Page 56 of Rebel Secrets
Except now I couldn’t stop looking at him.He was right across the table from me.And staring back at me.
I needed a drink.
I droppedthe chair next to Brian as Rain fell into his lap, both of us laughing as we kicked off our shoes after dancing for most of the night.
Dinner had come and gone, the cake had been cut and consumed.And I swore everyone in the room had come up to me to personally say how good it was.Every compliment made my smile wider.Damn it, I had wanted it to be magnificent.And it was.
Rowdy and Tressy had raved, and Krista probably had eaten a little too much of her special cake.She’d crashed out in her grandmother’s arms about an hour ago.
I’d also had a few people tell me they’d stop by the shop this week to talk about upcoming events, which made me giddy.
That probably also had a little something to do with the amount of alcohol I’d had.I was feeling no pain after ten o’clock.Many of the older guests had made their way home already, but the true party was just getting started.
“No, no, no, that’s not what happened.Bonesaw was the first one to take off his clothes and skate around the rink.Then of course, Rowdy had to follow.”
Rain shook her head and waved one of her hands in the air, her other around Brian’s neck as she sat in his lap and told everyone about the time one of the players had had to get stitches in his ass because they’d been skating naked at midnight.After a few drinks.
Rain and I had been on the dance floor for… I honestly didn’t know how long.We’d danced with the guys and the girls and the kids.I’d even gotten the Colonel to join me for a dance, and damn, the man still had moves.I totally understood why Miss Raffi still looked at him like they’d just fallen in love.
My parents had never looked that way at each other.Come to think of it, neither did my sister and her husband.My brother didn’t have a wife, just a revolving set of interchangeable dates.And since I didn’t have anyone to look at…
Ugh.Sad.Didn’t want to be sad.Not now.
Instead, I looked around the table.All of the Devils, along with the Angels and the rest of the friends’ group who weren’t part of either team, had pulled chairs over to the bridal party table.The band was taking a break before its final set, and only the piano player and the violinist were left on stage to provide music.
Several couples still floated around the dance floor, including the Colonel and Miss Raffi and Patricia and her husband, who’d swapped partners and were laughing and smiling.Which made me smile.
“And don’t forget the time we made the rookies climb the fire tower in their jocks,” Rebel added.“Fun times.”
It was the first time he’d added to the conversation, and of course, I turned to look at him.He was smiling at someone, that wicked little half-smile that made me want to lick it off his lips like frosting off the beaters.
Whoa.
I couldn’t remember exactly how many glasses of very good champagne I’d had, but I think it must have been a lot.I was contemplating licking Rebel.
Why was the man so damn handsome?
“Hey, I was one of those rookies,” somebody said.“I was pulling splinters out of my thighs for weeks.”
“That’s because you were so drunk you decided you were gonna slide up on your ass.On wooden steps.”
Rebel had to raise his voice slightly to be heard as all the other guys around the table added something to the story.He was still grinning when he caught my gaze across the table.
A weird fizzy feeling started in my head and continued down my body, making my skin bubble with goosebumps, and my stomach feel squishy and wobbly.
Why was Rebel looking at me like he wanted to lick me, too?
Okay, wow.I must have drank much more than I thought I had.I totally must be reading him wrong.Except, I felt pleasantly buzzed, not outright sloppy drunk.The few times I’d drunk way too much hadn’t felt like this.Then I’d felt icky and gross and sick to my stomach.Now, I felt giggly and light.Not icky at all.
“All right, everyone,” the band’s female singer announced from the stage, where the rest of the band was retaking their positions, “We’re gonna start this set slow.Let’s have those newlyweds back on the dance floor for another song.”
Every guy there began to whoop and bang the table, while the girls raised their glasses and tapped them with spoons or their nails.And we whooped, too.
Rowdy stood and bowed to the table then held out his hand to Tressy with the sweetest smile.I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who sighed and wished I had someone who looked at me like that.
Shaking my head, my gaze somehow found Rebel again.Staring back at me.
It proved harder to pull my gaze away this time.That connection I’d felt all night now almost a physical tether pulling me closer to him.I wanted to stand, walk over to him and ask him to dance with me.
