Chapter Nineteen #2
“Looking good, Kenny,” Logan says, “been a while since you slummed it with us.”
Logan winks at me, patting the space in the booth next to him, inviting me to slide in next to him.
I do, the back of my legs sticking to the vinyl seats as I scoot in.
Adrian comes out of nowhere, sliding in on the other side of me, trapping me between their huge bodies in this tiny overcrowded booth.
Miranda is sitting on Liam’s lap, petting his hair, while he makes puppy eyes at her.
Little does he know Miranda is seeing some mysterious golfer from U of M and his chances of taking Miranda home tonight are literally zero.
Not to mention that I’m pretty sure Will has made it known that flirting is okay, but anything other than that is off limits with Miranda.
At least that’s what’s been implied to me by a few of the guys over the years.
Adrian puts a heavy arm around my shoulders, a shockingly unwelcome advance. Just as I’m about to shrug him off and ask to be let out, he whispers in my ear, “Want to mess with Will?”
The weird tension in my chest loosens a little, replaced instead with excitement. “What did you have in mind?”
He flashes me a mischievous look. “Sit on the table in front of me.”
It takes a minute, but I arrange myself on the table, sitting in front of Logan and Adrian, my back to the room. Adrian hands me two open beer bottles. “Let’s see which one of us can chug the fastest.”
Logan is pretty much always down for anything drinking related and doesn’t question it.
He and Adrian both lean forward, head back, mouths open, ready for me to pour the beers into their mouths.
I hold my arms high up in the air, pouring the amber liquid as the table starts cheering and chanting “chug” around us.
Logan wins, leaning back into his seat, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, then holding up two fists in the air and whooping.
Adrian’s eyes flick to something behind me before he leans in really close, lips brushing against my ear, the edge of one hand brushing against the outside of my bare leg. “It worked.”
I turn around to find Will glaring, two vodka cranberries in one hand and a beer in the other.
I stand up from where I’m seated on the table, take two steps over Adrian’s legs and hop down directly in front of Will, looking up at his handsome face. “Are one of those for me?”
He nods, thrusting the one with extra limes into my hands before sliding Mrianda’s across the table toward her, never looking away from me. We continue to silently lock eyes as I sip my drink, pinching the tiny black straw between my teeth while gazing up at him.
I’ve seen this look on his face before, the last time I was here actually, when that guy asked for my number. He’s jealous. I never thought I’d be one of those girls that likes a guy being all jealous and possessive over them, but it turns out I really, really do.
I down my drink and pull Miranda off Liam’s lap. “Let’s dance!” Glancing at Will as I pull her toward the dance floor.
This place is so packed that there’s not much demarcation between the dance floor and everywhere else. We stay on the fringes of the crowd, not deep enough into the throng of bodies to cut off my view of Will at the table.
Miranda and I dance to the music, bass thumping in my chest, hips swaying back and forth. I lock eyes with Will over some guy's shoulder when he leans down and asks me what I’m drinking.
My phone vibrates in my hand and I already know it's from Will. I’ve never in my life been the girl that does things on purpose to make guys jealous, but the way Will’s looking at me makes me feel so free and sexy.
Will: I’ll buy your drinks
He’s glaring at me in this smoldering way I find very sexy. I send him a wink before turning to Miranda and yelling over the music, “I need a break.”
“Me too.” Miranda’s cheeks are pink, mine probably are too. From the heat of the bodies around me, from the alcohol, from the dancing, from Will’s eyes on my body. Probably from all of the above.
Miranda glances down at the phone in her hand. “Actually, I’m sorry. I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” Miranda’s walking toward the exit before I fully comprehend what she just said. Okay, we’re definitely going to have a talk about this guy she’s seeing. She is being so weird.
Will intercepts me before I can sit down, knitting our fingers together and leading me back onto the dance floor, pushing through the wall of bodies until we’re surrounded.
In front of me, Will’s limping. His back looks stiff with tension like he’s trying to force himself not to flinch with every step.
He stops moving; we’re deep into the dance floor now, fully encompassed by strangers, unable to see the booth or the bar.
Almost like we’re alone. He turns, grabbing my hips and placing me in front of him.
“Is this okay? Can I be behind you like this?” I nod my head yes, stomach in my throat.
