The table jolted, and Jordan winced like someone had just kicked him in the shin.
"Ours," Rafe snapped, correcting him.
Jordan just gave an easy shrug and grinned like he couldn't help fucking with his best friend. "Okay sure, ours..." He dropped his voice lower, whispering the rest directly in my ear. "In public.Minewhen I get you alone later and strip that dress off."
A thrill ran through me at his words, and I bit back a grin when Rafe glowered from across the table. He was too fucking fun to rile up, that was for sure.
"Is this seat taken?" someone asked, standing behind the chair next to Mattie and pulling all of our attention.
Nolan glared from across the table. "Fuck off, Zach."
Mattie tensed beside me, not turning her head to look at her fiancé. As far as I knew, she'd been avoiding him ever since their kiss. Talk about awkward...
"I wasn't asking you, Nolan," Zach replied with a snarl. "Mattie, can I sit?" His gaze was intense on my beautiful friend, and her cheeks were tinted with pink as she studied the cutlery.
When it became clear he wasn't just going to disappear from the force of her thoughts alone, she gave a stiff shrug. "Sure, whatever. Do what you want."
Zach sat down, but that only spiked the tension higher. Nolan glowered across the table, and Mattie all but pretended he didn't exist.
"Mattie," Zach said quietly, talking to the side of her face, seeing as she refused to look at him. "Come on, we need to talk. You can't just pretend it didn't happen. We need to discuss—"
"Shut the fuck up, Zach," Mattie hissed, cutting him off with a vicious glare.
His brows arched, and I had to hand it to him... he had balls. "No. If you won't talk in private, then we'll do it here in front of your friends."
I spluttered a shocked laugh, then covered it with a sip of my wine when Mattie shot me a look. But come on, Zach was seriously taking his own life in his hands.
"Fine," my friend snapped, her jaw clenched and her eyes flashing with fury. "But not fuckinghere." She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him out of his seat, then stalked out of the dining room with him tight on her heels. Like a puppy. Too freaking cute.
I grinned until Nolan glared at me, then I quickly wiped it away.
"You're not seriously supporting that mess, are you?" His scowl grew. "She deserves better than him."
I gave him an easy shrug. "Yeah, she does. But she likes him, whether she admits it or not. So just let her figure it out. If he hurts her, I'll cut his dick off. Deal?"
Nolan still looked all kinds of mad but gave me a short nod. "Deal."
For some time, we just enjoyed the meal as friends. Rafe and I had been late enough that we'd missed the official speeches but not so late that we’d missed the food, so I got to enjoy a full dinner.
When the dean announced the string quartet and invited people up to dance, I was feeling blissfully happy. Too content, some might say.
Rafe's snarl and glare gave me a heads up a second before a familiar hand rested on my shoulder.
"Violet, would you care to dance?" Alex asked, his voice smooth and devoid of the malice I'd grown used to from him. I shrugged off his hand, but he didn't let it deter him. "I feel like our conversation was cut short earlier. Perhaps you could elaborate while we dance?"
Rafe shot halfway out of his seat, but Jordan was closer and shoved Alex away faster than I could scramble out of my seat.
"Stop it," I hissed, wiggling myself between Jordan and Alex as they stood toe to toe, posturing. "Stop it, both of you. This is not the kind of scene we need right now."
When neither one of them backed down, I gave Jordan a firm push in the direction of the table. "Sit down. Alex isn't going to rape and impregnate me in the middle of the dance floor."
A furious snarl came from Rafe, and I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Alex, let's dance before you get your stupid ass killed over a dick-measuring competition."
The AustralasianKinggave me a smug smile. "I think we all know I'd win that contest anyway."
I snorted a laugh. Like a legit laugh. It wasfunny. "I think I'm the only one who could judge that, Alex, and believe me... you wouldn't." From the corner of my eye, I caught Rafe and Jordan shoot each other a smirk. With a sigh, I jerked my head to the dance floor. "Come on, then."
Before either of my princes could object any further, I made my way across the dining room. If Alex was smart, he'd follow.
