“I do. He’s superhot.”
I lean against the door. “So why leave the dance floor?”
“Firstly, us girls stick together. Always.” She drills me with a pointed look, and we touch knuckles. If that was Bailey, she would have stayed with the guy without giving it a second thought. Uma really has my back in a way no one has before. “And secondly, I’m making him work for it. If he wants me, he can do the chasing.” Her lips tilt at the corners as she tucks her long dark hair behind her ears.
We attend to business and head back to the main room, deciding to grab drinks and rest our feet for a while. Finding an empty high table in one corner, I climb onto the stool as Uma pulls up the rear carrying our drinks—a beer for her and a cocktail for me.
I have only taken a sip of my drink when the guy from the dance floor arrives, and he’s not alone this time. Prickles of awareness dance up my spine as my gaze rakes over the tall, tatted, broad-shouldered guy with messy chin-length dark-brown hair wearing a cocky smile.
“Mind if we join you?” the guy from the dance floor says, eyeballing Uma with blatant interest.
“What if we do?” Uma returns his direct stare and then some.
The guy hops up on the free stool at her side. “I’ll just pretend I have bad hearing.” He flashes her a grin. “I’m Jude, and this is J-Dawg.” He tips his head in his friend’s direction as said friend slides onto the stool beside me.
“J-Dawg?” Uma asks in an incredulous tone. “Really?” She eyes him like he’s poop under her shoe, and I get it.
It’s a douche name and a douchey move. I arch a brow as I coolly stare at him. “Do you seriously think that does you any favors?”
“It’s my professional name,” he replies, shrugging as he peers deep into my eyes. “You can call me J.”
“We work at the local tattoo shop,” Jude supplies, and it explains the myriad of tattoos both guys are sporting on their arms. “But don’t hold that against us.” He chuckles, pinning my bestie with pleading eyes. He’s transparently desperate to rescue the situation before it goes entirely south, and I think he’s got a big hard-on for Uma.
“You know our names, but we don’t know yours.” J draws my attention back to him.
“I’m Emery, and this is Uma,” I say, glancing at my bestie as she shamelessly eye fucks Jude. Guess this is going down.
J takes my hand and lifts it to his mouth, brushing his lips against my skin. Tingles spread across my flesh as I stare into mesmerizing, warm-brown eyes. A lump forms in my throat as little amber flecks shimmer in his eyes, bringing memories to the surface. “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” His deep voice belies his age. Though it can often be hard to tell with guys, especially ones like him with ink and scruff on his chin and cheeks, I doubt J is much older than me.
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” I withdraw my hand from his grasp and reach for my cocktail.
“Only the really beautiful ones.” He cracks a wide grin, showcasing a set of perfect white teeth.
“At least you’re honest.” I am under no illusion, and I doubt Uma is either. These two look like the quintessential bad-boy man-sluts. I bet they are breaking hearts all over town, but they won’t be breaking these two gals’ hearts. Been there, bought the T-shirt and burned it when the last bad boy did a number on me. If we do this, and that’s still very much in question, I will be going into it with my eyes wide-open.
“I’ve seen you here before,” he says before knocking back a mouthful of beer. “With Ben Frederick’s younger brother.”
I nod. “I dated Myles for six months, but we broke up a few weeks ago.”
A gorgeous smile crests over his lush lips. “And this night just got even better.”
I roll my eyes. “Presumptuous much?”
“I call it confidence.” He scoots in closer to me. “I’m a straight shooter, Emery. Life is short, and you don’t know what’s around the corner. If I want to do something, I do it. If I see something I like, I go for it. The truth is I like you. I’ve liked you for some time, but you had a boyfriend before.”
It’s time for some straight shooting of my own. I don’t think I’m wrong about him, but I spell it out to be sure. “I just got out of a relationship, and I’m not looking for another.”
“Not an issue for me.” He waggles his brows and grins. “We can have fun without any expectations.”
“Spoken like a true player,” I quip before taking another sip of my drink.
“I promise to treat you with respect and show you a good time. Who needs labels?” He shrugs, flashing me another flirty smile that I suspect comes with ease but is also well-practiced.
“Definitely not this girl.” I straighten up. “And one night is all I’m interested in.”
“Okay.” He readily agrees, but the glint in his eye suggests he’s taking that as a challenge.
“I mean it, J. I’m down for some no-strings-attached fun tonight, but that’s all I’m offering.”
