Samantha and Liz stand up, giggling and saying they can’t believe they’re doing this. Amanda sweeps her arm in the air like it’s no big deal.
“You girls keep our table safe,” she says to us, then walks off with Samantha and Liz.
“Oh my gosh,” I say, turning to Charlie when they’re gone.
She grins. “I told you they were fun. Tonight may be a third glass kind of night. They went through that first glass faster than usual. I think they’re excited to have a new friend.”
“I like them. They seem nice. And funny. Amanda is—”
“Addison?”
I turn to the voice I already know by heart. Brady stands beside the two guys I saw him with outside Sweet Escape a couple days ago. I know one of them is Paul, the son of the old man Brady helped, but I don’t know the second guy. He looks like he’s about twenty years older than us.
“Brady, hi. What are you doing here?” Memories of our walk in the woods assail me. I’ve seen him since then, and each time my thoughts are dominated by the feeling of his lips on mine.
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. My nervous grooming annoys me, so I force my hand to wrap around my wine glass.
“Just grabbing a beer. You remember Paul?” He gestures to him with his thumb.
“Yes, hi. How’s your dad doing?”
“Fine, thanks.” Paul smiles politely.
Brady redirects his thumb to the other guy. “This is Ralph. I bought the truck from him.”
“Hi, Ralph. This is Charlie,” I say, since we’re making introductions.
They say hello and Paul looks over his shoulder. “I’m going to grab that booth while it’s still available. Ralph, come on.”
They amble off across the place, but Brady doesn’t take his eyes off me. He sinks down into the empty seat beside me. Taking my hand, he turns it over and traces the lines in my palm with his fingertip.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he says, the compliment spoken under his breath.
“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Roughly translated,too badshould really meanhottest man to ever step foot in this place. Brady shaved after he picked up the razor, but it’s been a couple days since then and his scruff has regrown. It only adds to his appeal, along with the navy blue tee he wears that has turned his blue eyes even bluer.
His fingertip on my palm is so potent, he might as well be stroking a totally different part of me. I press my thighs together and let my fingers curl into my palm, halting his progression. I meet his gaze, and it’s like I can read his mind. First he’s confused, then understanding dawns, and the look in his eyes becomes hungry.
“This is supposed to be ladies’ night, but someone as handsome as you might be allowed to join us.” Amanda’s throaty voice breaks through the moment.
Brady quickly gets to his feet. “I’m sorry, did I steal your seat?”
Amanda slings an arm over his shoulder as if she knows him. “And he’s polite too? Keeper!”
She lets him go and walks around the table to her chair. I stand up and make quick introductions, then turn my attention to Brady. As much as I’d like to attach myself to his hip right now, we both came here with friends. “Do you want to meet me for a run tomorrow morning-ish?”
Brady smirks. “Ish?”
Lifting my glass, I explain, “This is my second glass. Which means I’ll want to sleep later than six.”
“How about nine?”
“Perfect. I’ll smuggle some breakfast down to you and we’ll run after you eat.”
Brady leans in, his hand on my hip and his lips at my ear. “I hear you have an extensive male fan club in this town.”
I honestly don’t know what he’s talking about, but even if I did, it wouldn’t matter.
“Are you a member of said club?” I whisper back.
