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“Do you have your phone?” Reece asks. I pull it out of my back pocket to show him. “Good, and I see you’re wearing your watch.”
We all had new smart watches, courtesy of Titan Tech, that let us track each other anywhere in the world. They also made it easy to call one another within only two taps, making it easier to reach each other in an emergency.
Moving to stand in front of me, his warm brown eyes bore into mine. He tilts my chin up and kisses me gently. “The most important thing you have to remember tonight… is to have fun.”
I grin at him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it in thanks. “It’d be impossible not to with you guys there.”
“True, I’m pretty spectacular,” Bower says, opening the front door as we all head out and pile into the SUV with Weston at the wheel.
Thirty minutes later, I’m stepping into Veloura. The music is loud, but not overbearing like I expected. I can hear the chatter of customers and the clinking of glasses as Reece leads me to the bar.
“What do you want to drink? Whiskey? Martini?” Reece asks, leaning his elbow on the wooden bar top.
“Can I just have water for now? I don’t want to get drunk and forget any of this.” He reaches out and grabs my neck, pulling me forward as he leans down and kisses me deeply. My core heats from that simple action, and when he pulls away, I’m left needy and wet. And by the smirk on his face, he knows exactly what he did to me.
“You get the drinks, we’ll go find a table,” Bower tells Reece as he grabs my hand and leads me away.
“So, what do you think?” he asks as I’m led around the dance floor to the tables and booths at the other side of the club.
“I thought the dance floor would be packed.”
“It could get that way later, we’re still early. But this place might never get that busy. Places like this tend to attract an older crowd that prefers sitting and drinking over dancing.”
I nod as he leads me to a large booth with a ‘Reserved’ sign on it. Underneath I see ‘Benson’ written and smile, knowing Reece did this for us.
Bower helps me sit and slides in after me as Weston slides in on my other side, sandwiching me between my two large husbands at the back of the U-shaped booth.
I scan the crowd and watch people move on the dance floor. There’s a trio of women dancing together who look slightly younger than me. I see a few guys scattered around in groups of two or three, and there are a few couples sitting at the high tables together. I notice one couple looks a little awkward, and I wonder if it’s their first date.
That thought makes me smile, thinking about all my first dates with these men. Of course, they all took me on dozens of dates after everything calmed down and we were no longer in danger from anyone. But I still think about the times I spent alone with them on the island as our real first dates. At least with these two and Kingsley.
My first date with Reece was completely different and happened when we were thirteen. He took me to the fair, where we ate junk food and rode rides until I threw up. I was so embarrassed, but he had been so kind and sweet, holding my hair back and offering me water. Even back then, he was taking care of me.
As if my thoughts lured him to me, he steps up to the table with Kingsley, and they set down a handful of drinks, passing them out to us. He hands me a sealed bottle of water, which I promptly open and start drinking.
“King!” I lean sideways to look around them and see Hazel waving as she makes her way across the dance floor to us, dragging David behind her.
“Hey.” He greets his sister with a hug, then shakes David’s hand.
She greets everyone then turns to me. “So, ready to dance, Darla?”
My eyes bounce between all my guys, suddenly feeling a little nervous. “Uhh…”
“Come on! It’ll be fun, and we’ll be right there, not even ten feet away from them.”
“Alright. It’s what I’m here for, right?” I say, trying to psych myself up.
“Right!”
Bower moves, allowing me to get out of the booth, and the second my feet touch the ground, she grabs my hand and pulls me to the edge of the dance floor.
Instantly, she starts moving her hips and swaying her body, like it’s the most natural thing in the world to her. We’ve had many dance lessons at our home, where she tried to teach me to move like her, but I’m rather terrible at it. I can’t seem to move my hips naturally, and I never know what to do with my arms.
She grabs my hands and moves my arms back and forth, just like we’ve done at home many times before. I try to move with her as best I can, letting the deep bass guide me.
“I told you I’m terrible!” I say loudly over the music.
“You’re doing fine! Stop worrying about what you look like and just relax.”