AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t know how I managed to go two years without seeing him once, or at least without noticing him. I mean, no. If we’d ever been in the same elevator or in the foyer at the same time, I would have noticed him. There’s no way somebody simply doesn’t notice that man. For fuck’s sake, he’s all long limbs, knotted muscles, and chiseled jaw, and looks like he just stepped off a freaking runway. His mere presence is overpowering, like he dominates every space he’s in.
“You gonna tell me how your night with Mr. Handsome went?” Charlee wags her brows and nudges me in the ribs.
My eyes shift to my brother, who’s sprawled across my living room couch, watching Vivi put on a dance performance for the fifteenth time in the last half hour.
“Later,” I whisper to Charlee. Then I clear my throat and speak louder. “So, we’re doing dinner and drinks?”
Charlee gets the hint and winks. She pulls two beers out of the fridge and I reach for one, but she gives me a dirty look and walks over to the couch.
“Shove a bum,” she tells Casey, who happily sits up and makes room for her. She hands him one of the beers. Traitor. “Yep,” she says then, answering my earlier question. “We’re going to The George for dinner. Dex mentioned going down the street afterwards. There’s this new bar with ping pong tables and shit like that.”
Casey looks longingly at Charlee. “That sounds fun.”
“It’s just Dex and us?” I ask, because it seems like a lot for just the three of us.
Charlee’s eyes flit to me. “And a couple of the other guys from work.” She smacks Casey’s knee. “You should come, Case.”
“I would, but…” He gestures to the dancing, bouncing, crazy ball of energy that’s half him.
“I bet my mom can come to your place and watch her. You know she loves Vivi.”
Casey considers her offer. “You don’t think it’s too late of notice?” He checks his watch. “What time you guys going?”
“Reservations aren’t ’til eight.”
“Shit,” he breathes, looking mildly excited. He drums his long fingers on his beer bottle. “I can’t remember the last time I went out and got drunk.”
That’s my brother. He used to be a huge party animal back in the day, and while he scaled it back a bit when he hit his mid-twenties, Vivi had sobered his nights up instantly. As a single father, he’s utterly devoted to her and hates spending unnecessary time away from her. At twenty-nine years old, the man has been pretty much without a social life for the last two-and-a-half years, especially since most of his friends disappeared when Vivi came along, which is total bullshit.
“Done!” Charlee slaps her phone down on the table and grins at Casey. “Mom will be at your place for six-thirty.”
“Fuck yeah! Thanks Charlee.” He presses a kiss to her cheek and her face goes crimson.
Charlee starts twirling a lock of blond around her finger, gaze bouncing between Casey and a spot on the wall. “Is there a special girl you want to invite before I get Dex to add to the reservations?” I smother a laugh. Special girl. Real subtle, Charlee.
“Nope.” He pops the P sound and slings an arm over Charlee’s shoulders. “All my special ladies are right here in this room.”
“You’re such a cheeseball,” I tell him as I drop to the ground. Vivi comes running over to me, crashing into my chest and tackling me backwards.
“Dance wif me!”
“Uggghhh,” I groan, wrapping my arms around her. But then, like the good auntie I am, I drag my tired ass off the floor, and we re-start Let It Go for the hundredth time.
Casey leaves a half hour later with the promise to be back for seven-thirty so the three of us can head to the restaurant together. But five minutes after he walks out my door, he texts me to say he’s going to meet us there instead, because he’s going to have a drink with ‘the guys’ beforehand, whatever the hell that means. I guess him and Dex are pre-drinking for dinner, and I guess Casey’s taking his first night out since forever pretty damn seriously, and rightfully so.
“Oh my God.” Charlee’s big brown eyes twinkle as we stroll down the street toward the restaurant. “I can’t believe it. What the hell are the chances of that? In a city this big?”
Exactly what I’ve been thinking. “So, you can see why I couldn’t sleep last night.”
“Just think of all the sex you could have. Any night of the week, any time you want. Hey Avery, wanna fuck? Sure babe, just come up to my penthouse.”
I’m mildly irritated that she thinks this is humorous in any way, shape, or form, but I have to laugh at her high-pitched squeal of an impression of my voice, and her deep baritone Avery. “I don’t sound like that, and I’m sorry, but Avery’s voice is way sexier.”
“That was incredibly sexy.”
“Sorry, didn’t get my panties wet.”
She stops on the sidewalk, gripping my arm. “Please tell me you actually get wet when he talks to you.”
