Page 19 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

She rolled her eyes in response to his boast. “Stated like a true narcissist.”

“Come on, have you ever seen Anthony dance?” Pike laughed, putting a sway into his hips as he spun her out and back in. “Twerking is his go-to move, and the man doesn’t have an ass.”

Delilah almost argued that he did, but that would mean admitting she’d checked it out. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Silence settled between them as they took another turn around the dance floor. When they passed by the table, Delilah saw that Anthony and Grant were caught up in an intense-looking conversation and she wondered what they were talking about.

“I like your dress,” Pike said, breaking the quiet.

“Thanks. It’s been hanging in my closet waiting for a special occasion, so I made one.”

“What are you celebrating?” he asked.

“Going after what I want.” Anthony’s back was to her, but she could see Grant’s expression locked in a scowl. Anthony walked away from his brother, heading toward the outdoor patio. Grant took a deep gulp from his glass, and Delilah thought he would follow his brother, but he went out the front door instead.

“What is it that you want?” Pike asked.

“I’m sorry?” She asked, jerking her attention back to Pike. “What did you say?”

“You said you were going after what you want. What is that?”

“I’m … ” Delilah wasn’t going to tell Pike she was on the hunt for a sex-god. He might take it as a come-on, and she was uncertain why he’d asked her to dance out of the blue. “I’m still figuring it out, but I’ll know when I find it.”

The song ended, and Delilah followed Pike back to the table.

“What are we talking about?” Pike asked, grinning as he held a chair for Delilah. She took a seat and Pike settled in next to her.

“The Broncos,” Nick said.

Pike dived into an animated conversation about football with his friends, and Delilah caught the wide-eyed look Holly gave her. She probably expected Delilah to be jumping for joy, but she couldn’t stop checking the patio doors for Anthony to return. Whatever happened with Grant, he’d obviously been upset, yet none of his friends had gone outside to check on him.

Delilah stood up, but Pike reached up to touch her arm before she could take a step. “Hey, where you going?”

“I don’t usually announce it,” she said, biting back a harsher response. “But the bathroom.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “Hurry back.”

Delilah experienced an unexpected rush of irritation at those two little words, followed by intense confusion. She should be excited by Pike’s sudden attention, yet his familiarity rubbed her wrong. He’d always been friendly to her but never flirty.

What are you complaining about? You wore the dress for exactly this reason. To get the right kind of attention.

Yet, it was one thing to catch the eye of a total stranger, but for Pike to suddenly trip over himself to get her a drink?

It didn’t seem real.

Delilah bypassed the bathroom and stepped through the back door. Out on the patio, a rush of cold air over her bare skin left prickles of gooseflesh in its wake. She searched the dim area for Anthony and found him at the edge with his back to her, staring at the trees behind the bar. Delilah crossed the cement slab and stepped up beside him.

“Hey.”

He jumped, turning to face her with a wary expression. “What are you doing out here?”

“I saw you and Grant talking, and it looked intense. When I saw you both head in opposite directions, I came out to check on you.”

“I’m fine.”

His clipped response should have been her clue to go back inside and leave him be, but she turned to the side, leaning her hip against the iron fence that enclosed the outdoor area. “I know family can suck sometimes—” she said, searching for something more to make him feel better, but he cut in harshly.

“Are you not getting enough attention from every other man inside?”