He pulls me flush against him, my back to his front and then leans down next to my ear.
“Are you trying to make me hard right now?” A pulse of heat goes straight through me.
I can feel his scruff against my ear, and his breath against my neck.
I reach back, playing with the hair on the back of his neck while he pulls my hips harder against him, pushing his hard length into the small of my back.
“Because you show up here, looking like the hottest girl I’ve ever seen, wearing that little skirt, and I can’t help but wonder if you’re teasing me on purpose. ”
My head rests against his chest behind me, Will’s fingers lightly curled around my hipbones as we sway in place, barely moving.
“So tell me, baby, are you making me hard on purpose? Hmm?” My brain is short circuiting.
“Trying to get me hard in front of all my friends? You want them all to know how obsessed with you I am?” My nipples are hard and aching underneath my shirt, my skin is tingling where his fingers press into me, and I can feel my heartbeat between my legs.
This is the riskiest thing I’ve ever done.
I can’t believe I’m dancing with him while Miranda and the entire hockey team are only a couple dozen feet away
Just as fast as it started, Will drops his hands from my hips and takes a step back, knocking into the guy behind him, shocking me with the sudden lack of his body heat against me.
Miranda appears, pushing herself into the space next to me.
“Sorry about that, babe.” She flashes me a smile before turning around against me so the two of us are back to back, offering no other explanation or details.
“Kenny, you are so back!” She exclaims as we grind against each other to the song.
My chest tightens a little thinking about how I didn’t even know she was there until he backed away.
She could have seen us, and I know we looked far from innocent.
I was close to letting him stick his fingers under my skirt and finger me on the dance floor, I was that turned on.
We need to be more careful. Better yet, we need to come clean.
But that would require us to define whatever the hell we’re doing.
I continue dancing with her, ignoring the smallest of circles forming around us as we gyrate and move with the music.
Men watch us with hungry eyes but I’m only looking at Will.
There are a few people between us, but his eyes never leave my body.
It's like I’m dancing just for him, putting on my own little private show.
“I’m getting hot,” I yell at Miranda, after another thirty minutes of dancing, “I’m ready for another break.” I am hot, but I also know Will was limping earlier, and I don’t care what he says, I know his knee bothers him. I want him to sit down and give his knee a break.
Somehow Miranda hasn’t noticed Will at all until I place a hand on his back, pushing him in the direction of our table. “When did he get here?”
“I don’t know,” I lie.
Miranda and I link fingers so we don’t lose each other in the crowd, her behind me, Will in front of me. I hook my pointer finger through Will’s belt loop and he reaches behind his back, circling my wrist with his thumb and pointer finger.
I sit down at the table, but Miranda doesn’t. She stands at the edge with a look on her face, nervous, maybe? My stomach churns, what if she did see us after all.
“Okay so, be honest, because I know I’ve been the shittiest friend ever lately, and I love you so much, babe, but would you be mad if I dipped?”
Excitement bubbles up and I have to try hard to school my face, not letting her know how much I won’t be mad. “Golfer guy?”
She scrunches her nose and gives me a sheepish look. “Maybe.”
“Go. Have fun. I’ll ask Will–”
“Ask Will what?” His voice sounds out from behind me.
“Miranda has an early tee time tomorrow and won’t be able to take me home tonight.”
She gives my hand a little squeeze, thanking me for covering for her. He rolls his eyes and gives her an irritated look. “You always have an early tee time, Miranda. What if I had plans later tonight?”
“Don’t be a dick.” She folds her arms with a huff and then opens her phone, “I’m just going to cancel, I was feeling shitty about leaving you to begin with. I shouldn’t—”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I’ll ask Logan to take me home. I’m sure he won’t mind. Or I’ll order a car.”
For just the smallest second Will’s eyes narrow, nostrils flaring, “Fine. I’ll take her home, but you owe me. I’m not doing dishes after Thanksgiving.”
Miranda agrees instantly, hugging me goodbye and practically skipping out of the bar leaving me and Will together.
My stomach clenches as I watch her leaving, knowing that while I’m not outright lying to her, I am lying by omission.
And have been for a while. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up the secret hooking up we’re doing.
I’m not sure I’m cut out for this type of thing.