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They could thank me l
ater.
“You two are people, right?” I shut the door and pointed at my chest. “I’m a person.”
“Hold up. No one else is coming but us?” Emerson’s eyes narrowed, his most popular expression. “Why would you claim you were having a party and only invite two guests?”
“You were the only guests I wanted to celebrate with.” I slung an arm around their shoulders and guided them into the living room.
It wasn’t huge, but it was bigger than my old one and especially looked that way since only two long couches and a coffee table had been added so far. Well, and there were a couple of ladders, and a half-built custom shelving unit. But they didn’t count as furniture.
I picked up the oddly shaped bottle of Samuel Adams Utopias on the coffee table and poured the smooth brandy-colored liquid into the three waiting glasses.
“Beer for you,” I said to Emerson, passing him a glass. “And for you,” I said to Lily, pressing the cool drink into her outstretched hand.
At least she wouldn’t sulk through my party. I didn’t think.
“What the hell is this?” Emerson picked up the doorstopper bottle and lifted it to the light as if he suspected I was trying to poison them.
Actually, I was trying to fuck them, so he’d pegged that one wrong.
“It’s beer. You asked for beer, did you not?” I sat down on one of the couches and took a long sip, demonstrating that I was drinking from the same well. “This is beer. Very fine beer, in fact. Expensive as hell, with a little sweetness for our non-beer drinker over there.” I smiled at Lily, who was thoughtfully peering into her glass. “There’s maple syrup in it.”
She took a tentative taste, her face screwed up in preparation to hate it. Then her forehead smoothed and she smiled. “Hey, that’s not bad.”
“See? Finally, some trust.” I took another drink and lifted a brow at Emerson. “If you wanna be a pussy about it, I have some Coors on ice.”
Though I didn’t look her way, I saw Lily fidget out of the corner of my eye. Anything bordering on naughty language always made her nervous. I don’t think she minded it so much as she wasn’t used to it. From what I could tell, her big cop daddy and Emerson kept her on a damn short leash.
That needed to change. Tonight, I hoped.
Emerson took a defiant gulp, then held the glass stein at arm’s length. “Shit, that’s not bad. Holy strong, though.”
“Mmm-hmm.” I smiled around the lip of my glass. “Twenty-seven percent alcohol. Banned in thirteen states for too high a content for beer.” I finished off my glass in another handful of sips and reached for the bottle. “More?” I asked them, noticing they were both putting serious dents in their own glasses.
“Lily isn’t twenty-one,” Emerson reminded me.
“I know. She’s also not on her daddy’s watch right now, so let her breathe, huh?” I glanced at her and noticed the color already rising in her cheeks. With her size and lack of tolerance, she’d be buzzing soon if she wasn’t already. “More?”
“I’m not driving, so sure.” She cast a glance toward me and held out her glass.
“You can sleep over,” I said quickly when Emerson didn’t reply, just continued staring into the scant inch of brown liquid left in his glass. “There’s a guest bedroom,” I added as his head snapped up.
I sincerely hoped they’d be in my king bed by the end of the night, but I knew there would be many steps to reach that point. Possibly more than could be covered in a single night.
I’d always been an optimistic fucker.
“I have to work in the morning.”
Nodding, I smiled at Lily and filled her glass. “How about you?”
“She’s not sleeping here.” Emerson answered so fast for her that Lily frowned and whipped her head in his direction.
“Hello, I can speak for myself.” Her throat bobbed. “I’m not sleeping here, but thank you.”
I chuckled and set down the bottle of fancy-ass beer. My own glass was clutched in my white-knuckled grip. I might be optimistic, but I also knew the uphill climb I faced in getting these two to lower their inhibitions. We’d all been friends long enough for that to be clear. Emerson didn’t think we were, and he tried to tell himself he only hung out with me to keep Lily company. And to, you know, watch her and make sure her hand didn’t sneak toward my dick or something.
The truth was, he watched me too. And I liked it.
