Page 102 of Going All In

“Hey, there you are. And without your mom. I thought for sure she’d want to tag along,” Ally said after they walked into the bar area.

Lydia barked out a laugh. “You know our mother so well, but Dad has an early surgery tomorrow, so he convinced her to go home.”

“Damn. I kind of want to see your mom at C&B. Although she’d probably find out who all the single players are and try to set me and you up with them,” Ally said to Lydia, and Lydia shuddered.

“Yeah. We’ll leave Mom at home,” Lydia said. “Hookups are fine, but I’m not ready for a ball and chain.”

Darcy laughed. “It’s usually the men complaining about a ball and chain.”

“Yeah. And I feel for them. Now, can we go? They’ll show up at the bar in suits, right? Ooh, suit porn is probably my favorite.”

Ally chuckled and linked her arm with Lydia’s. “You coming?” Ally asked Darcy.

“If I have to,” Darcy muttered and shook her head again. She did that a lot when those two got together.

***

An hour later,and more than a few drinks in—for Lydia—the Strikers started to trickle into C&B. Darcy sipped her second porter of the night, having no desire to drink too much. She had to buckle down with work tomorrow and needed a clear head to get through the edits on her comprehensive review.

Arms snaked around her before she even realized what was happening.

“There’s my girl,” Jake’s words whispered over her skin, and it took everything in her not to drop the beer in her hand.

She quickly set it on the bar and turned in his embrace. The spark in his eyes sent bolts of heat coursing through her body. Just a look. That’s all it took from him and she was ready to drag him out of the bar.

“Hi,” she said with a soft laugh, her hands flattening on his chest. “You were amazing tonight.”

“We haven’t even gotten to amazing yet,” he said, wiggling his brows.

“You know what I meant,” she said, lightly swatting his chest before curling her hand into his dress shirt and tugging.

He lowered his head, his lips a breath away from hers. She lifted up on her tiptoes to close the gap and seal her lips to his.

He slanted his head, and she traced her tongue across the seam of his lips, swallowing his moan and letting her need overtake her common sense. Everyone disappeared when she was kissing Jake. Nothing else existed but the two of them locked together.

Then the catcalls and whistles started. A few go, Jakes and get it, Darcys were thrown in before she pulled back from the kiss.

He gave her one last quick peck before he turned to glare at the room. “I was going to buy a round, but you all ruined it.”

Darcy laughed as the guys stumbled over each other in half-ass apologies like they couldn’t all buy rounds for everyone in the bar. A few months ago, she would’ve been completely embarrassed, but she knew the guys lived to tease each other and usually meant nothing by it.

“Ignore them,” he said, leaning in and kissing her behind her ear. She tried to tamp down her shiver, but if the smile she felt against her neck was anything to go by, she hadn’t hidden her reaction to his touch at all.

“When you’re done sucking face, here’s a drink on the house,” Adam’s voice cut through her desire-filled fog.

“Thanks, man,” Jake said.

“Nice hattie. Do that again, all right?” Adam said.

“Now you’re sounding like Bugsy,” Jake replied. His energy was palpable as he kissed her in between sips of his beer.

She would give anything to get out of the bar and head back to his place, to see just how exuberant he would be in bed.

“Nice blush. Whatcha thinking about, little sis? I bet it’s inappropriate,” Lydia said.

“Oh, shut up. Like you’re ever appropriate,” Darcy fired back, and Lydia took another sip of her martini while rolling her eyes.

“Now I want to know what you’re thinking about. Maybe I could guess,” Jake teased.

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