Chapter 6
Six
MALAKI
Reese and I walk into the club, and we couldn’t be more contradictory if we tried.
Not only is she the most gorgeous woman in here, turning heads from the bouncer all the way to the bartender across the dance floor, but she’s clearly unimpressed to be here with me.
Whereas I’m feeling pretty fucking elated to have her by my side, smirking at every guy who’s jealous of the hottie next to me.
Well, she was next to me.
I find her within seconds, my attention clinging to her like a magnet.
She’s casual, wearing jeans and a loose-fitting sweater that just so happened to slip off her shoulder on the drive here.
She’s chatting away with Daisy, who looks confused to see her friend here.
My roommate is staring at them, his quick glimpse in my direction only lasting half a second.
I walk closer and overhear Daisy asking Reese what she’s doing here.
It’s a natural reaction for me to slip my arm around Reese’s shoulders, but I don’t miss the way she tenses. “I convinced her to come out with me.”
She raises an eyebrow, seemingly hesitant to believe me. I don’t think they’ve been friends for long, but with how difficult it was to get Reese to agree to come out with me, I'm betting she doesn’t do much of anything other than work.
Reese makes a sarcastic noise, her warm breath coating my hand. “If requesting several Uber drivers until you get me as your driver is your way of convincing, then okay.”
Daisy tries to hide her smile, but I make no effort to hide mine.
Reese sends me a scathing glare, and it’s awfully tempting.
I’ve never had a woman so uninterested in me before. She’s different, and I’m fully entertained by it.
“I have to get back to work,” she announces, shrugging my arm off her shoulder. “Malaki said you were here, so I just wanted to say hi real quick.”
She’s leaving already? I think not.
After she gives Daisy a hug, she heads for the door without so much as looking in my direction.
I watch her weave in between couples and men whose gazes linger a little too long.
Before she makes it to the door, I rush over and wrap my arm around her waist. I spin her toward me, and a hot little gasp slips from her mouth.
Ah, fuck.
“Stay a little longer,” I beg.
A girly growl rumbles out of her chest, and I have to bite my cheek to keep my chuckle at bay. Reese is headstrong—that much was evident from the very moment I met her, and it’s surprisingly attractive.
“I can’t just…skip out on work and go clubbing.” She shoves my arm away, and I drop it willingly.
I tilt my head. “Why not? It’s not like you are missing out on the money.”
Reese glances away, the wheels turning inside her head for another excuse.
I dig into my pocket for my phone and open up the Uber app. When she finally glances back at me, her eyes immediately fling to my phone screen.
“Don’t,” she hisses.
I feign innocence. “Don’t what?”
She leans in close, her sugary breath messing with my head. “Stop paying me to hang out with you!”
“How else will I get you to stay?” I ask.
The song from the DJ picks up volume, so I stare at her mouth to read her lips. “Why do you even want me to stay?”
“Because…” I lean in closer, my mouth hovering over her ear so she can hear me better. “Friends don’t leave friends at the club alone.”
She pulls away and shoots me a look that makes me grin.
“Friends?” The word coming from her mouth is as sarcastic as it gets.
“We’re friends.” I shrug. “Right?”
I can tell she’s thinking about staying. Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine as she tries to decipher how persistent I really am.
Spoiler alert: I’m the most persistent person in the room.
Since she’s tossing the idea around inside that pretty head of hers, I push her a little further into the right direction. “When was the last time you had some fun, Dimples?”
She glances away, her rosy plump lip trapped between her teeth.
“Exactly,” I say.
Our eyes catch, her brows crowding with frustration.
“Ugh.” She scowls. “Fine! Just stop calling me Dimples.”
“Show them off more often, and I will.”
She’s still scowling at me before she stalks off toward Daisy. Those curvy hips sway as she stomps across the floor, and I don’t even have to look to know that every man has stopped to stare.
Daisy’s arms wrap around Reese’s neck for a hug, and then they’re off to the dance floor. She says something in Reese’s ear that makes her smile, and the sight of those dimples sort of makes my dick hard.
I’m not even sure why I’m trying so hard when it comes to Reese. It’s clear that she isn’t interested in me, and she’s definitely not the type of girl to climb in my bed for a one-night stand.
There’s something about her, though. Something that pulls me in.
A challenge?
The breath of fresh air she gives me because she’s not willingly throwing herself at me?
Boredom?
Am I really that bored with life that I’m putting this much effort into a woman who refuses to even smile at me?
I think she’s rolled her eyes at me more than she’s smiled at this point.
I shake my head and head to the bar. I ignore the loud group of college girls staring at me as the bartender hands me a beer. I rest my hip against the edge and stare out onto the dance floor.
A few nights off from hockey and I don’t even know what to do with myself other than force some woman I barely know to the club with me to babysit Kane so he doesn’t get into a fight over his best friend’s little sister, who is currently pulling every one of his strings.
Daisy and Reese break apart as Daisy starts to dance with a random guy.
Kane’s ears are bright red, his anger not so subtle. They’re both glaring at each other, playing their own type of game.
I casually slip my attention back to Reese while taking a swig of my beer. The malty flavor coats my tongue, not even coming close to distracting me enough that I’ll stop staring at her perfect ass in those tight jeans.
She catches my eye, the strobe lights from the dance floor coating the side of her high cheek bone. Her eyes quickly shift elsewhere, like she doesn’t want to admit she was looking for me.
I smirk because she totally was.
I place my beer on the bar and stand up a little taller. She’s on the complete other end of the club, avoiding me, until a man comes up beside her.
She immediately searches for me, and when our eyes meet, a hint of worry shows within the shadows across her face. My chest tightens, and the beer on my tongue dries out.
Before my brain can catch up to my body, I’m halfway across the dance floor to reach her. I’ve lost Kane and Daisy, but I can’t really seem to care. He’s on his own for now. If he wants to keep his spot on the Blue Devils, he’ll think twice about getting into some fight.
Same goes for me, which is something I remind myself as I come up behind Reese and the guy whose name is about to go on my shit list.
“No, I’m good,” Reese squeaks. “I’m here with someone.”
Me? She’s referring to me, right?
“Who?” the man asks. “A boyfriend? Because I don’t see him.”
Reese stalls.
She reaches up on her tiptoes to look past the man in the direction of the bar, where I just was.
“That’s because I’m behind you,” I say, slipping out from behind the man. “She’s here with me.”
My arm finds Reese’s waist right away, and I pull her in close. She’s a perfect fit against my body.
“Fucking figures,” the guy mutters. He runs a hand through his hair and disappears to look for the next willing female to lure.
Reese’s shoulders fall, a soft sigh escaping her mouth.
“You good?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She nods. “Thanks.”
Before she puts any space between us, I grab onto her hand. Her chin jerks upward, the warm color of brown in her eyes sparkling with surprise.
“Now you owe me a dance.”
She gives me a look that’s nothing less than a warning, but I pull her onto the floor anyway.