Chapter 44
ETHAN
Maverick is the first through the doors, and we all follow him until we almost run him over. My eyes dart around, looking for Bella. But I notice the fact all the men are holding each other tight, and so are all the women…
It’d be too easy to laugh right now, knowing that Maverick is about to release a litany of curses, considering he had one thing on his mind when he came here. Unless he suddenly swaps sides, he’s going home solo tonight.
“Son of a motherfucking bitch!” Maverick groans, running his hand over his face, coming to the same conclusion I already have.
“Heh, have fun catching fish tonight,” Kode says, smirking as he shoulders by us and heads toward the back.
“Damn it,” Maverick grumbles as we all follow Kode and his Tria-seeking radar.
Just as Kode moves right, my eyes shift left as if I have no control, and my gaze settles on a smirking Bella who is beside Raya and waving a few fingers at me. I detach from the group, and Kade Colton follows me, reaching Raya first, who seems surprised that we’re here.
“You guys just can’t let us have a girls’ night, can you?” Raya asks as I reach Bella, but Raya doesn’t act like she’s the least bit upset when Kade starts kissing her, pushing her toward the back.
Bella starts to speak, but I’m tugging her to me and kissing her before she can. It feels like it’s been a lot longer than it has been since she was with me last. She doesn’t complain about my greeting.
Her fingers thread through my hair, and she pulls me in close as her body melds to mine.
“Hi,” I say when I finally break apart from her lips.
“Huh?” she asks, dazed as her eyes lazily open back up.
Smirking, I tug her hand in mine, and I lead her toward the others, who are already doing shots. Maverick looks utterly miserable, and Rain is wiping away tears as she laughs louder than the music that’s playing.
“Well, this is what it’s like to see Ethan Noles in a relationship,” Corbin says, grinning over at me as I take the last seat on the end. Then he snaps a picture when I tug Bella onto my lap.
“Are you really documenting this moment?” I ask, bored with them by this point. I’d rather have Bella all to myself instead of sharing her with them right now.
“Tag needs to see this,” Corbin says as though it’s rhetorical.
Bella leans against me, not seeming to give a damn that the entire group is watching us. Brin’s jaw is slack as she stares, and then she cuts her eyes toward Rye.
“How did I not know this was going on?” she demands, glaring at her boyfriend, who is grinning like a cheeky asshole.
“Guess you shouldn’t have put me in a dress.”
Her eyes widen, and she turns a funky shade of red. “You mixed my m&m’s with skittles, you asshole!”
“That’s not as bad as a dress,” I point out.
“Agreed,” everyone else says at once.
“I puked on a client’s lap after eating a handful of them,” Brin states flatly.
Laughter breaks out, but Bella is just reclined back on me, watching people dance like she’s tuned everything else out.
“You okay?” I ask against her ear.
She turns her head, and her lips find mine, kissing me like she doesn’t care that all our friends are watching. She doesn’t stop kissing me even when the catcalls and wolf whistles commence.
I have no idea why she’s kissing me like this, but I sure as hell don’t question it either. When she finally breaks away, Leo has joined us, and everyone around us has lost interest. They’re having some conversation about a random cookout at Rain’s house, but I barely even notice they’re talking at all.
“What was that for?” I ask her, running my nose along hers as she keeps her body angled toward me.
“I’m just glad you’re here,” she says before brushing her lips over mine.