Page 26 of Love By the Book
“But you’re so beautiful when you’re sleepy,” Zoe coos then plants a kiss on Mia’s cheek. “I look like a hag. You don’t need beauty sleep the way I do.”
The DJ’s voice booms over the speakers. “And now we have Zoe singing ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’!”
Zoe squeals and grabs Mia’s hand, pulling her out of the booth. “Eek, that’s me! Come on, babe!”
As they dash off and the electric, glittery sound of the song blares over the speakers, I turn to Eli who’s watching the chaoswith a soft smile. “So, Mr. Year of Spontaneity, are you going to grace us with a song?”
He brushes his dark bangs back from his forehead and chuckles. “I don’t think so. I mean, how am I supposed to top that?”
He gestures to the stage where Zoe has donned a feather boa and is leaning toward her mic, one arm raising the roof. The crowd is already in her clutches, clapping and waving in rhythm.
I bump into his shoulder. The rich scent of his cologne makes my head spin a little. “Oh, come on, Lancaster. Live a little. Aren’t you all about trying new things?”
His eyes flash. He’s so close to me I can see the flecks of gold in his irises, count each of his unfairly long eyelashes. For a moment, the cacophony of the bar fades away, and all I can hear is the quickening of my heartbeat. His gaze drops to my lips for a fraction of a second before snapping back up to meet mine.
The air between us crackles with an electricity that has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with the way he’s looking at me right now.
“You’re right,” he says, his voice low and husky. “I am currently all about trying new things.”
For a wild moment, I think he might kiss me. Part of me hopes he will. I’m considering drowning the part of me—the Rhianna who is screaming a million excuses why that’s a bad idea—in enough Mermaid’s Kiss Cocktails she’ll forget every one of them. She gets the best of me, though, reminding me I’m supposed to be finding Eli’s perfect match, not auditioning for the role myself. Especially not in front of the whole town.
That Rhianna also remembers what it felt like to be left behind by someone who once claimed to love her—someone who couldn’t stay when things got hard. And it’s not her erafor pain anymore. It’s her era for plane tickets and possibility. For traveling the world unencumbered. For being young and alive and selfish in the best kind of way. Not for risking everything on a pair of soft eyes and a quiet voice that makes her wonder what it might feel like to risk her heart again.
I clear my throat and shift away from Eli the smallest amount, ignoring the way my skin tingles where we touched. I wiggle my eyebrows, hoping we can move past whatever almost happened between us. “So, a song?”
Eli looks at me for a long moment as the last beats of the music blare through the speakers. There’s something unreadable in his eyes. Then he grins in an adorable half-smile. “All right, Wilder. You’re on. But only if you sing one too.”
“Done.” After all, I don’t care what people think about my singing and I’ve always been comfortable on stage. Eli shifts like he’s going to leave the booth and request his song but I grab his arm gently to stall him. “Wait, your outfit needs a slight adjustment. Do you mind if I?—?”
He hesitates, and we’re back in the previous moment again. And the ideas of cocktails and poor decisions sound perfect. Then he nods. My fingers tremble slightly as I reach out to undo the top few buttons of his shirt. The brush of my knuckles against his skin causes him to shiver and my breath catches. Suddenly it’s very warm in here.
“There,” I say, my voice breathier than I’d like. “Now you look the part. Go knock ‘em dead with your rendition of ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’, champ.”
He laughs and stands, walking over to the DJ. I regret sending him away the moment the air cools around me. I slump back into the booth, my heart racing.
Alex glides over next to me. “So, want to tell me what that was all about?”
Tom has taken the stage along with Violet, Mia, and Zoe as swoony boy band music plays. Tom even gives a little hipwiggle as he belts out the chorus of ‘I Want it That Way’. Rachel and Grant stand in front of the stage fist-pumping in rhythm. For a book club, we’re pretty cool, I have to say.
Alex isn’t paying attention to the performance, though. She’s smirking at me, one eyebrow raised. I shrug. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she says, stretching the words out. “Maybe the fact that what your fingers didn’t do in unbuttoning Eli’s shirt, your eyes were finishing?”
My cheeks catch fire. “They weren’t! I was just… helping him get into the karaoke spirit.”
“Mhmm.” Alex takes a sip of her drink in the mermaid-tail shaped goblet. “Just friendly encouragement?”
“Exactly. I’m his matchmaker, remember? I’m just trying to help him come out of his shell.”
Alex’s expression softens. “Rhianna, I think you might be?—”
But whatever she thinks I might be is cut off by the DJ’s booming voice. “All right, folks! Next up we have Eli with ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac!”
My jaw drops. “Fleetwood Mac? But why would he?—”
“Looks like he knows your favorite band already.” Alex pats my hand.
I can’t pay attention to her, though, as Eli takes the stage. His hands shake as he accepts the mic, but he juts his jaw up as the first guitar chords come on, and then…
