AllFreeNovel
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“Since when?” I ask, wondering where she slept the other night.
“Earlier this week.”
“Did you break up with him, or did he dump you?” I ask as we reach the bar. I don’t drop her hand.
She narrows her eyes. “Does it matter?”
“Yeah,” I say, pushing a wayward strand of hair off her face, “I think it does.”
“I broke up with him,” she clarifies.
And somehow, that makes me happy. Satisfied even, though I’m not sure why. She pulls her hand free, leaving me oddly empty, but I ignore the feeling and order us two shots. A whiskey for me and a buttery nipple for her.
“What makes you think I want that pussy shot?”
She arches her eyebrows and places her hands on her hips. I smirk at her sassy tone. It’s my first solid indication that she’s drunk because I don’t think a sober Emerson would throw around the word pussy.
“Because you’re a chick and most chicks like that sweet shit,” I reply, leaning against the bar.
The shots are placed in front of us. I’m reaching for my card to start a tab while Emerson grabs the shot of whiskey, taps it on the bar top, and downs it in one swallow.
“Well, shit,” I say, handing my card over to the bartender, who is laughing as she watches us.
Emerson tilts her head, her golden-brown eyes glowing with fire. “I just assumed the buttery nipple was for you. You seem like the type of guy who likes that sweet shit.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Then, I grab the remaining shot and empty the glass, cringing when the saccharine taste hits my tongue.
“Nope, definitely not the type of guy who would order that on purpose,” I say. I lean in closer. “But I have been known to enjoy a nipple or two in my day.”
She rolls her eyes, ignoring my last comment. “Then, don’t order it for me ever again.”
“Noted,” I concede, enjoying our little sparring match.
“And I’m not a chick,” she says, poking her index finger into my chest. I trap it there. “I’m all woman.”
My eyes trail the length of her body, lingering on her chest before making my way back to her face. I capture her fiery gaze with my own. I’m still holding her hand against my pecs. “Yes, you are.”
There’s a circuit flowing between us that either wasn’t there before or has escaped my notice somehow. But now that I’ve felt it, I don’t think I can ignore it—or her. I’m looking at Emerson, seeing her for the first time. The golden flecks in her brown eyes. The way her lashes are long and dark, kissing the tops of her cheeks when she blinks or looks down. She barely has any makeup on, but there’s a soft pink flush to her skin. Her lips are full and glossy … kissable. Her body is soft but toned at the same time. And right now, I want to explore every inch of it.
She glances back toward the table. “I need to get back.”
She tugs on her hand, but I only grip her harder. I’m not ready to let her go.
“Back where?”
“To the table,” she says.
She runs her tongue along her bottom lip. Not to be sexy, but to moisten it. It is sexy though.
“Why?”
She sighs, losing patience with me. “Because I don’t want to leave Suki over there alone.”
I glance back to where her friend is still sitting with the same group of guys. “Who is she sitting with?”
“Guys that are here from Australia, playing in some rugby tournament. We met them at the first bar, and they followed us here.”
“Well, you can tell them to get lost now.”
