Chapter Eleven
Melonie
“ W hat was that about?” Audrey eyes me over her sugar-rimmed martini glass.
I can’t stop looking at Linc’s back as he walks away. “Oh, just a situation where I come out looking bad. Don’t really want to talk about it.”
She gives me a sorry-looking smile, and I finish my martini in three gulps. The burn of the alcohol feels like a suitable punishment for how I acted. I feel horrible about what I said. I didn’t have to be so mean, but damn it, when Audrey suggested this club, all I could think about was that night. And when he asked if I wanted a prosecco, I knew what he was implying because I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately for me, it amplified the fact that this place brings back all the mixed feelings from the night Linc and I met.
This resentment that I’m carrying is getting old, even for me.
I look over at the bar and see Gigi having a shot with Marcus. They’re an odd pair, but Gigi is good at breaking through rough exteriors. And I like how Marcus isn’t afraid to give Gigi a piece of his mind when it comes to Lewis. Even being polar opposites, over the past few months, they’ve become friends.
“Melonie! Audrey! Dance floor!” She runs over to take our hands. Audrey passes her drink to Jax, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder. Not sure if the guys knew what they were getting themselves into by taking all three of us dancing.
We find a spot on the dance floor and the music changes to a remix of a Taylor Swift song. We scream like fifteen-year-old girls and start moving. Even though I’m in my mid-thirties, I still love dance clubs. Getting lost in the bass, forgetting about everything else, and just letting the music take over. My arms are in the air, eyes closed, and I just move.
We take a break a few songs later and find the guys still at the bar. Linc looks calmer than the last time I saw him. We order a fresh round of drinks, and the guys give us their barstools.
“Marcus, if they play an Usher song, you’re dancing.” Marcus shakes his head, but I swear I see the slightest glint of happiness in his eyes. “No, sir, no silent head shake. You said you would join in the fun tonight. That means we’re all dancing.”
“You get one song, Gigi,” Marcus concedes.
Jax and Linc’s faces turn to stone. Audrey stares at Gigi. I stare at Marcus.
“What? I can dance.” Marcus takes a sip of his whiskey, looking around the group.
A slow grin forms on Linc’s face. “It happened.”
Marcus looks at Linc. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” He’s still smiling as he tilts his head back to finish his beer. I watch his mouth around the opening, his neck stretching. I have to look away at the sight. Damn it, I can argue with him one minute and want to give him a hickey the next.
That thought tells me I’m done drinking for the evening.
We talk for a while, then, as if Gigi had willed it into existence, “Yeah!” starts to play. Gigi wastes no time grabbing Marcus’ hand and dragging him to the dance floor. Audrey and Jax follow, leaving Linc and me.
“Come on, pretty boy.” I extend my hand to him.
A slow smile forms on his lips, and he puts his hand in mine.