Page 55 of Wicked Games of Desire

A girl I don’t recognize rollers over to take our order. “Hey, guys, what can I get for ya?” she asks flirtatiously. Yeah, she looks like the kind of girl Mark would hire. Flirty, cute and willing to put up with the handsy customers. “Today’s special is a peach cobbler. It’s to die for.” She winks in Ricky’s direction, and I feel a strange ping of jealousy.

“Do you want some pie, baby doll?” he asks, playfully wrapping his arm around me, giving me the warm and fuzzies, because the last thing I expected was him to make it obvious he wasn’t available. But that’s what his body language is doing.

“Sure. And a strawberry milkshake.” I smile at the girl.

She turns her attention toward Maddox, leaning over the table. “Boys, what will it be?”

“I’m good,” mutters Maddox, still scanning the place like he’s scoping it out, expecting one of the D’Amicos to materialize and blow our heads off.

“Milkshakes sound like a perfect idea. I’ll have vanilla,” Ricky agrees.

She jots down our orders. “Anything else, sweetie?”

“Yeah, is Dani working today?” I ask, really hoping she is.

“Sure is.” She smiles sweetly. “In back with Mark. Want me to grab her when she’s done?”

“That would be great. Tell her Lana’s here to see her, thanks.”

“Sure thing.” She rolls her way back to the kitchen.

I smirk at Ricky. “Vanilla?”

“What’s wrong with vanilla?” He smiles playfully.

“Nothing, I suppose I didn’t expect you to have such a dull taste preference.”

He pulls me onto his lap, his teeth nipping at my earlobe. “You know there’s nothing boring about me, baby doll.”

I can’t help but laugh. Maddox shoots him a warning look, but it doesn’t stop him from skating his hand up my thigh. I know if we weren’t all so strung out with the threat hanging over our head, he would be up for just about anything right here in the booth.

Maddox throws us a warning look. “Can you two save the PDA until we get home?”

“You’re just pissed she’s sitting with me,” Ricky mumbles as he pulls me in for a kiss. Sometimes you can really tell they grew up together, the way they bicker.

Dani approaches our table, my pie and the milkshakes in her hands. “Hey, girl, I thought you took off. When Sassy said I had a visitor by the name of Lana, I was like,no way. But here you are looking all happy and shit.”

“I didn’t exactly take off. Is Mark pissed?”

She looks over at the guys, her eyes filled with curiosity. “He’s over it. I went by your place. All your shit was gone.” She drops her head closer to me and lowers her voice. “What the fuck, girl?”

“I…” Ricky wraps his arm around my front, trying to get me to stay on his lap, but I shove it off. I need to talk to my friend without these guys listening in. I hop up from the booth and take her hand, dragging her away from the table.

“That’s far enough, temptress,” Maddox warns. I flip him the bird but don’t go any farther, knowing being here is already pushing my luck.

“He’s bossy.” She laughs, still looking them both over with curiosity.

“You have no idea!”

“Well, shit,” she squeals, grabbing my hand and pulling it right up to her face so she can inspect the ring sitting on my left hand. “Someone’s been busy. Which one of these lucky bastards locked you down?”

I can sense the heat spreading from my face. I didn’t want to cause a scene, and there is no way of saying this without it coming out weird. “Neither. I’m marrying their brother.”

She glances back at the booth where the two brothers are observing us. Ricky has a smirk on his face, as if he thinks this is all a fun game. Maddox’s expression turns into a scowl; he’s not having as much fun, and I know I’m running out of time before he puts a stop to my little catch-up. “Ahh, so they’re available?” She smiles cheekily at them.

“Not exactly,” I mutter, feeling surprisingly jealous of her attempt to flirt with them.

Her eyes rake over me. “Damn, girl, you’ve been busy since you took off.”

---