My thumb hovered over the lipstick cap before I clicked it into place. Pink to match my nails. That’s all. Coordination, not longing.
Still, the thought of sitting beside him at the bar, his thigh pressed to mine, his hand brushing mine under the table like he didn’t mean it made something low in my stomach twist.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said to the mirror. “It’s sex. Good sex. Convenient, boundary-respecting, emotionally uncomplicated sex.”
The kind that didn’t belong in candlelit rooms or was accompanied by romantic music.
I gave my reflection a flat smile. One that almost convinced me.
Almost.
And then my phone buzzed with a message.
Cassidy
We’re already here. Gunner wanted to make sure Delaney had the champagne on ice. He’s also making me show anyone with a pulse the ring. We’re all here waiting for you. Drive the ranch truck over and Wilder said he’ll drive it back so you can have champagne and beer x
I smiled. Then frowned. Me and Wilder in the cab of the truck on the way home, with alcohol in my system. It was not a good combination. Or maybe it was a good combination. It had been a while since I’d had back seat sex. The idea of Wilder saying my name in that low rasp of his against the hollow of my throat was thrilling, so maybe me and him in the truck wasn’t such a bad idea.
Downtown Bar & Grill was already buzzing when I walked in. It wasn’t an official engagement party, but it seemed like most of Silver Peaks were there to witness another Miller brother being taken off the market. Cassidy waved me over, her left hand flashing emerald fire under the overhead lights.Gunner looked smug and completely besotted, Nash and Lily next to them laughing together. As I slid into the booth, the other brother arrived.
Wilder.
His hair tousled. His blue shirt fitted against his muscles. His smile crooked.
He scanned the group as he placed the tray of drinks on the table. His eyes landed on me last and lingered.
“Hey, Brownie,” he said, as he leaned closer, his voice pitched just for me.
I raised a brow. “Brownie.”
He shrugged, sliding in beside me. His thigh pressed against mine. “Thought you liked it.”
“Just never heard you say it in public.”
His smirk told me that he was going to be using it again later.
The drinks flowed. The laughter grew louder. Cassidy regaled the story of Gunner’s beach proposal, and their midnight horse ride and Nash roasted him about the scavenger hunt he’d made her do. It wasn’t hard not to smile and laugh. It was hard not to stare too much at Wilder, though.
Having him sitting beside me felt like I was next to a furnace. The way his fingers brushed mine under the table. The glances he gave me over the rim of his beer bottle. It was pure heat.
It appeared that the blonde waitress who paused at our table was also clearly familiar with him.
“Didn’t expect to see you settled, Wilder,” she said with a wink. “This one must be special to be invited to a family get together.”
He laughed it off. We both did. But something cold slid between my ribs.
I wasn’t special.
I was convenient.
When Wilder ignored her and turned to Gunner, the waitress gave a tight smile and slipped away.
“You okay?” Lily asked me.
“Yes, good. It’s nice to relax.” As my fingers gripped the stem of my champagne glass, the lights above flickered.
We all looked up and as we did they went out completely.
