Dean delivers another round of drinks, but this time he puts down three extra glasses.
“You’re about to have company,” he says, nodding toward the door. Our heads all swivel around. Lily groans, Kat sighs, and I suck in a breath.
“Kat, why do your brothers always have to crash girls night?”
“Because I can’t stand being away from Hunter that long.” Kat giggles in reply to Lily’s half-hearted complaint.
Max, Hunter — who I remember from earlier today — and one of Max’s twin brothers that I remember meeting the last time I was in town are heading our way. Hunter leads them straight to our table where he sweeps Kat out of her chair before sitting down and pulling her into his lap. The brother — Sawyer, I’m assuming, given the carefree grin he gives me — drops into a seat next to Lily and nudges her with his shoulder before picking up a fresh glass of beer and drinking deeply. His twin is nowhere in sight.
I sense Max at my shoulder and I lift my chin in greeting.
“Is it okay if I join?” he asks quietly, and I nod. He sits down next to me, and I stifle the urge to lean into him.
“Maxy! Why didn’t you tell me Heidi was so freaking awesome. I love her!” Kat leans over, slapping his hand. “We’re besties now, FYI.”
Max lifts one eyebrow. “How many drinks have you had, Kat?” But she just scoffs.
“Hush. You can’t crash girls night and then question my choices.”
I see the tick in Max’s jaw out of the corner of my eye. Knowing what I do now, I can assume his siblings’ drinking is a sore point for him. Kat has clearly experienced his protectiveness before because she gives him a soft smile. “Besides, Hunter will take care of me and Lily. You just worry about Heidi.”
Max smiles back at her, and something special passes between the two. As much as I want to protest that I don’t need anyone worrying — especially not Max when our relationship is so up in the air — I don’t dare interrupt them.
Just then, the song changes, and Kat jumps up, grabbing Hunter's hand and dragging him out to the dance floor.
Lily stands as well, staring at something on her phone. “I’ll be right back,” she mumbles before hurrying off. I watch her with a frown, until a playful voice interrupts me.
“Great to see you again, Heidi.” I look across the table at Sawyer. Just as he was the first time we met, the guy’s gotflirtwritten all over him.
“You too, Sawyer,” I say, choosingnotto engage with his attempts to charm me. Not only because he isn’t my type, but also because of the man sitting next to me with a glower on his face.
“So, how’s work going? If this one —” he jerks his head toward Max “— starts giving you grief, come find me at the firehouse.” His flirtatious wink is obvious to everyone.
“Back off, Sawyer. She’s my resident, remember?” Max growls through clenched teeth. Sawyer lifts his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug.
“So? Does that mean I can’t be friendly?”
“Not your kind of friendly.”
Sawyer and Max stare at each other, and I get the sense an unspoken conversation is happening.
“Right, anyway, as thrilling as it is watching you two throw daggers at each other with your eyes, I’m gonna go find Lily.” I push my chair back and stand, fully intending to go and find her. But Kat appears out of nowhere and apparently mistakes my standing up for a different reason.
“Oh my God, you have to come and dance! Max, dance with Heidi,” she shrieks excitedly. I hadn’t even noticed her and Hunter come back to the table, but sure enough, Kat has me in one hand and Max in the other, and she’s dragging us both onto the dance floor.
She drops our hands, only to push us together so strongly I stumble, and Max has no choice but to put his hands on my hips to steady me.
“Dance!” Kat whirls away and into Hunter’s arms.
“We don’t have to —” Max starts to say but emboldened by alcohol, I decide to throw caution to the wind. Taking his hand in mine, I move my other to his shoulder.
“I want to.”
The sounds of Chris Stapleton singing “You Should Probably Leave”fill the room, and our eyes lock. The significance of the two of us dancing to this song is not lost on me.
We start out slow, figuring out our rhythm. There’s enough space between us for a third person, but over the course of the song, we slowly draw closer together, like an unseeable magnetic force is in control of our every move.
My awareness narrows down to the feel of his strong hand spanning my back, his muscles bunching under my touch, and the way he’s firmly gripping my other hand.
