Ethan rolled his eyes at Brodie’s laughter, then ducked back to the bar to grab us some waters as well. “Here.” He handed me one. “Brodiereallyshould have asked before ordering.”
My in-disguise celebrity lover just smirked and tossed back a much bigger gulp of the spicy cocktail. “Sorry, babe. Child actors lose all concept of legal drinking age before we even hit puberty. Try again. It’ll grow on you.”
Ethan started to protest, but I did as Brodie suggested and now that I was prepared for the kick, it wasn’t so bad.
“See?” Brodie smirked.
“Did you order food while you were up there, Sentinel? Orjust booze to corrupt our innocent Eve?” Ethan narrowed his eyes across the table, but there was a relaxed air about him betraying the fact he wasn’t actually pissed off.
Brodie pushed the third margarita tumbler across the table. “Of course, what do you take me for? I ordered the taco platter, a plate of mixed nachos, the mega enchilada, and the chips with queso.”
“Holy shit,” I chuckled, sipping more of my drink, “Thank fuck I’m not lactose intolerant, that’s all I can say about that.”
Ethan eyed the drink in my hand with a small frown. “You don’t have to drink that if you don’t want to. I can get you something else.”
“I like it now,” I informed him, drinking some more. “It just took me by surprise, despite the fact Brodie did call it aspicymargarita. Unless you’re implying that I should be drinking soda?” I arched a brow at him, challenging.
Brodie snickered, clearly enjoying the awkward position Ethan was in—not only as the only one of legal drinking age between us but also as an authority figure within the university. “Yeah, Eth. Is that what you’re implying? Because if alcohol is where you draw the line, youprobablyshouldn’t be okay with fucking a student in the library during school hours. Just saying.”
My jaw dropped, then I groaned. “Fucking Andrew issucha gossip. What happened to that iron-clad NDA, huh? Was that all for show?”
“It doesn’t applywithinthe house, babe,” Brodie said with a grin. “And he really is a gossip. Worse than your friend Nina, I reckon. He’s just sneakier about it.”
Our food arrived then, absolute truckloads of it requiring two servers with enormous trays to deliver it all. Not a single gap remained on the table, but with how eagerly Brodie and Ethan dove in, I suspected they wouldn’t leave much waste.
As we ate, we flip-flopped between casual banter and deep,meaningful conversations. Each time the mood shifted too serious, somehow Brodie reeled it back in with a sexy quip or teasing joke, and it worked. The jug of spicy margarita was refilled some time during our meal, and by the time our servers cleared everything away, I was both full to bursting and more than a little drunk.
“Holy shit, Eve,” Ethan chuckled when I tried to put my elbow on the table and missed. “I didn’t realize you were a lightweight.”
Neither did I, but then again, I’d never really been a big drinker, even at my last college. Couple of frat parties here and there, but it was all watery beer that made me bloated long before I got drunk.
“I’m notthatdrunk,” I replied, frowning. “Just a little tipsy. Same as Brodes.” I tipped my head toward Brodie, who took advantage of the movement to kiss me.
Taken slightly off guard—because we’d all been on our best behavior so far—I gasped, then kissed him back eagerly with a little moan.
“Fuck…” Ethan growled, pulling my attention once more. He’d shifted in his seat, swiping a hand over his hair with agitation. He was by no meanssober; he was just holding his liquor slightly better than Brodie and I. Barely.
“You got something to say, Professor?” Brodie drawled, casually cupping my breast as if no one could see us. Apparently tequila made Brodie forget he was a celebrity, and it was a little bit adorable.
Ethan glowered, but it was a heated, horny glare. “Yeah, I do. You’re gonna end up on TMZ if you keep that shit up.” He pulled out his wallet and tossed some cash on the table, despite the fact Brodie had already settled our bill. “Call for your driver, Brodes.” To me, he offered his hand in helping me out of the booth.
It was a good thing, too, because I wobbled a little on standing up and his strong grip saved me embarrassing myself.
“Lightweight,” he muttered, chuckling as he pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Lean on me if you want.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Just a little wobbly.”
He still kept his arm around me as we exited the bar into the parking lot, though, and I shivered when the cool night air reached my arms. Snuggling into Ethan’s warm body was better than any blanket, though, and I shifted in his embrace until we were chest to chest with my arms looped around his neck.
“Thanks for taking me out tonight, Eth,” I murmured, and ran my tongue over my lower lip. I could still taste Brodie’s kiss there, and I suddenly wanted a whole lot more.
He smiled, his hand slipping between my shirt and pants to stroke my lower back. “You keep looking at me like that, Lilith, and we’re not making it back to Bluebell House before I…” He trailed off, visibly biting his own lip as his gaze dipped to my mouth.
“Before you what?” I prompted in a whisper, rising up on my toes to bring us closer to kissing. “Before you bend me over the hood of a random car and take turns fucking me with Brodie?”
“Whoa,” Brodie exclaimed, having just exited the bar himself. “We’re doing what now? Fuck it, no explanations needed. I’m in. Which car, Evie babe? Your pick.”
Ethan gave a pained groan, then kissed me so savagely I thought he might bruise my lips. Not that I was complaining. I kissed him back just as hard, threading my fingers into the back of his hair as I strained my neck to meet his height.
