Page 67 of Fated Shot

I try to stay casual, barely listening to the chatter between the other guys in the booth. Eventually, the conversation shifts, and Theo, Penn, and Connor Tucker dive into a heated debate about the existence of alien life. Just another Saturday night with the boys.

“I’m just saying, I want to see some concrete scientific evidence before drawing any conclusions,” Theo pipes up.

“Bro, Iliterallysaw a UFO once. If you don’t believe in aliens, then you’re calling me a liar,” Connor drunkenly yells.

I just shake my head, refusing to engage. One: because I’m not going to chat with a drunk Connor fucking Tucker, and two: aliens absolutely exist, but I don’t want to ever have the same opinion as Connor fucking Tucker.

Thankfully, I get the‘here’text and my heart does a thump before I rush to my feet without so much as a word to the boys. Pushing my way through the crowd, I head toward the doors and out to the bouncer. There’s a bit of a line forming. Perks of this being our favorite club, we can pull some strings, whether that be getting an extra guest on the VIP list or removing a few for more privacy.

Sure enough, the moment I’m outside, a beaming beauty steps out of an Escalade right in front of the main doors. I sent an Uber Black, and I know she’s going to comment about me spending money on her again, but I don’t care.

She walks right over to me, the bottom of her black dress landing mid-way up her thighs, flowing with every step. The top of it is tight around her waist and chest, thin straps tied into bows on either shoulder, like she’s my own little present. I turn quickly, struggling to readjust the semi I have from just looking at her. Thank god it’s dark out and even darker in the club.

I offer my hand to her, and to my fucking delight, she takes it. Giving the bouncer a pat on the shoulder, I lead her in. As we make our way back to the booth, weaving through the hordes of people, she doesn’t drop her hand, and it has to be one of the best feelings in the entire world.

When we arrive, all the guys stop their conversation, smirking as they take in our adjoined hands. I move mine to rest gently on the small of her back.

“Uh, guys, you remember Mia?”

“You mean our Coach’sonlydaughter? Yeah, I think we remember,” Connor drunkenly snickers as I glare at him.

“Don’t be a dick,” Evan mutters, elbowing him.

The rest of them stay staring awkwardly, and I instantly regret my decision to bring her.

“Do you want to sit, Mia?” Penn asks, breaking the silence as he moves deeper into the booth, opening up a space for her. She smiles politely at him as she climbs in next to him. Realizing there’s no space for me, I reluctantly slide into the opposite side, resigned to stare longingly across the table for the rest of the night.

Now, instead of talking to her, I’m forced to continue to listen to the douche canoes next to me talk about UFO sightings on Centre Island.

“Alright, I need a refill,” Evan calls to the table as he tries to make his way out of the booth. Both Mia and Penn need to shuffle out in order to let him exit. Just as they settle back into their seats, Evan turns back and asks, “Do you want a drink, Mia?”

Shit,that was definitely my job. I’m terrible at this whole date thing. Flustered and half standing up in my seat, I extend my hand out to her across the table. “Come on, I’ll grab you one.”

“I’m heading to the bar, anyway, Brody,” he replies, but I snap him a warning glare.

“I’ll come with you,” she says to Evan, hopping back up, her shoes clacking against the floor. I resist the urge to butt in, instead nodding and sitting back down before giving her a little wink which flushes her cheeks immediately. She stands waiting as I lean in, giving Evan a firm look.

“I don’t want her to pay for her own drink, Woodsy,” I gruff, quiet enough for only him to hear.

“I’m obviously not going to let her pay,chill out.” As they leave, I spot a black bow holding her curls together on the back of her head. Damn, she’s cute.

Five minutes feels like an hour waiting for her to return. When they finally wander back over to us, I spot a familiar shyness on Mia’s face. This time, she opts for my side of the booth as I shove Connor over to make space. Settling in beside me, I’m surrounded by her comforting, sweet scent, and just like that, I’m already getting hard.

Getting aroused at a table full of your jackass friends? What could possibly go wrong… This girl is going to be my undoing.

“What’d you get?” I ask her, taking a sip from my own beer.

“Peach mojito,” she replies, the sweetest smile on her face. “Wanna try?”

I normally hate sweet drinks, but she’s just too cute to turn down. I smile at her, grabbing the glass she’s offered me and sipping. It tastes like a drink version of a sour peach ring. I laugh, surprised at how delicious it is.

“It’s good,” I say, passing her glass back over to her. She beams happily at my reply, doing a little excited wiggle in her seat as she takes another sip. God, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her happy.

“Bet it tastes even better ‘cus it was free.” Evan grins as Mia suddenly shiftsuneasily beside me.

“What do you mean it was free?” I ask, looking between the two of them. She’s now studying her glass, as Evan stifles a laugh by taking a quick sip of his beer.

When he realizes I’m still staring expectantly at him, he continues.

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