Page 24 of Defending her Heart

The waiter finally returns with our drinks, and as soon as my vodka soda is placed in front of me, I pick it up and suck it down.

“You gonna be a cheap drunk tonight, babe?” Miles taps his beer bottle against the rim of my glass.

“As if. Just thirsty.” I pick up my water glass and chug it down almost as quickly as my vodka.

The place is packed, and our dinner is no doubt going to take a while to be delivered. Sitting so close our thighs rub against each other gets me hot and bothered, I can only stand so long of this tantalizing conversation. I lean across Miles and reach for Rowan’s hand.

“Let’s dance.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Miles takes my hand and Rowan’s and leads us to the dance floor.

Not what I was going for, but he’s fun to dance with. He’s more like a dancing monkey. A six-foot-five-inch and who-knows-how-many-pounds dancing monkey, but he has no problem making a fool of himself on the dance floor.

Miles is the life of the party and you can’t help but love him for it.

“Come on, Riles.” I beckon her with my arms as I sway to Shania Twain’sMan! I Feel Like a Woman!

Rowan, Riley, and I form a circle and sing like we don’t have a care in the world while Miles takes turns grinding behindeach of us. He’s not exactly rubbing his cock against us—Walker would cut off his dick with a dull knife if he ever did that to Riley—but he’s getting down and dirty nonetheless.

Declan and Brock come out onto the dance floor, as do dozens of other women and couples once they recognize the stars of the Boston Revs. We dance a few more songs until our meals arrive.

Meal time is always loud and chaotic with five hungry men. The amount of food they consume, especially after a game, is enough to feed me for an entire week. I polish off my chicken sandwich, wishing I got a side of fries instead of a small salad.

I swipe one from Nash’s plate and munch on it.

“Um. Sure, you can have a fry.”

“Thanks, Nash Potato.”

“Don’t call me that,” he says around a bite of one of the two double cheeseburgers he ordered.

“Why? Childhood trauma? Were you picked on on the playground because of your measly size and ugly looks?”

If he was, I’d sort of feel guilty about it. But he kicked karma in the ass by coming out on top.

“Because it’s stupid.”

“Great comeback.”

He chews his burger slowly, swallows, and chases it down with his iced tea. “It wasn’t a comeback. Just the truth.”

“Well, zero points for originality.”

When Rowan and Riley are finished with their meals, we head back to the dance floor. I keep an eye on the table, and don’t know who glances our way more. Walker or Nash.

I don’t know what it is about his sullenness or the grumpiness in him, but it’s actually kind of hot. If I’d never witnessed how sweet he is with Paisley and what a wonderful father he is, I’d have no desire to give him a second thought. A second glance, sure. Because I’m human and have a vagina.

When the guys have finished their meals, Miles, Dec, and Brock work their way to the dance floor. Women flock to them, which works in our favor. It’s not often Riley, Rowan, and I get to hang out anymore. With Riley married and Rowan’s schedule all over the place, finding common free time is challenging.

Before long, Walker strides onto the dance floor and wraps his arms around Riley from behind. “I need to take you home, wife.”

“That’s code for he needs to get laid.” I hug Riley and tap Walker’s cheek. “Take care of our girl.”

“What ifIwant to take care ofhim?” Riley shoots an eyebrow to her hairline.

“God, I love you, Mrs. Bankes.” Walker takes her hand and whisks her away.

“I’m so happy for Riley,” Rowan calls at her retreating back before she’s whisked into Declan’s arms and he lines her up for the Cotton Eye Joe.

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