“But you don’t want that,” Hope reminded me.
“True…” I lifted my drink to my lips and took a long swallow. “Anyway, this is getting far too maudlin for a girls’ night. I’d like to get toasty and forget all my troubles.”
Hope held up her glass, and Claire followed. “I’m in.”
“Me too.” Claire giggled. “Dominic’s getting up with GiGi in the morning, so I can have fun tonight without any worries.”
I sighed. “Honestly? I love that for you. Best husband ever.”
Just as the tightness in my muscles eased, my traitorous eyes wandered to Ronan’s table. He was leaning closer to the beautiful blonde, his arm draped over the back of her chair, laughing at whatever she was saying to him. He looked as easygoing with her as he had been the day we’d met in the park. The day his charm, his accent, his massive presence, all made me excited to fall into bed with him, even though it wasn’t something I ever really did.
I detested the slithering snake in my chest. Absolutely hated it. This wasn’t me at all. But in my mind, I marched over to their table, picked up Ronan’s drink, and dumped it on his stupidly handsome head. I would never do that, but imagining it gave my unfounded anger a place to shoot off.
I ordered two shots and dessert I had no intention of sharing. I needed all the chocolate and alcohol I could get to wipe Ronan flirting with his classy girlfriend from the forefront of my mind.
The three of us clinked shot glasses. “To a night of no men, no troubles, and no hangovers in the morning.”
Let the universe take note, I meant what I said.
Vertigo was the opposite ofLa Nostalgie. It was a place where the seen went to be invisible. A low-key lounge with long velvet couches, heavy curtains separating different seating areas, and low, sexy lighting. There were two small dance floors, occupied but not overly crowded like some clubs where there was no room to breathe.
The three of us were seated around a low, smoky glass table. Matt stood nearby, watching us closely while keeping a respectful distance. Of the three bodyguards I’d had recently, he was my favorite because he made me forget he was there andwhyhe was there.
I could never tune out Ronan’s presence. Even in this club with my girls and music thrumming through my veins, he infiltrated my thoughts. I tossed back a shot, feeling the E I’d swallowed in the car take hold. Hope had taken one too. Her head was tipped back on the bench and she was tracing her fingertips along her arms.
Claire was our chaperone, laughing at us and letting me hug her and stroke her hair and tell her she was beautiful. Matt came a little closer when I started stroking the bench and my friends, but I shook my head at him. This wasn’t my first time around, and Hope…well, girlfriend was a club DJ. We weren’t brand new. All was under control.
Everything just felt so good. Music touched my skin like each note was a tiny fairy. Claire smelled like a fresh Georgia summer. My lips, I kept licking them, tasting them. There were cherries perched on the bottom one and they were so ripe and delicious.
Hope took my hand, and I grabbed Claire’s, taking to the dance floor. After everything over the last few weeks, a weight lifted, and I let go. My worries floated free into the ether. Surrounded by two of my best friends, I moved to the sultry beat, rocking my butt into Hope’s hips and draping my arms over Claire’s neck. She grinned at me, answering the roll of my hips with her own.
Matt brought us water and stood by while we drank. My mouth was so dry and sweat beaded my forehead and upper lip. He made sure Hope and I drank it all, and I had never appreciated someone more. Matt might have been young, but he wasn’t inexperienced. A-plus for Matt.
We danced through song after song, switching who was the crème in the middle of our sandwich. Hope was flying, laughing, winding Claire’s curls around her fingers. My cheeks were sore from smiling, but the soreness just made me happier. It had been too long since I’d smiled until my cheeks ached.
Hope took Claire’s hand, twirling her like a ballerina, then slow dancing with her to the other side of the dance floor. With my arms over my head, I kept moving, allowing the music to take me over.
I had lost sight of my friends, but I had never minded dancing on my own. I felt the weight of eyes on me, but I’d never minded that either. I didn’t purposely seek attention, not like Ronan had accused me of, but I didn’t shy away from it. If someone wanted to watch me dance, let them watch.
Hands slid around my waist, and warm breath touched my ear. My mind was elsewhere, floating in a cloud of euphoria, so I didn’t think, only felt the soft brush of breasts on my back, the curvy hips cradling my ass, the delicate hands gliding down my stomach.
“Iris, baby.”
My eyes opened slowly, and a smile tugged at my lips. I tipped my head back, laying on a familiar shoulder.
“Megan. What are you doing?”
Cherry lips smiled at me. “You’re rolling, girlie.” She pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I saw you out here and had to come say hi. There was no way I could stay away.”
I spun in her arms to face her, cupping her smooth cheeks in my hands. “Look at you. So precious. Are you in New York?”
She sputtered a laugh and cupped my cheeks too, resting her forehead against mine. “Just for the weekend, then I’m back in LA. I was going to call…”
Megan Mills was beautiful and funny and generous in and out of bed. Between her and Logan, I missed her most. We still talked sometimes, and seeing her like this only made me wistful. I didn’t want to fall into bed with her. That time had come and gone and that was okay. That didn’t mean I didn’t feel an ounce of regret it was over, because I did.
“Time slips away, huh?” She might’ve meant to call if she’d had the chance, but she probably wouldn’t have. I understood.
“It does, but I’m so fucking happy to see you.” Her forehead fell against mine. “Do you have a new boyfriend?”