He gives me a smile, his eyes lingering on mine. “You look beautiful tonight, you know.”
“Awww,” I beam, my confidence skyrocketing. “You guys are so sweet to me. Really.” I smooth out my dress and then take my drink as Brody hands it over. I wrap my fingers around the glass and take a sip of the sweet liquid, enjoying the way it feels going down my throat.
“Brody?” a deep voice cuts through the conversation, and I turn to see a man around their age approaching. “Is that you?”
“In the flesh,” Brody grins. “How have you been, Cade?”
“Good,” the man with salt-and-pepper hair says. “You mind if we chat a bit? I have this crazy business idea, and I’d love to run it by you—just to get your thoughts.”
Brody nods and then pushes off the bar. He meets my gaze. “I’ll be back. Stay out of trouble.” He shoots me a wink, and then disappears into the crowd. When I turn, both Emmett and Miles have also been tugged in another direction, talking to some other guys.
And then I realize, I’malone.
What the hell?My stomach knots up.Why did everyone just wander off?
“You want another one of those?” the bartender asks me, his warm brown eyes holding mine for a beat longer than I expect. “You’re already halfway through that.”
“Oh,” I hold up my glass, seeing that he’s right. “I… I guess I could have another.”
“Yeah?” He cocks a brow at me. “Perfect. This one is on me.”
I take the moment alone to observe him. He’s wearing a black T-shirt that clings to his strong gym-honed body, and he’s not much older than me, if at all.
He’s hot.I mean, is he likeBrodyorEmmetthot? No. Absolutely not.
But as he turns around, I plaster a smile on my face.
“Here you go, miss.” He slides the drink across the wooden bar top, and I down the rest of my first drink, handing back the empty glass.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winks at me and then leans against the counter. “I’m Ryan.”
“Georgia,” I reply, extending my hand.
He shakes it, grinning. “I like that name. It reminds me of my favorite state.”
I let out a light, flirty laugh and flip my hair over my shoulder. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
“Hey, now. It’s a good line.” He grins and rakes his fingers through his sun-bleached hair. “And I gotta know, did it work for them?”
I purse my lips. “Hmm… I can’t say that it did.”
“Oh damn. Well, maybe that means that I have a chance of changing that. Nothing like being the first.” He smirks at me. “But I gotta know, who were those guys you came here with? Are they your babysitters? Uncles? They sure seemed pretty close.”
“One of them is my boss, and the other two are his good friends,” I answer, my eyes jumping to them. Brody isn’t paying any attention at all, completely wrapped up in the conversation with one of his old friends.
Meanwhile, Emmett’s head is tipped back in laughter, talking with another group of guys, who I assume he knows. However, as I spot Miles beside him…
I catch my breath.
His eyes have me pinned, and his expression is tight, maybe even angry.
I raise my brows.What’s your deal, Miles?I lift my glass to my lips and take another sip, shooting him a sweet smile.
And I swear his cheeks grow red.
“So, you work for them?” Ryan’s voice cuts into my thoughts, and I turn back to him, my smile fading slightly. “What do you do, exactly? Or is this just a way of saying that you get paid to keep them company?”
