Page 48 of The Red-Hot Stakes

And Avery pounced. “I knew it! I knew you had a nickname for her! I told you so.” She jabbed Derek in the arm, making him wince.

Liam turned to me in a desperate plea for help, but I shook my head to tell him he was on his own.

Avery simply laughed. “I recall a certain conversation where a certain someone whose initials start with Liam and end with Davenport, made fun of Greg and Derek for using ridiculous nicknames for their girlfriends.” She crossed her arms smugly. “Explain yourself, Mister.”

“Um, well, her favorite candy is Red Hots. And she’s got that red-hot temper. But red hot sounded stupid so…” His cheeks were adorably pink.

I bumped him with my shoulder. “It’s still better than Cupcake.”

Avery stuck out her tongue, while Liam leaned against me. I could practically feel his gratitude as he shifted so our arms were touching, lacing his fingers through mine. Avery glanced at our hands then to me with a grin. I smiled back, but it hardly did justice to the amount of happiness bubbling inside me. We stayed that way for the rest of the ride.

Club 42 employed a person just to open our door as we drove up. I’d never been anywhere so swanky. Avery and I exchanged excited squeals as the guys took everything in stride.

The sleek black building was understated, with sharp, clean lines and metallic accents. Behind it sprawled the seemingly endless Lake Michigan. A string of people snaked to the right of the door, looping red ropes strung between golden posts corralling them.

I stepped out of the car, Liam’s hand keeping me steady in my heels. I assumed we’d be heading to the back of the line, but I should have known better. Derek and Liam strode right for the doors, giving their names, and we were ushered in.

The inside was pristine, all bathed in a warm yellow light perfect for a romantic dinner, but not exactly how I expected a popular club to feel. Every surface was marble or metal or glass, each one polished and gleaming.

The hostess led us up to a roped off section. A VIP area in a VIP club. I shook my head at the ridiculous lengths people went so they could feel important.

Despite the big and roomy booths, Liam still slid over so he was right against me. But his teasing smirk had me realizing it was his way of putting me at ease, reminding me who I was with. The tension in my chest loosened, and, instead of my normal elbow to his side, I reached over to touch his shoulder, letting him know I understood. And appreciated it.

His playfulness softened into something tender, the grin fading slightly to hold a hint of hope and promise. Anticipation rose within me, a different sort of tension gathering in a much lower place.

“You guys hungry?” Derek interrupted my thoughts.

We both nodded.

“Good, ’cause they have amazing food.”

I hadn’t even noticed the thick menus tucked against the wall until Avery passed them out. The amount of choices was slightly overwhelming.

Liam leaned over. “Should I get one of everything?”

I chuckled. “That’d be enough to feed you for a month.” I quietly scanned the next page. “Do you have any favorites here?”

“Well, there’s always the burger.” He winked, making me laugh again. “For real, though, my favorite thing to do is binge order a bunch of appetizers. Then I don’t have to decide on just one thing.”

“That sounds great.”

“Really?”

I grinned and nodded, slapping my menu closed. Happy to have that decision over with, I turned to Avery. “What are you guys getting?”

“Prime rib, for sure. It comes with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, mmm.” She glanced at Derek. “Although I’m sure it’s not as good as Bin’s.”

Derek’s friend, Bin, ran a restaurant called Maria’s, but I hadn’t eaten there yet.

Derek chuckled. “That goes without saying, but it’s still good. I’m getting the Mahi Mahi. Their fish is amazing.”

Our waitress showed up, taking our drinks, whiskey for Derek and Avery, as always. I ordered a mai tai, and Liam surprised me by following suit. Derek nearly choked on his water, then stared at Liam like he’d grown three heads.

“What? I wanna see if they’re as good as the ones Gina makes.”

His knee bumped mine under the table. I nudged him back, then left my thigh pressed against him, savoring the contact. He shifted so our legs aligned all the way to our hips. I wondered if he’d duct tape me to his side if he could. The idea didn’t bother me at all, in fact it spurred my imagination down a path I really didn’t want to explore while surrounded by people.

I reined in my thoughts and blurted out the first thing that came to mind in an effort to distract myself. “Don’t they play music here? Or is that too passé for you rich folk?” The moment the words left my mouth I wondered if they were too much.

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