I’m gonna kill that Jeff guy.
Lewis and Lane are still clutching my shoulders, bracing against my weight, when Lois pushes her way between us.
“What is goingonhere?” She glances back and forth from me to Lane.
“Donny’s jealous,” he says calmly.
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Jealous of who?Jeff?”
“Yup!” Lewis beams. “We just saved your little bro’s life, by the way. You owe me big time.”
“Her brother?” I’m so confused right now.
“Oh, I guess we forgot to tell you.” Lane pinches my cheek affectionately. “You can relax, Don. Jeff is eighteen. He literally had to get in with a fake ID. And trust me—he knows Carrie’s taken.”
He winks at me.
How does he even know I’m interested? I glance at him warily. It makes sense, though—I knew he was into Lois way before he admitted it.
I turn to Lois. “He’s your brother?”
She nods, eyes sparkling, and my nerves settle. I had forgotten all about Lois’s adopted brothers, but now I remember. Lane told us all about them.
“Go get your girl back,” Lewis says, releasing my arm. “She’s kinda tipsy, and she just took off her sweater.”
I turn to look, and my heart skips a beat.What the fuck is she doing?
Carrie is standing on the little stage at the back of the room, swaying from side to side, alone—for now. A couple of guys are staring at her, though.
Shakira’s voice is booming through the speakers, and Carrie’s hips are getting some major airtime—her hips rolling to the beat, her bare stomach rippling under the lights. I’ve never seen that micro-tee before.I like it.
“Carrie!”
I yell over the music, but she’s totally oblivious to me.I need to get her off that stage before I get myself arrested.
“I’ll be back,” I tell my friends, taking a deep breath in.
“Her hair is insane,” Lewis says.
I turn back to Carrie. I hadn’t even realized. I peer into the darkness, and it hits me. So many times, I’ve wondered what it looks like loose, but I couldn’t have expected this. Soft honey curls shot through with gold, tumbling down to skim her ass.I’m done for. She’s stunning.
Right from the start, everything has been upside down with her. I fell for her personality first, and only now am I fully realizing just how beautiful she is.
“We’ll be back,” I say again.
I hop onto the platform and head straight for her at the exact same moment someone else gets the same idea. He spots me behind Carrie and backs away immediately.Smart move, buddy.
I’m standing behind her, watching her move.
“I didn’t know you could dance, Shakarrie,” I tease at her back.
She turns around slowly. The urge to kiss her hits me so violently I have to pinch my lips together. Her eyes are sparkling; Lewis said she was “tipsy,” but her blood alcohol level seems a little higher than that.
“Wolinski!” She starts shimmying toward me. “Sooo? How was date night? Where’s your boo?”
As she wiggles her way across the stage, arms windmilling, I can’t help but laugh. When she tries gliding past me, I grab her by the elbow and pull her in to face me.
“She went home after dinner.”
