Alana takes a long sip of her mojito, humming in approval. “Same. I need to know what you did to this man.”
“Have you seen the ass of his jeans?” I ask with a smirk.
Rowan passes by the bar, and both women watch him before Alana chokes on her drink and Loxley slaps a hand over her mouth.
“You did not!” My best friend wheezes.
“That’s golden!” Alana praises.
“All of his jeans look like that now,” I say proudly. “I may have also covered his monitor in stickers and scrapbooked in one of his precious encyclopedias.”
Loxley loses all composure as tears well in her eyes. She squishes me to her in a crushing hug. “Are you okay?”
I smooth a hand over her back, my eyes connecting with Rowan’s across the bar. Everything centers on him, and I smile bashfully. “Yeah. I’m more than okay.”
Loxley releases her hold a little as her eyes rake over me. “What happened? Are you two…”
“Together?” I ask.
“We’re curious,” Alana says.
“Yeah,” I blush, my heart slamming like a drum. “We are.”
“Are you happy?” Loxley prods with a stern expression.
“I am.” Saying it feels so freeing. No stress of the what-ifs. I’m letting this mature and grow on its own without worry for once, because Rowan makes me feel…secure. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this sure about someone, and while it’s all new, I can’t imagine anyone else.
Maybe my heart knows he’s it for me.
“Okay,” Loxley relents. “I’m still angry at him, but I’m happy you found someone. If he hurts you—”
“He won’t,” I reassure Momma Loxley. “Now let’s get fucking wasted. We secured our designated drivers, and I’ve missed gin.”
“Hell yeah!” Alana shouts, two drinks deep, as she moves with the music and holds her empty glass up. She cuts her eyes across the bar at her boyfriend before he orders her another round. “You two need to catch up. Also, has anyone seen Thalia?”
“She was holding a knife to some guy earlier,” I shrug.
Loxley groans. “Someone should probably find her before she drains his blood and watches him die on the dancefloor.”
“Or we can let her live a little,” I suggest with a smirk.
“I need a drink,” my friend grumbles before tossing a look over her shoulder at us. “Watch how it’s done.” She saunters around the bar before cupping Atlas’s cheek and turning him to face her. She runs her hand over his stubble, smiling as they have a low, heated conversation. He nips at her lips before raising a hand to the bartender and ordering her a drink.
Loxley holds her mixed drink high as she squeezes back through the crowd with a triumphant smile. “I told him to keep them coming if he wanted to sleep in the same bed tonight. I still can’t believe he didn’t tell me a thing.”
Alana nudges me with her elbow. “It's your turn.”
They don’t have to tell me twice before I head straight for Rowan. He turns in his chair as I approach, a thick brow lifted before I slide beside him.
“What are you plotting, Sunshine?” He purrs hungrily before brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I was sent here to sucker you into paying for my drinks,” I say coyly.
“No suckering required. What are you having?” He asks without hesitation.
“Gin and Tonic,” I beam before kissing his cheek. He grabs my chin before dragging my lips to his. The kiss we share is slow and possessive in every movement, and my body melts into him as I moan.
When he pulls away, he orders my drink before slapping a hand over my ass. “Have fun. We’ll be here.”
