He smirked. “It’s all right, gorgeous. Jace owns Wicked, a boutique for lingerie and erotic toys. I ordered everything from there. We’re not going to shock him.”
She had to be ten shades of crimson by the time it sunk in that the stranger across the table knew exactly what she was wearing beneath her dress.
Evan frowned at Jace then gave Kade a matching look. “Stop. You two are embarrassing her.”
“Hey,” Jace said, giving her an unapologetic half-smile. “I was trying to be discreet. Yell at Vandergriff.”
Kade simply smiled. And Tessa realized he was doing this on purpose. He was pushing her boundaries, exposing her in a public way to see how she reacted.
Evan rolled her eyes and muttered something about boys and their mindfucks. But then she sent Tessa a kind smile. “You really don’t need to be embarrassed. If it makes you feel better, these guys have me in chained nipple clamps beneath this outfit, and Jace has Andre locked into something called the seven gates of hell. Feel free to use your imagination on that one.”
Andre lifted his beer in salute and smirked. “Lucky me. Evil bastard.”
Tessa’s lips parted, completely at a loss on what to say to that.
Kade chuckled and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Tess, meet my kinky friends. I could try to explain their relationship, but let’s just leave it at they’re shit-faced in love with each other and have unlimited access to a sex shop. So like I said, we’re not going to shock them.”
She glanced at Kade then back to their company. Evan was leaning into Jace, and Jace’s arm was stretched over the back of Andre’s chair, his fingers touching Andre’s shoulder. They were all together? That was a lot to wrap her mind around, especially when Evan looked like a perfectly normal woman. Tessa would’ve never looked at her on the street and thought, kinky chick who’d wear nipple clamps and be in a relationship with two men. And she definitely would’ve never guessed Andre and Jace were anything but one hundred percent straight. They reeked that man’s man alpha vibe.
But maybe that’s exactly why Kade had chosen to introduce her to these friends. He was trying to show her that her preconceived notions about what was good or bad or proper or not were just that—preconceived and not based on the real world.
She took a long sip from her glass of wine. “Thanks, Evan. I guess I’m not quite used to being so open about these things.”
She grinned. “Believe me, I understand. I had to get over that quick with these two. You look up exhibitionist on Google, and I’m sure it will have their photos. But I know it can feel really awkward at first. Just know that no one here is judging anybody.”
Evan’s warmth was like balm to her nerves. “Thanks for that.” She sent Andre a sympathetic look. “And at least I’m not wearing something with the word hell in the title.”
Jace grinned wide and glanced at Andre with a flash of dark intention in his green eyes. “Don’t worry, I promise I always make the torture worth it for these two.”
Tessa shivered at the sexy threat in Jace’s voice, even though it wasn’t directed at her, and watched as Jace leaned in to kiss Evan with unashamed sensuality. Even though it was probably rude, she stared at the display. She couldn’t help letting her mind drift down that path of what it must be like for Evan to be in the center of the storm with these two. Tessa had a feeling the woman wanted for nothing in all the ways that counted.
In her peripheral vision, she caught Kade looking down at her, studying her intently instead of watching his friends. She dragged her gaze away from their companions, and peeked up at him. “What?”
His tone was knowing as he leaned close to her ear. “Just watching your thoughts cross your face and seeing your body go hot in the process. You like watching them, don’t you? Are you imagining what they look like in bed with each other?”
“Kade,” she pleaded, hoping to God his friends couldn’t hear what he was whispering to her. She closed her eyes, the back of her neck burning.
“I’ve seen them, you know,” he said, his voice like a caress. “They don’t mind being watched.”
Oh, God. She couldn’t respond. Her teeth pressed so hard against each other her jaw hurt.
Kade smiled against her neck and kissed her there. “Show’s about to start, gorgeous.”
She had no idea if there was double meaning in that, but the lights went down and the next singer was announced. She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. Everyone turned their chairs to face the stage. An impossibly broad-shouldered man sauntered onto the stage with a guitar strapped across his massive chest. He ran a hand through his wavy, dark hair before he stepped up to the mic and gave the audience an aw shucks grin when they whooped and hollered for him.
“Well, thank ya,” he said, a deep Houston twang lacing his words. “I’m Colby Wilkes, and I appreciate y’all coming out tonight. I hope y’all enjoy the show.”
He sat down on the stool set up in front of the mic stand, and Tessa found herself wondering how the thing was going to hold up the linebacker of a guy. She leaned over to Kade. “Is that your friend?”
“Yep. One of my best friends. The only guy who can get me to listen to country music.”
She smirked. “Music snob.”
He nodded toward the stage as Colby began to strum his guitar and sing a number with a smooth, soulful beat. “He kind of looks like one of the dudes you used to have pinned to your wall.”
She peered back toward the stage at Colby. He really was nice to look at. Big and brawny but with kind eyes and a voice that was deep enough to make her chest vibrate when he hit the low notes. He was the type she’d have been drawn to in high school—the athlete, the cowboy, the rugged guy. But now, though she could still appreciate a good-looking guy no matter what the type, she found herself far more attracted to the tall, Nordic refinement Kade had grown into. A man who could wear a suit so well she wanted to fall to her knees and thank God for whoever decided men needed to wear those to the office.
“He does,” she said simply.