Page 6
“What did we miss?” Chaz asked, walking up to the table with Lottie at his side.
“We got a wedding date!” Brand announced, smiling from ear to ear.
“Finally,” Chaz huffed. “I was beginning to wonder if Julia was secretly planning to make a break for it.”
“Chaz! Be nice.” Lottie set a fresh round of chips and salsa on the table, and everyone reached in, grabbing some.
“Just kidding, Sunshine.” Chaz wrapped his arms around his better half, pulling her against his massive body and dropping a kiss in her curls. “Want to call your mom and check on the munchkins?”
She nodded, and he pulled out his phone. It was nice seeing Lottie back to work since giving birth to Micah, their new bundle of joy. Lex knew Brand was ecstatic, too. Even though Sera did a great job, Lottie was an old pro and could run the bar in her sleep. Brand relied on her heavily in his absence to keep things rolling, especially when a mission took them out of town. Plus, she knew how to handle any situation with grace, and that included balancing out Chaz’s grumpy side.
“No way would I leave!” Julia cuddled up to her man. “Brandon Ward is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Love you,” he murmured, pulling Julia even closer.
Lex watched as more kisses were exchanged. Christ, he felt like the odd man out.
Suppressing a sigh, his attention drifted back to his beauty at the bar. She wasn’t talking to anyone, just keeping to herself, and calling out to him like some kind of elusive siren.
“What’re you waiting for?” Xander asked in a low voice. Lex met the other man’s intense royal blue eyes. “Go talk to her.”
He wanted to, but at the same time, his normal confidence was nowhere to be found. Crashing and burning at this stage of the game, and in front of his entire crew, would do nothing to repair it, either. As much as he loved his friends, they were like sharks in the water. At the first scent of blood, they’d fucking attack with jokes.
No one else at the table seemed to be paying attention to them, so Lex murmured, “What if she’s waiting for someone?”
“Then he obviously stood her up,” Xander said dryly, tilting his head toward the bar. “Go. Before she leaves.”
Lex’s attention flickered back to his friends.
“Don’t worry about them.”
Lex sucked in a deep breath, nodding as he wiped his perspiring hands down the front of his jeans. “I don’t know why I’m so fucking nervous,” he grumbled, standing up.
“Maybe because she isn’t like anyone else. That tends to happen when it’s the right woman.” Xander gave him an enigmatic smile. The former spook was definitely wiser than he looked.
Working up his nerve, Lex moved through the crowd, drawn to the woman. The closer he got, the more his heart thundered in anticipation. And, he couldn’t deny, with nerves. Christ, his younger self would be laughing his ass off. What the hell was wrong with him? You’re losing your touch, old man, the youthful asshole in him chided.
He had to do it. Had to take his shot. There was just something about her. Fresh, unexpected and oh-so alluring. If he didn’t talk to her, he’d be so pissed at himself.
Ten steps away. She swirled the straw around in her glass.
Seven steps away. She brought the drink up to her lips and finished it, still not noticing his approach yet.
Five steps away. She brushed a lock of auburn hair over her shoulder and looked up. The prettiest brown eyes he’d ever seen met his and widened slightly.
Three steps away, and his fucking feet stopped moving. Like they were frozen in a block of cement. His usual charm and confidence were nowhere to be found, and he blinked, mind blanker than an empty canvas.
Fuck. She looked at him expectantly, and the whirring, sputtering sound of a helo’s rotors stalling mid-flight in his head signaled he was about to crash and burn.
Out of nowhere, Sera appeared. “What can I get you two?” she asked, sending Lex a subtle wink.
The beauty at the bar, now within his reach, looked over, startled. And maybe a little embarrassed. “Oh, ah, we’re not together.”
Sera looked from her back to Lex. “Well, you sure should be. You two look great together.”
God bless Corey’s girl. Lex snuck a glance down the bar and saw Corey watching the exchange, appearing smug. Like he’d masterminded the whole thing.
Okay, Battle, man-the-fuck-up and open your mouth before she thinks you’re an idiot.
