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“Uhh, thanks?”
Mac nodded with none of his usual flair and made his way back across the room, pointedly avoiding the bar area. Weird. Why was everyone being so weird?
Blue lowered the menu and stared longingly at the door. “I’m going to call an Uber. Can you tell Eva I left?”
I nodded. “Text her when you get back. You know how she worries.”
She frowned and slid out of the booth. “Unnecessary. I’ve lived in this town my whole life.”
“Please, Blue.” I tried to keep the exasperation out of my tone, I really did, but sometimes I felt like I was dealing with obstinate children.
Blue’s eyes darted over to Mac as he climbed onto the stage at the end of the song, and she sidled around us. “Fine. You can tell her I’ll text her when I get home.”
A second later, she disappeared into the crowd. I rubbed my temple until Noah caught my hand and kissed my fingers.
“She’s interesting—and nervous about Mac for some reason.”
I shook my head. “It really seems like it, but Mac is such a…”
“Child? Pain in the ass? Golden retriever in human form?”
I snorted out a laugh. “He’s not scary, that’s for sure.” My mind jumped from Mac’s non-threatening self to the much scarier situation between me and Noah.
“What are you thinking, Trouble?” he murmured, breaking into my doom spiral.
Eva slid into her abandoned spot with her eyes twinkling and two frozen pink drinks in her hands. “Nowthatis a perfect nickname. Where’s Blue?”
I tilted my head toward the door. “Left. She’ll text you when she gets home.”
“Good. She has to be the most confident person I’ve ever met, and I grew up with Mac. A serial killer could kidnap her, and it would never occur to her that she was in danger.” She slid one of the drinks toward me. “I don’t know what’s in it, but the cute bartender said it was a smoothie. Non-alcoholic.”
Noah raised his brows at me. “Not drinking today?”
I took a long pull from the straw and let the sweet taste linger on my tongue for a long moment before I answered him. “Nah, I have plans tonight for which I’d like to be completely sober.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “This is why I invited Blue. I needed a wingwoman to counter all the sexy eyes happening over here.” She jerked her thumb at Shaw and Riley, who were oblivious to the room and trying to meld into one person in the middle of the booth. “Are they like this at practice?”
Noah chuckled. “No. They’re serious at practice. Mostly. The eye-fucking is unreal though.” He stretched his arm along the fake leather behind me. “After the shit they went through during the season, I figure they’ve earned the right to ignore the rest of the world in their off time.”
“We can hear you,” Riley muttered from her spot in Shaw’s lap.
Eva toasted her with the other smoothie. “I’m just glad you’re past trying to drown yourself in the shower.”
Shaw snorted and poked Eva in the side. “Where’s your flavor of the month?”
She raised her chin, one hundred percent a princess staring down at a peasant. “I’m taking a hiatus from the tasting menu. Mind your business.”
Riley laughed so hard she had to steal some of Eva’s smoothie, sucking down a long drink then handing it back. “When have you ever minded your own business?”
Eva sent her an arched look. “It’s a public service. I do what I do for the good of the community.”
Shaw coughed into his fist, and even Noah shook with laughter behind me.
“I hate you all,” she muttered, ignoring us to cheer for Mac as he took his turn at the mic.
Noah cupped my hip, tugging me nearly into his lap. “I’m ready to leave whenever you are,” he whispered into my hair. “I have plans for your mouth that don’t involve singing.”
Wet heat took over, pooling between my thighs so fast I had to clench them together. Why had I thought one-time hookups were the way to go? This restrained foreplay was sexy as hell, and knowing I was guaranteed to spend the night with Noah, I was in a hurry to get out of there before one of us changed our minds or got too drunk to walk.
