Chapter 6
Landon
Iwas being tortured.
Before we left for dinner, Alley had run up to our room to change quickly, and now she was seated across from me at the long table—all the men on one side with their wives across from them on the other side—in the Mexican restaurant where we had made a reservation.
I’d been wrestling with my need for her all day while thinking about our night alone together in the hotel coming up. Watching her do her thing at the signing had been like foreplay because her confidence was so damn sexy, and then she’d gone and put on a dress.
It didn’t matter what my woman wore; she was irresistible at all times, but with my desire raging for hours, it seemed to throw me over the edge.
Dressed in a sleeveless lavender dress that hit just above the knees, a pair of black combat-style boots—that had Alley written all over them—and a black leather jacket, with her long, silky black hair hanging loose over her shoulders, the struggle was real.
Because all I could think about while trying to eat was stripping her naked.
Alley wasn’t making it any easier either.
She knew exactly how to get me riled up: the playful smiles she shot my way, the way she looked at me over the rim of her margarita glass as she caught her straw with her tongue and sucked it into her mouth, and then how she started playing footsies with me under the table.
When she ran her sock-covered foot up the inside of my calf, under my pant leg, I groaned. I wasn’t sure how the hell she’d gotten her boot off, but I didn’t have the brain cells to figure it out at that moment.
Finally at my wit’s end, our eyes locked on each other, and I said, “If you don’t stop with your footsie routine, we’re leaving right now.”
My wife’s eyes flashed with confusion as Teal, who was sitting next to her, let out a surprised squeak, her face turning a bright pink.
Stunned speechless, my mouth just hung open, nothing coming out.
Laughter danced in my wife’s eyes, clearly catching on to what had transpired. “Are you mauling my husband?” she teased her friend.
Kace turned to me at the same time, his brows raised, as humor played the starring role in his gaze. “Something you want to tell me, Abbott?”
Barks of laughter erupted around the table from the guys as the women were thrown into a fit of giggles.
When all I said was, “I’d wondered how she got her boot off so easily,” everyone exploded.
The other patrons in the restaurant were watching either with humor or annoyance, but our group continued on as usual with more playful banter.
“I’m so sorry,” Teal said to Alley and then to me. “I was trying to seduce my husband.”
That got Kace’s attention. Looking away from me and across the table at his wife, he gave her a heated look. “Is that so? Maybe we should head out now then.”
“Can’t. I need to at least finish my margarita first,” she responded, only to get more laughs when he groaned.
I slapped him on the shoulder. “I feel you, dude.”
Gyth, who was sitting on the other side of Kace, looked at his wife. “How come these two dickheads get to have all the fun?”
Summer flashed her husband a shocked expression. “You mean I was playing footsies this whole time with Braxton?”
When Gyth’s head whipped sideways toward his friend, Braxton threw up his hands and shook his head. Summer covered her mouth, trying to stop the giggle from coming out, but it broke free anyway, and Gyth turned back toward her.
He pointed at his girl. “You are paying for that later.”
She gave him a satisfied smile. “My plan worked then.”
“You got them both good,” Jurnee told Summer, clearly finding the whole thing amusing and earning a look from Braxton that said she was in as much trouble as Summer.
The teasing went on and on. Ruby told Lyric they couldn’t let Gramps hear them when they got home; Brinley let Rowan know that a stop at her bookstore might be a good idea, and that had everyone cracking up; Gemma told Bodie they’d have to get really creative with all their kids in the house, which was very true since they had five now.
That wasn’t the end, though. Paxton reminded Capri that their toddler slept like a rock and waggled his eyebrows at her.
Lance told London there was no way he was missing out on sexy time, Lake’s kids were at her sister River’s down the street since her older kids were watching their little ones, and told Bronson they had it made, earning a mock glare from River.
River’s glare didn’t last long when Huntley told her they’d make out in the car like teenagers.
Her face turned red, but her eyes told everyone she liked that idea.
Then last, our youngest and newest married couple chimed in.
Jett told Patience that they had the house to themselves for a bit since their new baby and son were also with Gramps.
“That’s not fair,” Ruby told her brother.
Patience jumped in. “Hey, you two can have the studio and make music together.”
Everyone’s mouths dropped open in shock. Patience was usually the quietest of the group when it came to these things.
Jett pointed at his sister and brother-in-law. “Don’t you dare go into my music studio and do that shit.”
We were all laughing so damn hard, I was surprised we hadn’t been kicked out of the restaurant. It was a blast to hang with our friends, but as much fun as it might be, I was done.
All the while the joking had gone on, my wife had managed to actually get her boot off, and I knew by the way she kept looking at me with mischief in her eyes that it was her foot that was now seductively rubbing up and down my calf.
Pinning my wife with a look, I said, “You’ve been playing with fire.”
Everyone turned our way as I stood from the table, my food half-eaten, and dug a wad of cash out of my wallet, throwing it on the table.
“Dinner is on me,” I told everyone as I rounded the table to collect my wife.
Ignoring the cheers and thank-yous from the crew over me paying, I gently pulled on my wife’s arm to get her out of her seat, and then I tossed her over my shoulder.
“Hey, my shoe!” she shouted.
Teal dug under the table and handed it to her. With my wife upside down, hanging over my backside, one shoe on, one shoe in her hand, I started marching toward the door.
Alley, wanting in on the fun, yelled part of one of her favorite lines from the movie Top Gun. “Take me to bed or leave me forever.”
When she smacked my ass, I moved even faster.
Our friends and the restaurant-goers howled hysterically, but to me, they were a distant memory as I practically ran to her truck.
“I can’t promise we’ll make it back to the hotel,” I told her as I hoisted her into the passenger side of the truck.
Her blue eyes flashed with eagerness, and her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip before she said, “Maybe Huntley was onto something about acting like teenagers in the car.”
Letting out a deep groan, filled with hunger and arousal, I slammed the truck door after making sure she was safely inside. I raced around the vehicle, her bright, bubbly laughter fueling me on.
I jumped in the truck but didn’t start it. Moving my hand to her side of the car, I reached down and unbuckled her seatbelt that she had already fastened. Then, turning enough to reach under her arms, I drug her gently over the console and into my lap.
“Huntley definitely was onto something,” I murmured before I captured her mouth in a wild kiss.