Murray handed me a shot glass with something blue in it. “Drink it, trust me,” he shouted near my ear.
Yael rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that what the White Rabbit said to Alice before she shrunk down to miniscule proportions?”
“I wouldn’t mind shrinkin’ a bit.” The drink went down smooth, leaving a sweet burn in my mouth and throat as the only evidence it had ever existed. “Yum. Can I have another, sir?”
With a grin, Murray passed me shot number two, and it went down even easier. I had no plans of getting completely wasted, but a floaty buzz sounded just right.
Yael leaned her head on my shoulder. “I’ve missed my roomie.”
I kissed her head with a resounding smack. “I’m sorry, but Santiago lured me away with his decadent bed. If you laid on it, you’d probably ditch your own place for his.”
I also didn’t mind not seeing and hearing the preppy, skeevy guys she had a habit of bringing home with her. I could say a lot of bad things about Santi, but the man was a considerate host and roommate.
“Okay.” I slapped my hands on my thighs, looking around the table I shared with my band and bestie. “Tell me which of y’all is going to be dancin’ with Haven and me? I wore my dancin’ shoes, and I don’t plan on wasting my time sittin’ at this table.”
Yael held up her mixed drink. “I need one or two of these in me before I dance. Otherwise, I’m all kicks and elbows, and nobody wants to see any of that.”
Mo shook his head. “We inherited the same dancing gene. I’m more of a dirty dancer, and I don’t think you want me grinding all over you.” He gave a skeevy eyebrow waggle to accentuate his point.
Haven waggled her eyebrows back. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little bump and grind.”
Grinning, Mo pointed from his chest to hers. “This girl feels me. But I don’t need Maeve’s best friendfeelingit, if you get my meaning. Makes things weird.”
Yael slapped her brother’s knee. “All that to say the kid doesn’t plan on dancing this evening.”
Murray got up, holding his hand out to me and Haven. “Come on, ladies. I’ll show you a good time.”
He did. God, he did. He danced with us, brought us drinks, and kept making us laugh. Plus, he kept the other guys at bay, keeping his hands on us like we were his.
After a while, Haven went to take a break, leaving me with Murray. His hands rested loosely on my hips, and mine were looped around his neck. We didn’t do a whole lot of talking; it was pretty impossible with the volume of the music. Instead, he made faces, and I tried to make them back. He made me laugh until I tossed my head back, my hair falling over his hands.
“God, you’re fucking pretty when you laugh, Mae-Mae,” he said next to my ear.
I gave him a stern look, which he mimicked back at me. “Don’t think about hittin’ on me, Alex Murray.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, princess. I know you only have eyes for another.”
I stuck my tongue out at him. “You know nothin’.”
“I know you’re hot.”
“Okay, you know one thing,” I conceded.
He took my hand and twirled me until I got dizzy, then he pulled my back into his front, rocking us to the beat. I leaned my head against his shoulder so he could hear me.
“If you get a boner, I’ll disown you,” I warned. At this point, I was about half-drunk, and my lips were loose.
“You rub your ass against my dick and expect me not to get a little hard? I feel like I’d be insulting you if I didn’t.” Despite his words, he kept his hands in a respectable place on my hips and barely rubbed his crotch against my butt. He might have been a crazy man, but he was a decent crazy man I’d known since I was fourteen. He teased Yael to no end, but he’d always been a sweetheart to me.
“I think I want to go find Haven and sit down for a minute.” My skin was damp, and my cheeks were heated. It was time for some water and a rest.
With my hand in his, Murray led me through the sweaty mass of bodies filling the dance floor back to the VIP section, stopping abruptly after we crossed the velvet rope.
He squeezed my fingers. “Let’s go dance more.”
I tugged on his hand. “No, I need to sit.”
Moving around him, I started for our table, noticing there were now a few more people occupying it—namely, female people.
Mo had a cute woman with a tattooed sleeve and Marilyn Monroe hair on his lap, grinding to the music. Another hung off his arm, cooing next to his ear. He had a relaxed smile on his face as he let them touch him.
Gross. I mean, whatever, do your thing, but groupies always made me uncomfortable.
I scanned the table, finding Haven in conversation with Yael, and next to them was Santiago, surrounded by three pretty women. The model-types he liked. I was still behind him, but I could imagine they’d removed some of the hate from his face.
Murray’s hand cupped the back of my neck. “Sorry, Mae-Mae. I know you probably aren’t about all this.”
I looked back at him. “No big deal. I’ve been around enough not to let this faze me.”
If I kept saying it, it would probably be true.