Chapter 48
CHAPTER 48
Brick was sprawled across the red leather booth seat, Abbey straddling his lap, her curves pressed against him, while Lisa leaned in from the side, hands roaming his shoulders.
He switched between them—Abbey’s lips soft and pliant, tasting of vodka, cranberries, and desperation, while Lisa’s were sharper, stinging with tequila but laced with a boldness that made him grin against her mouth.
His world was collapsing into flashes of skin, giggles, and heat, and he wasn’t sure where one kiss ended and another began. He grinned wide and sloppy at nothing, arms tightening possessively around both women as if afraid they’d slip away into the haze.
“Brick...” Abbey whined, a tired edge to her pout as she shifted position. “Are we going soon?” Her dress inched higher up her thighs until bare skin brushed against his jeans. “Let’s carry this on back at your place.”
Brick blinked slowly as her words filtered through the tequila fog and when they finally clicked, he let out a low chuckle and grasped her hips, pulling her tighter against him. “You wanna party at my place?” he slurred, grinning wide enough to show dimples beneath the scruff.
“ I do,” Lisa chimed in, nipping his ear, her breath warm from dancing. Her gaze shifted, her flirty smirk souring as her eyes narrowed over his shoulder. “Oh great…” she groaned, “looks like Mr. Asshole is back.”
Devon loomed over the booth divider, his dark silhouette outlined by the flicker of neon. He grinned, teeth flashing, unfazed by Lisa’s glare. “Hey, about earlier,” he clarified with a slight tilt of his head. “I guess I owe you an apology for bailing the way I did—it wasn’t cool.” He shrugged one shoulder in mock humility before adding, “I just had some stuff on my mind that I needed to take care of, but as it turns out I wasn’t needed where I thought I was.”
Lisa hesitated, then softened as Devon’s hand slid over her shoulder. He leaned in, kissing her with a well-practiced move, and she melted into it.
“So...” he continued, pulling back as if nothing had happened and turned his attention fully on Brick. “Is she right about taking this back to yours? I’m up for it.”
Brick frowned slightly, not because he disagreed but because thinking felt like an Olympic sport after four (or was it five?) shots of tequila chased by only God knew how many beers.
He felt a strange unease about Devon. Earlier, he had bolted mid-hookup with Lisa, leaving Brick tangled in both girls’ eager chaos. Now he was back, all charm and pearly-white teeth, sporting a faint bruise on his jaw. Brick considered the bruise, wondering who might have put it there.
Though his booze-soaked brain didn’t actually care. “Yeah, sure... I’m up for it,” he continued to slur. “But how about a tequila for the road first?”
“Sure, why not,” Devon said, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he held Brick’s gaze a beat too long. “Stay put while I grab some. It’s gonna be a night to remember.”
As Devon walked away, Brick studied the confident swing of his shoulders. Something about that guy bothered him, but in his current state, he couldn’t figure if it was suspicion or something else entirely.