Page 5 of Country and Clove
“Oh no. She sent out evites.” Laurie shook her head.
Aria waltzed back into the room, her poofy dress bouncing behind her. “I’m sure you’ve all received your formal invitations. We have the VIP couches at Luna + Lupine reserved and the party begins at eight.”
“Looks like we have plans tonight,” Gigi whispered to Clove. Clove gave her twin an exasperated look. “It will be fun. Come to my apartment beforehand. We’ll pregame while we get ready.” She gave her that hopeful puppy-dog expression. Gigi’s eyes were identical to Clove’s. One green, one gold, but they housed an innocence that Clove’s had long ago lost. “Come on, Clove.”
“Fine,” she gave in, “but there better be tequila.”
Gigi brightened. She took Clove’s hand and squeezed. Aria was discussing something about penis straws on the other end of the table. Clove internally rolled her eyes. Tonight was going to be a shitshow, she already knew it.
CHAPTER3
Gigi kept her word. There were three types of tequila waiting for Clove when she arrived. They managed to take an impressive amount of shots by the time Laurie came to collect them for their ride. Being the Beta’s wife meant she could use the company cars and drivers anytime she liked. It was better than a sticky rideshare. They even roped Laurie into taking a few shots of her own. Laurie’s kids were still young, six and two if Clove remembered correctly, but they were in good hands at home with Lance. The kind, ethereal Chosen must have been in desperate need of a wild night.
“You’re off duty tonight, Mama.” Clove handed Laurie one more shot. “So down the hatch.” Clove wasn’t as pushy as Aria when it came to forcing people to have fun, but she made it her business to help her friends loosen up. Laurie’s position within the complex came with tremendous responsibility and insane work hours. She was more than an assistant to Gideon. Her presence was required under all types of circumstances. She deserved to relax every now and then. It made Clove happy to watch the people she cared about enjoying themselves.
“That’s the last one, though.” Laurie made a sour face and shuddered as she tossed back the tequila. “Who knows what Aria has planned for the evening. At least one of us needs to keep our wits about us.” Laurie’s words ended in a giggle, the alcohol clearly taking effect.
There was already a line outside Luna + Lupine when they arrived but Laurie strode right up to the entrance. Gideon owned the club, so if Aria was hosting an event here, her friends would never be expected to wait on the street like everyone else. Clove kept her gaze straight ahead, uncomfortable with the envious glares being sent her way from the people waiting in line.
Gigi’s phone rang just before they stepped inside and she paused. “I’ll meet you in there,” was all she said, trying to hide a pretty unhideable smile as she darted away.That was weird.
Clove shook it off, succumbing to the overwhelming sights and sounds of the club. Luna + Lupine’s colorful lights bathed them in a flashy rainbow of blinding hues. Everything inside the club was either purple or black. This included the chairs, walls, chandeliers, waitress outfits, and go-go cages. Clove spotted Aria in the VIP couch section and grimaced.
“Is that…” Laurie started.
“A giant inflatable penis? Yes, yes it is,” Clove grumbled with a sigh. Aria caught sight of them and began frantically waving her arms, as if they could have missed her. A bouncer unclipped the rope for them and they trudged into the over-the-top setup.
Penises—Everywhere!Penis straws, penis glasses, penis glitter, penis cookies, even a few silicon dildos suction-cupped to the table.
“What do y’all think?” Aria was in a fit of giggles. And she wasn’t even drinking alcohol. She handed them each a martini glass with a sparkly pink liquid swirling inside, its rim decorated in sugary penis-shaped marshmallows. “It’s edible glitter!” Aria squealed.
“We can tell you really put your heart into this,” Laurie offered with a smile, and took a sip of the disturbingly pink drink. Leave it to Laurie to come up with something nice to say in this dick-filled fiasco.
“No one will misunderstand the theme,” Clove added and Aria beamed.
“Right? Cheers!” She drank from a long pink and orange glass. “Don’t worry, it’s juice.”
Clove took one sip of the fruity concoction and nearly gagged. Her phone dinged and a message from Gigi popped up.Something came up. I’ll meet up with you tomorrow. Try to have fun without me!Clove inwardly growled. Gigi was ditching her, again. Her twin had been extra sneaky and flaky lately. Not to mention she’d suddenly broken things off with Dane without so much as an explanation. Now Clove was stuck here without her.
“I’m going to get a real drink,” she called over to Laurie above the rhythmic bass of the club’s music. She slipped under the ropes and strode toward the bar. “Can I get a ranch water, extra tequila?”
The bartender nodded. He was a lycan, she could smell it on him. A loud bout of laughter drew her gaze to the end of the bar. Several shifters stood smiling and drinking. Dane was with them. He truly was a specimen to behold. All mysterious energy, dark skin, and shimmery, topaz eyes. What had happened between him and her sister? Clove grasped the damp glass bottle and started walking his way to ask. Something unfamiliar and frenzied burned through her center and her steps faltered.
The figure to Dane’s right slowly turned and Clove stopped dead in her tracks.Tall. That was the first thing that came to mind. Lycan men were usually large, but for some reason he just seemed huge. She couldn’t be certain he was any larger than the usual six-foot-forever that was common among the pack, but something about his stance and energy made him seem much, much larger. Power radiated from his towering frame, sending Clove’s heart beating with the speed of a shy schoolgirl with a crush. Curly brown hair peeked out from under a tan Stetson. That surprised her. She didn’t see a lot of cowboys in these parts.
The stranger was a lycan, that much was obvious. He tilted his face up and her wolf howled within. His eyes were dark and bright all at once, their color rich and silky like maple syrup. Freckles dotted his nose, giving him a boyish charm, but all thoughts turned from boy to man as her gaze dipped down.
His jawline could cut steel. It was angled and tense, so perfectly symmetrical it may have actually been carved from stone. Clove’s mouth opened as she shamelessly ogled the stranger. He was sex embodied in lycan form. Sharp, shapely lips parted as his eyes locked with hers.
Clove’s wolf stirred. Something tugged at her gut, a tingling uncertainty that had her wolf appraising the man with a level of interest she hadn’t felt in years. Heat burned in the space between them as they stood, gazes held, barely breathing. The man took one step toward her and—
“There you are!” Aria grabbed her by the arm, quickly dragging her away. Clove glanced back and found glowing maple eyes tracking her movements.Who was that? Was he visiting the territory? There was something familiar about him, like she’d met him before. But surely she would remember anyone who looked as stupidly hot as that guy was. “We need you.” Aria waved the bouncer off as she slipped under the VIP rope, pulling Clove along with her.
“What’s wrong?” Clove asked distractedly. Her gaze drifted back to the bar. Yep, he was still watching her. Dark, syrupy eyes pinned her in place. She was filled with the urge to move closer, to cross the space to him and run her fingers across his stubbled jaw.
“Earth to Clove.” Aria snapped her fingers and Clove blushed, fixing her gaze back on Aria. “Someone noticed we were celebrating a bachelorette party and sent all these shots over to our table.” A massive tray of at least two dozen shots was set up right next to the penis cake.
“Damn, that’s a lot of shots. Good luck,” Clove offered, turning her attention back to the man at the bar. Aria gripped her shoulders, whirling her back around.
