Page 64 of The Foul Out

A scoff escaped me. Annoyed, I glowered up at him. I might not be a regular at the bar scene, but I could do a shot. “Why are you like this?”

Across the table, Cam laughed.

Kyle frowned, his brows pulled low. “Like what? A man who doesn’t force alcohol on women?”

“You didn’t offer to take some off Zara’s, so don’t steal mine.” I carefully grasped my drink and slid it toward me.

“She loves her vodka, right, Z?” He reached past me and held his fist out to the birthday girl.

Smiling, she pounded it. “You know me.”

Focused on me again, Kyle said, “And I know you don’t normally hang out at bars.”

I bristled again. Everything he’d said was true, but they were coming off like insults.

“Whatever. I can do a shot.” Grumbling, I lifted the cold glass from the table. “What are we drinking to?”

I expected some kind of birthday wish. Instead, Zara said, “Sinners,” her smile devilish.

On her other side, Asher chuckled.

“Why?” I scanned the table.

Zara and Asher were smiling at one another. Cam was watching Kyle, and Trevor and his friend looked lost. So I zeroed in on Kyle, who was watching me.

“Because.” He hovered closer, smirking, the look sending a shiver down my spine. “Sinners are much more fun.” He tapped my glass with his, then downed his vodka, the thick collum of his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

“To Sinners.” Asher chuckled and held his glass aloft. As everyone lifted their drinks to their lips, I did too. I braced for the burn of pure vodka. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness that hit my tongue. The slight burn of the liquor as it coated my throat was far smoother than I anticipated.

Kyle leaned close again, his words dancing across my ear. “You can always trust me to keep it sweet with just enough heat.”

I swallowed back the apprehension and desire hitting me. Then I swiped the last bit of alcohol from my top lip.

He zeroed in on my mouth, his dark brown irises almost black. The heat there made my breath hitch. I didn’t understand this visceral chemistry we had. Every time he was near me, my body came alive. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

Trevor coughed, breaking the moment.

“Too strong for you?” Kyle shifted his attention across the table to the guys, but he didn’t move from my side. He had angled himself so that if either of us shifted, I’d be standingbetween his legs. I had this deep longing to do it. To feel his hand on my hip again.

“No,” Trevor croaked. “Gotta love the burn.”

“I need a chaser,” Mitch announced.

Trevor nodded at his friend, then the two of them headed to the bar.

“You owe me a dance, wife.” Asher pulled Zara away from the table, his arm wrapped around her waist.

“Remember to balance out the sinning.” Smirking, Cam tilted his rocks glass at Kyle and walked away.

“What does that mean?” I asked when we were alone.

“Do you know ‘Only the good die young’?” He leaned his forearm on the table and spun to face me completely.

I rested my chin on my fist. “I love Billy Joel.”

“My stepdad got me into Billy. He and his brother were super fans. Anytime we road-tripped, his greatest hits were all we listened to.”

I smiled. “Funny, my mom too. She always had one of his albums in the CD player of her car.”

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