Page 37 of Housebroke

“Those are good friends, aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

“Sometimes that’s all you need. There’s no minimum—or maximum—number on friends. Just ones you trust.”

He was right about that.

He pulled up to the nightclub, one he’d read about and wanted to check out. The parking lot was full, so that was a good sign, and the music was jamming, so he figured this was a good place to get into, have a few drinks, and maybe hit the dance floor and show off his gorgeous date.

His date.

He hadn’t really thought about Hazel in that way. He’d just wanted to take her out and show her a good time.

Yeah, right. Who was he kidding? He liked her. He really liked her, and the attraction between them was incendiary. No reason not to explore that and see where it went, as long as both of them stayed aware that this was a temporary situation. Because as soon as he finished renovations on this house, he’d be gone, and they’d be done.

Better make sure she understands that.

Yeah, he needed to be clear about that, because the last thing she needed was to be hurt again.

“This looks fun,” she said as they walked inside.

He took her hand and led her past the groups of people standing around.

“They all look really young,” she said, leaning against him so she could be heard over the loud music. “I’m not sure this is where we should be.”

He laughed. “I don’t think there’s an age limit, Hazel. We’re fine.” He put his hand on her back and directed her toward the stairs.

They walked up toward the VIP area. Hazel’s eyes widened.

“We definitely shouldn’t be up here.”

“Sure we should.” He gave his name to the guy standing there, who looked on his list and nodded. “Section Four is yours.”

After he directed them where to go, Linc smiled. “Thanks.”

The sections were marked so they were easy to find. It was a nice area, not oversize but not too tight, either. They slid into the booth, which had a nice view of the dance floor and bar area below.

A tall, leggy brunette came right over. “My name is Bonita. What can I get for you?”

“Hi, Bonita. Tito’s on the rocks with lime for me.” Linc looked over at Hazel.

“Oh,” she said. “Umm, I’ll have a margarita.”

“What kind, honey?” Bonita asked.

Hazel lifted her hands. “I don’t know. Surprise me with something fun and spicy.”

Bonita grinned. “Sure.”

After she left, Hazel shifted to face him. “You made a reservation so we could be up here.”

“I’m not much for standing around in crowds.”

“This is very nice.”

“It’ll do.”

Bonita came back a few minutes later and set their drinks down.

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