Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Camilla got Fiona’s attention, and she kissed Gus before joining us over at one of the tables. We ordered some appetizers and a round of beer just as Kent and Jax showed up. I introduced everyone to each other, and the guys settled in.
It didn’t take long after they arrived for things to get rowdy. I loved my friends, but they were some of the loudest and most out-of-control human beings I’d ever encountered. It was part of what made them so much fun. It was also part of what made it difficult to bring them anywhere but a bar.
Not knowing how she was going to handle it, I kept Camilla close, one arm wrapped around her shoulders as we all talked and laughed. As the night continued on, I couldn’t help but notice how easily Camilla fit in with my friends and how comfortable it was to have her there with me. It made me wonder why I never went this far with a woman before.
Then I remembered. It was because I hadn’t known Camilla before.
CHAPTER 21
CAMILLA
“You know, you get a hell of a lot more points if you actually throw the dart into the board,” Jax said.
Kent glared at him and made a few grumbling comments under his breath as he walked over to the wall and plucked the two darts he’d just embedded there out so he could bring them back to the mark.
“You just want me to be predictable,” he said. “But I don’t color within the lines, and I don’t follow the straight and narrow.”
“That’s all well and good,” Jax said. “You can have wiggly marks in your coloring books all you want. You still don’t get any points for totally missing the dartboard.”
“Buzzkill,” Kent said.
Jax chuckled and shook his head. I felt a hand on my back, and I looked up from where I was sitting on a tall chair beside an elevated table near the dartboard. Alex had come back from going up to the bar.
“Speaking of which,” he said, “I went ahead and settled the tab. Gus seems to think one of you—he’s not naming names—but one of you might have imbibed just a bit too much. Water from here on out.”
“Good job, Jax,” Kent said in a tone that could only really be described as a pout. “Way to get us cut off.”
Fiona and I laughed, and Jax patted Kent on the back.
“That is exactly what happened,” he said. “Alright, we should probably head out. I need to get this guy home before he starts aiming for things other than walls. The last two defeats have really gotten to him.”
Alex shook his head with a grin. “Hey, are you good to drive? I know you didn’t drink as much as Kent, but I just want to make sure.”
“We got here by taxi, and we’re leaving by taxi,” Jax reassured him. “I’ll talk to you soon. It was great to meet you, Camilla and Fiona.”
“Great to meet you too,” we said almost in unison.
They disappeared, and I looked at Alex. “I think I’m ready to go too.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “I only had one beer at the beginning of the night, so I’m good.”
“Not to mention the approximately three pounds of fried cheese sticks you took down,” I teased, then looked at Fiona. “You leaving?”
She shook her head. “I’m going to hang out here until Gus gets off. But thanks for getting me out here. This was a lot of fun.”
“It was,” I agreed and opened my arms to her for a hug. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
We hugged, and she told me to have fun before stepping back to say good night to Alex. I watched her walk over to the bar and slip back onto her usual stool. Unlike other weeks when I watched her lusting over Gus without him seeming to notice, he immediately saw her and walked over for a kiss.
I took Alex’s hand, and we went to the car. My heart was pounding in my chest as we drove back toward my apartment. That was the night I decided on, the night I’d been keeping at a distance for weeks, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it on the whole drive.
Finally, we got to the building, and he slid into a parking spot.
“That was fun,” he said. “I’m glad we did it.”
“Me too,” I agreed.
He leaned to kiss me, and I melted into him. When his mouth left mine, he kissed my cheek for good measure.
“Good night,” he said.
“Actually…” I looked through the window at the building, then back at him. We were at the point of no return. I looked back at Alex. “Do you want to come up?”
He looked through the windows as well, then back at me with a surprised expression in his eyes.
“Are you sure?”