Page 75 of Cadence
She sits up, flicking the strands away from her face, eyes scanning the crowd until they find me again. Lifting her hand, she points straight at me. “That was your fault.”
I glance at the guys, my eyebrows knitting together. “How?”
“You smiled.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did.” She stands, brushing herself off. “You smiled, and I thought something was wrong with your face. It threw me off.”
The guys crack up, but I don’t hear it. Not when she crosses the mat and presses a finger to my cheek. I didn’t know I was smiling and didn’t think she’d even notice.
“See! There it is again.”
Eli steps forward, grabbing my face with both hands and bringing it closer to his, turning it from side to side. “Holy shit, I think he has dimples.”
“Is that what they are?” Paige teases. “No wonder I lost my groove.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” I mutter, swatting Eli’s hands away. “Can we stop inspecting my face, please?”
“But why?” Eli chuckles, a tipsy grin sliding onto his face. “You’ve been all happy and shit lately. It’s weird.”
Risking a glance at Paige, she chews on the corner of her lip, her eyes averting back to the bull with a new rider on it.
“Maybe he hit his head,” Beau mutters, smirking behind his beer.
Schooling my face, I lift my glass in mock salute. “My bad. Won’t happen again.”
But it’s already too late. The damage is done. She’s looking at me, breathless, lips parted like she doesn’t know what to do with this version of me.
Beau claps her shoulder, dragging her sideways into his space with a chuckle, his tattooed arm slung around her neck.
“Best ride of the night,” he tells her as he pulls her into a hug.
She grins, sagging against him, but her attention slides back to me.
And that look? That’s all mine.
And now I’m searching for ways to find another loophole.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Paige
“IloveDallas,”Elislurs, arm draped over my shoulder, all six-foot-something of him, heavy and uncoordinated, dumping half his weight onto my five-five frame.
“We know, big guy,” Beau grunts from the other side as he tries to steady him.
I laugh, cheeks aching from the night, the energy of the bar still fizzing in my veins as we head toward the first hotel of the tour, courtesy of Reign Cooper himself.
Buses and being on the road are fun, sure. But the thought of an actual bed and no man-smell stinking up the place feels…like luxury.
“You’re my favorite drummer,” Eli mumbles,again.
“You’ve said that three times,” I tease, adjusting my grip as we round the corner.
“Yeah, but now Imeanit.”
I gasp mockingly. “Are you saying you didn’t before?”
