Page 25 of Spreading Her Wings

“Frankly, babe, I don’t care what it is as long as you come like that for me all weekend.”

Don’t fall for him.

Auston kept looking back over his shoulder at where I stood with Simone by the bar, completely ignoring the way Ash and Logan shouted next to him. Every time his eyes met mine, my cheeks warmed. The dice hit the table, and Jackson jumped up, throwing them around Auston and causing him to whip his head back around. When his eyes lit up and he joined in on the high fives, I chuckled.

“They must’ve won or something.” I giggled, grabbing shot glasses from Simone.

She threw her head back and laughed before picking the rest of the shots from the counter, turning, and rolling her eyes. “With the four of them, it could be the smallest victory and they’d celebrate. You know how he is.” She nodded at Auston, who was mid-victory dance.

Simone was right. Auston was the type to always celebrate the most mundane things. He was the only person I’d met who victory danced when food was delivered or celebrated as hard as he did at carnival games. The thought warmed my chest, and I turned my attention back to the guys celebrating at the table.

When we were close enough, they grabbed their chips and walked back towards us. Auston quickly threw his arm around my shoulder, pressing his lips to mine and slipping his tongueinto my mouth. I hummed against him, forgetting about the shots of gin in my hand.

“What did you win?” I asked, pulling back.

He laughed, taking the shots from me and helping to pass them around. “Not a damn thing.” When he said it, he cackled and threw his head back, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He sniffed the glass. “More gin?”

His raised eyebrow told me he remembered my bold statement in the room. I had put my hands on my hips and told him I wouldn’t be drinking any more gin because it made me do stupid, risky things without thinking them through. I emphasized it with a stomp of my foot and a wave of my finger, as if to dare him to order me the sweet liquor. Then I was the one to order most of our drinks.

“Just shut up and take the shot, yeah?”

Without taking his eyes from me, he tapped his glass against mine and threw the sweet liquor into his mouth before expectantly waiting for me to do the same. As soon as I had swallowed the shot, Auston’s lips were against mine. Just as he brushed his tongue along my bottom lip, encouraging me to open up for him, we were interrupted by a whistle.

“Yeah, buddy. That’s a fine piece of ass! Get some!” The voice was slurred, clearly decorated with several hours of constant drinks and bad choices.

My cheeks flushed, and I pressed my face to Auston’s chest. “Fuck off,” he growled at the man, giving it up when he laughed. “Fucking drunk idiot. Are you okay?” The way his voice instantly grew gentle made my throat tighten.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, not pulling away from his body.

Auston hooked a single finger under my chin, guiding my gaze up towards his. He dragged his eyes over every inch of my face, as if checking to make sure the man’s words didn’t leave amark. Finding nothing there, he seemed convinced and nodded, a small smile tugging at his cheeks.

Before he could kiss me again, Jackson’s whine interrupted us. “Okay, lovebirds, can thiswait?I want to play roulette, and there’s an empty table open over here.”

“And then after, we’re going to go on the rollercoasters.” Simone rubbed her hands together and chuckled, winking at me.

I skipped towards the table. “Yeah, that’sdefinitelyhappening.”

Behind me, Auston and Logan groaned like their stomachs were already flipping. “We’re still going to see about that one,” Ash said, patting both of them on the shoulder and jogging up to the table.

The six of us filled all the seats, quickly trading cash for stacks of colorful chips. While the dealer counted, stacking the chips in piles of ten and sliding them to each of us, Auston explained the game. “You can bet on the numbers, which have a small chance but a higher payout, or you can bet on something out here,” he said, gesturing to the frame around the numbers that held easier options. “Basically, you can bet if the space will be red or black or if the number will be even or odd, but you won’t win very much.”

I placed my chips on red, adding a couple to the green zero on the top for good measure when Jackson told me I should.Always bet green.The wheel spun, a blur of black and red accompanied by a quick clicking sound, and excitement filled me. I was glued to the small, white ball, waiting for it to slow down enough to bounce and sputter, landing in one of the small squares.

The ball landed on the red twenty-five, and I squealed, clapping. Next to me, Simone and Logan laughed and Auston beamed, probably half ready to break into his own signature victory dance until the dealer swiped his chips from the table.I wiggled my shoulders, reaching for my small winnings and pulling them back towards me. “Okay, Iloveroulette!”

He laughed again. “It’s only five dollars, kitten.”

“And how much did you win on that black ten you put your chips on?” I cocked my head to the side, the confidence from the gin showing in the way I rested my hand on my hip. He narrowed his eyes, and I snapped my fingers. “Oh right, nothing. Let me know if you need to borrow a couple of dollars.”

I kissed his cheek when he grumbled, but the grin didn’t leave his face. “You’re talking an awful lot of shit for someone who didn’t know how to play five minutes ago.”

His arm was tight around me, and he pulled me against him, pressing his nose into the hair against my neck and inhaling. I shivered, having to clear my throat to pull myself together before placing another bet. One chip on red and another on the green zero.

“You know the odds of you hitting that green zero are thirty-seven to one, so you may as well just hand that bet to the dealer, right?” Logan asked when Jackson and Simone put their bets on the same zero.

“Fuck yeah, and when it hits, I’m going to buy so many gin and tonics. So…” The lazy slur in Jackson’s voice sounded like the southern drawl he’d supposedly had when he first moved to Grand Rapids, and I chuckled.

Simone slid between Logan and the table, blinking up at him. “There’s more of a chance of us winning on zero than there is of you dying on the rollercoasters later.” She giggled.

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