“Just pretend we’re not here.” Liam slung the rubber heels of his boots into the bottom rung of his bar stool and took a slow, slow sip of his beer.
Yeah . . . like that could ever happen.The room was crowded, dark, and loud, and yet all I could smell, see, and hear was him. I really needed to walk away and stay away, because walking back was ruining all my careful crush-bashing.
May popped out one hip. “Hey, Liam, I need to find a guy to serenade me. Any songs you might know?”
“Sorry, May. I don’t sing, but Dex, on the other hand . . .”
Laughing, Lucas slapped Dexter’s back. “Drake’s got nothin’ on our boy.”
Dexter guffawed but indulged May by belting out a song that wounded my eardrums but made us all grin. Why couldn’t Liam be fun like him? Why must he be all broody? Dexter may have had an easier life, but the capacity to let loose and make a fool of oneself was not a superpower. Just a state of mind.
After the next chorus, Dexter thankfully quit singing. “Impressive, right?”
I smirked. “Not a musical bone in your body, huh?”
“Ouch.” Lucas shook his hand as though he’d been burned.
“Can’t be skilled inalldepartments.” Dexter winked, which transformed into an eye twitch. “Didn’t know I had to ask permission.” He chugged his beer. “Going to hit the head.”
May tracked his retreat. “What’s going on?”
“Nikki’s brothers asked us to keep an eye on her,” Lucas explained.
“What?” I gaped at him. “You’re kidding?” My brothers would never do this to me . . . or would they?
“That sucks.” May sent me a sympathetic look. “Glad I don’t have bossy older brothers.”
I crossed my arms. “Since when do Alphas take orders from others?”
Liam leaned back.
“We just care about keeping the peace in the pack, Knickknack. Don’t take it personally.”
“How could I take it any other way? You’re cockblockingme.”
“Technically, they’re cockblocking the guys who want to get with you.” May held out a palm at my glower. “Down, girl.”
“Well they can’t possibly cockblock every guy in this club,” I growled.
Liam tipped his head to the side and smiled.Smiled!Did he think it was some sort of twisted challenge?
“Stay. Away.” I wheeled around, all the more determined to prove to these alphaholes that no one controlled me. I locked in on an easy target—Miles—and elbowed my way toward him.
Chapter 24
Idoubt Nate would appreciate you asking Bea’s brother for his tighty-whities.
I turned to glower at Liam, happy to see he was no longer smiling.
Seriously, Nikki, don’t.
I’d been planning on using the shot-card on Miles, but Liam’s interference almost made me change my mind.
I tapped Miles’s shoulder and explained my dare: getting a guy to buy me a shot which I had to drink without using my hands. “Think you can help me out?”
“It would be my pleasure.” He guided me back to the bar with a hand on my lower back.
As I passed by Liam, his anger was so palpable it rolled off him. Lucas was shaking his head as though to warn me not to do it.
