15. Aurora
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aurora
Lucky’s was packed. Laughter and the twang of music filled the air as Samantha, Morgan, and I pushed through the crowd toward the bar.
The place smelled like whiskey, fried food, and cheap cologne. Exactly what I expected from Medford’s favorite watering hole on a Friday night.
I adjusted my little black dress, suddenly feeling like I’d overdressed for the occasion.
Samantha had insisted on dragging me out for a “girls’ night,” and Morgan had backed her up, claiming I needed to stop being a “reclusive bookstore goblin.”
Their words, not mine.
I almost regretted letting them talk me into it. Until I walked through the door and saw them .
Ethan. Mason. Owen.
Sitting at the bar, drinks in hand, looking like trouble wrapped in flannel and denim.
My stomach flipped.
They hadn't seen me yet.
Mason leaned forward, elbows on the bar, talking to Owen, who was nursing a beer. Ethan sat back, his fingers absently tracing the rim of his whiskey glass. The weight of something heavy lingered between them.
Even when they weren’t speaking, they filled the room.
I swallowed hard. Why the hell did they have to be so…
“Earth to Aurora,” Samantha teased, bumping me with her hip. “You just completely spaced out.”
Morgan smirked. “Uh-huh. Let me guess. Has something to do with the very fine group of men at the bar?”
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. The three of them together? That's a problem .”
Morgan hummed in agreement. “A problem with a very nice solution, if you ask me.”
I shot her a look, my cheeks warming. “I didn’t ask.”
Samantha waggled her brows. “So, do we go over and say hi? Or do you want to pretend you haven’t been staring?”
“I haven’t been.”
Morgan snorted. “Babe. You so have.”
I groaned, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Can we just get drinks?”
Samantha smirked but led the way to the bar. Unfortunately, the only open space was right next to them.
Perfect.
I took a deep breath as we reached the counter.
Play it cool. Normal.
“Evening, sweetheart.”
Ethan’s voice sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned my head, meeting his gaze. His dark eyes glinted under the dim lights, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at his lips.
Beside him, Owen tipped his beer toward me in greeting. Mason just watched me, his expression unreadable.
I swallowed.
Yep. This was a mistake.
The bartender barely had time to slide a drink in front of me before the energy in the air shifted.
Maybe it was the booze working its way through their systems.
Maybe it was the way my dress hugged my curves a little too well.
Maybe it was the unresolved tension still simmering between us all.
But whatever it was, it crackled, hot and electric.
“You clean up nice, Aurora,” Owen said, eyes flicking down my body in a slow, appreciative sweep. “I like you in a dress.”
His voice was smooth, but something in it made my stomach tighten.
I lifted my drink to my lips, trying to ignore the way my pulse jumped. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
Mason let out a low chuckle. “Not too bad? Damn, Owen. Guess you'll have to try harder.”
Owen smirked and took a sip of his beer. “Guess I will.”
Ethan leaned in slightly, his breath warm against my skin as he murmured, “We’re just lucky you decided to come out tonight.”
My body betrayed me with a shiver.
What the hell was going on? Was this some kind of competition?
If they all knew about what had happened with me and each of them, then…
Well, I had no idea what was going to happen next. But it seemed like it was on .
It was subtle at first—a few teasing comments, a well-placed touch here and there.
Mason, brushing his fingers over my wrist as he reached for his drink. Owen, letting his knee rest against mine under the bar. Ethan's low, rumbly voice in my ear, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
And then it wasn’t so subtle.
Mason, leaning in close, his lips just shy of brushing my jaw. “You keep looking at me like that, and I’m gonna start thinking you want something.”
Owen, dragging a finger along the rim of his glass, watching me like he was already planning his next move. “She's got that look, doesn’t she?”
Ethan, all heat and confidence, smirking as he took another slow sip of his drink. “Yeah. She does.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Because how the hell was I supposed to respond to this?
All of them flirting with me. And not quite as a competition, but more as a unit.
What the hell?
Morgan and Samantha, of course, were eating it up.
Samantha grinned, taking a sip of her margarita. “Damn, Aurora. This is better than reality TV.”
Morgan leaned in. “And the best part? You're the main character, babe.”
I shot them both a glare, but that only made them laugh.
Meanwhile, the guys didn’t seem to care that my friends were openly enjoying my predicament. If anything, they were getting bolder.
Mason leaned an elbow on the bar, his focus entirely on me. “So, babe, tell us…”
“You’ve gotta stop calling me that,” I cut in, gripping my drink like a lifeline.
His lips twitched. “Why?”
“Because,” I said, heat crawling up my neck. “It’s… It’s…”
“Hot?” Owen guessed.
I shot him a look. “No.”
Ethan smirked. “Adorable?”
I groaned. “Stop.”
Mason chuckled. “Oh, I don’t think she wants us to stop, boys.”
My stomach flipped.
I should have shut it down. I should have walked away, come up with some excuse to leave before I completely lost my mind.
But I didn’t. Because truthfully?
I liked it.
I liked the way they looked at me. The way their attention felt like a live wire under my skin.
The way they were practically competing for my focus, each one trying to outdo the others.
It was insane. It was overwhelming.
And it was intoxicating.
I was in trouble.
I should have said no.
I should have walked away while I still had the sense to.
But the drinks were flowing, my head was buzzing, and the weight of their attention had wrapped around me like a warm, lazy haze.
Somewhere between Mason’s teasing, Owen’s quiet intensity, and Ethan’s smooth confidence, I stopped thinking about what was right and started thinking about what I wanted .
So when Ethan leaned in, his voice thick with whiskey and something else I wasn’t ready to name, and said, “Come back to my place. Just for a little while,” I didn’t even hesitate.
Samantha shot me a look, her expression half giddy, half I told you so .
Morgan just grinned. “Go have fun, babe. We fully expect details.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fight my smile as I let Ethan take my hand, guiding me through the bar. Mason and Owen flanked me, their warmth pressing close as we stepped out into the cool night air.
The short walk to Ethan’s house was a blur.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the anticipation coiling low in my stomach.
Maybe it was just them .
But by the time we arrived at Ethan’s place, my mind was a scrambled mess.
The house was dark except for the porch light, casting long shadows over the gravel driveway.
I hesitated for a second, glancing between the three of them, my nerves catching up to me.
But then Ethan reached for me, his fingers brushing mine, grounding me.
“Come on,” he murmured. “Promise we don’t bite.”
Owen let out a low chuckle. “Unless you want us to.”
Mason just smirked. “Don’t scare her off, dumbass.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding as I let them lead me inside.
The door shut behind us with a soft click, sealing us in.
And just like that, the night was nowhere close to over.