But she must’ve caught on to his lusty thoughts, because she extricated herself from his heated embrace with a laugh. “Oh, no, Mr. Knight. We’re leaving, so you’re just going to have to keep it in your pants until later.”
“We could stay in…”
She arched a brow and shook her head, sending her honey-brown hair swishing back and forth along her shoulders. “You are so bad,” she declared.
“When it comes to you, I’m absolutely depraved.”
“Aren’t you tired of me yet?” Though her voice held a teasing note, he sensed she wondered how he could still be so ravenous for her. It made him want to beat the crap out of her past lovers. Some men moved on the moment they got what they wanted. But he knew something special when he saw it.
And Sabrina Ross was really fucking special.
“Never,” he murmured, grabbing her hand and leading her out.
If he had his way, she would never leave Cielo Springs.
That had been his birthday wish.
The moment they stepped through the door of Old Glory, Jayson knew it would be a wild night. One look at the big corner table where his friends’ asses had left permanent indentations in the chairs told him the Motley Crew was in rare form.
“Jay!” Lex hollered, spotting him first and standing up on his chair. He waved them over as if they needed help finding the most obnoxious group in the bar.
“Prepare yourself,” Jayson warned with a grin as they made their way through the packed room. Ski season made the hole-in-the-wall bar far busier than usual, and tonight it was insane. Borderline chaotic.
When they reached his friends, Lex hopped off the chair and slung an arm around Jayson’s neck. “Grab a glass of Brandon’s finest, pal. We’re celebrating getting Emma back safely and youfinallyfinding a lady friend.”
Jayson slanted a glance over at Sabrina. “I apologize in advance for anything that may happen here tonight.”
She threw her head back and laughed, while Chaz shoved a glass of whiskey into his hand and Julia handed Sabrina a girly-looking cocktail. After a quick introduction to Ellie, Wes’s wife, and Sera, Corey’s wife, all attention turned to Lex who lifted his glass.
“Here’s to our boy, Jay,” Lex announced, a shit-eating grin on his face. “For getting his little girl back—with a little help from us and his new, very lovely neighbor. And to dodging Joan Miller!”
The group of men, already looking more than a little tipsy, barked with laughter while their significant others exchanged smiles and eye rolls.
“Who’s Joan Miller?” Sabrina asked, looking confused.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.Jayson snorted out a laugh and shook his head. He clinked his glass against Sabrina’s. “No one. But remind me to tell you later.”
Two more chairs appeared and they sat down. Thanks to Brand hiring extra help for the busy winter months, the whole group was together, Julia and Brand included. Lottie looked especially vibrant, perched on Chaz’s lap and officially on maternity leave. She drank from a bottle of water while everyone else was partying like it was nineteen ninety-nine.
The group’s energy and spirits were bright, which usually happened after a dangerous op. Especially when a loved one was rescued. The teasing banter, always top-notch, hit a new high when Chaz and Lex instigated a drinking game called “Most Likely To.”
“Ooh, I’ve never played this before,” Ellie said, rubbing her hands together.
Wes dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “Don’t you dare spill any of my secrets, Ellie-Bean.”
“Who? Me?” She batted her lashes at him, and everyone chuckled.
“This was your brilliant idea, Madden and Battle,” Brand commented. “So you can start.”
“How do you even play?” Lottie asked. Like Jayson, Lottie was a single parent—at least up until recently—who was too busy caring for her daughter to play drinking games.
“It’s easy, Sunshine. We go around the table and ask, ‘Who is most likely to…’ and someone fills in the blank. Then everyone points to the person who best fits the description. Whoever has the most fingers pointing at them has to drink.”
“Uh-oh, I have a feeling this is going to get messy,” Lottie predicted. Then she snuggled closer to Chaz. “And I’m here for it!”
“Let’s try to keep it PG, fellas,” Corey said. “Ladies present.”
“Can’t make any promises,” Chaz said. “Okay, I’ll go. Who is most likely to have the words ‘Top Gun Graduate and Man Whore Extraordinaire’ engraved on his tombstone?”
