigh. “Which is how we ended up here.”

“Hey,” Jamie objects as he pours into five glasses. He doesn’t even bother measuring. Just eyeballs. “This is a fine establishment.”

“When Kim Kardashian broke the internet!” a man drunk-yells from one of the high-top tables.

Meg cocks an eyebrow. “You were saying?”

“Next time,” Jamie says, “you should hire Jordan. He’s an event planner.”

“Coordinator,” Jordan whispers.

Jamie must hear him because he makes a face. He reaches over and drops his hand on top of Jordan’s. “He was just promoted.”

Pride washes over Jamie’s face as he says it.

It stirs warmly in Jordan too. When it happened, he told Jamie first. Not his mom—partly because, as the family and office gossip, she already knows everything. But he didn’t run to Tevin or Denz either. He told no one else.

Just Jamie.

It was this instinctive act. Jordan didn’t even have to think about it. The second he left Kami’s office with the news, Jordan’s hand immediately scrolled to Jamie’s name in his contacts.

But now, Jordan does think about it. With Jamie’s soft, slightly damp palm resting on his knuckles. That lit-up grin pointed at him.

WhywasJamie first?

“He’s smart and has great taste,” Jamie adds. His thumb strokes Jordan’s wrist.

Blush runs lava-like through Jordan’s cheeks. When has he ever felt embarrassed by a compliment?

“I’ll remember that,” Meg notes.

Jordan flinches. For a moment, he forgot she was there. He eases his hand out from under Jamie’s to fix the cuffs of his shirt.

“It’s called 24 Carter Gold,” he says nonchalantly. “If you’re ever interested.”

Meg nods like she’s not.

Her sharp green eyes are focused on Jamie as he adds bluecuraçao to each drink. Jordan’s seen that look on people before. As if they’re reallyseeingJamie for the first time.

That tousled brown hair. The wrinkled brow as he concentrates on not spilling. Bar lights amplifying his tan complexion. Unkempt, dark facial hair framing that pink mouth. Worn-soft work T-shirt with the collar stretched enough to see faint chest hair.

The Jamie that Jordan gets to see all the time. Even when he’s not trying.