Page 77 of The Winning Ticket

“I think we have to wait at least another half an hour.” He chuckles when I groan before kissing my temple. “Just think about how good the sex will be once we get into that apartment. I can’t wait to rip that dress right off you.”

After another kiss, he urges me back to our friends, saying he’ll follow in a minute. Most of the others are well on the way to drunk. Morgan is sitting sideways in Chris’s lap, kissing him hungrily while his hands roam all over her. Various other people I don’t know are also making out or downing more drinks. Annelisa looks ready to call it a night, leaning into Will’s side with half-closed eyes, and Tara is discreetly checking her watch. Kylie is still dancing with the same guy on the dance floor but nods in my direction when she sees me checking on her.

“I’m going to close out the bar tab,” I say to Annelisa, and she nods.

Will squeezes her shoulder and follows me to do the same thing while Annelisa tells the others. I ignore their groans, knowing the main group, sans Kylie, is ready to go home.

“So… You and Jake.” Will raises an eyebrow at me while we stand at the bar together.

Shit… had he seen us earlier?

“Me and Jake what?” I ask, trying to seem as though I have no idea what he’s talking about, but he continues giving me the same ‘big brother’ look while he shakes his head.

“You know exactly what.”

I swallow, wondering if it’s worth trying to deny I know what he’s talking about. My silence is answer enough, and Will sighs.

“Just be careful, Bri. The last thing the group needs is the drama that will go down if Morgan finds out you guys have been sneaking around behind her back.”

We close out the bar tabs in silence, and I try to ignore the dread gnawing at the bottom of my stomach. When he turns to go back to the group, I grab his sleeve.

“Don’t say anything to Annelisa, please. She won’t want to keep it from Morgan, and… I’m not ready for her to know anything yet. We’re just hooking up. It’s not serious,” I plead.

“Not serious? Bri, this is Jake. If it’s not serious, you need to put the brakes on this now because he’s held a torch for you for as long as I’ve known him. And I know you felt the same way back in school, and I’m betting you still do now.” He shakes his head and sighs, momentarily looking up at the ceiling before looking at me again. “Annie already knows, but don’t worry, we’re both well-practised at keeping secrets.” He turns and walks away, and I’m left pondering what on earth he meant by that.

33

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THINGS ARE BETWEEN US?

BRIANNA

By the time we leave the club, the heat that I felt with Jake earlier has snuck back in, and it takes all my willpower not to touch him while we sit close together in the back of the cab. Chris sits up front with the driver, and Morgan looks a little worse for wear next to me, where I sit squeezed between her and Jake in the backseat.

“You doing okay?” I ask Morgan, and she nods back slowly.

Her mascara is smudged under her eyes, and I’m pretty sure she’ll have a wicked hangover in the morning.

“Thanks for a great night,” she says before closing her eyes and resting her head on my shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re back and that you didn’t take advantage of Jake.”

She starts snoring lighting almost immediately.

Pissed at yet another dig about me stealing Jake’s virtue, I take the opportunity to grab Jake’s hand and squeeze it gently. He laces our fingers together, bringing my hand to his lips to kiss the back of it softly before holding it in his lap.

The cab eventually pulls up in front of our apartment building, and Jake lets go of my hand when Morgan lifts her head and blinks a few times.

“Where are we?” she asks.

“We’re back at our place. Do you want to get your stuff now or just come back for it tomorrow?” I ask, and she stares at me for a moment.

“Right… Oh, yeah… I better get my stuff. Pretty sure I’m going to be in bed all day tomorrow.” She finally gets her bearings and stumbles out of the car behind us.

Chris sticks his head back in the front window to ask the driver to wait while they come up to get Morgan’s stuff, and I’m relieved to see that he seems to be a little more sober than my sister. We take the elevator upstairs in silence, and Morgan wanders around the apartment, collecting the stuff that she’d left in various locations while Chris has a large glass of water.

“Got everything?” I ask, watching Jake grip the back of one of the dining chairs, his eyes tracking my every move while I follow Morgan around.

She finally seems confident she has everything, and Jake gently rounds them up and guides them towards the door.

“Finally,” Jake says, locking the door behind them.

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