Fever (43 page)

“Like you don’t get that at home,” Gina grumbled as she took Brandon’s hand.

They all piled out and Brandon escorted them inside.

Music vibrated the walls and a cascade of neon and flashing lights nearly hurt Bethany’s eyes. It

wasn’t her first time inside a club. She’d met up with a lot of men in her days of meaningless sex. For

a moment, the memory robbed her of breath as hurt and shame crowded into her chest.

The clubs she’d visited hadn’t been as classy as this one. More like seedy bars and places that

women like her went to hook up for the night.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mia yelled close to her ear.

Bethany smiled. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

She shook the past from her mind, determined not to let it interfere with tonight’s fun. She was a

different person now. She had Jace. Jace, who knew about her past and accepted her anyway. She

didn’t have to be that person anymore. She could be who she’d always wanted to be.

When they got to the table, a smiling waitress immediately appeared and Bethany noticed that two

bouncers took position near their table. Brandon hadn’t lied when he said they’d be well taken care

of.

When the waitress got to Mia and Bethany, Bethany put out her hand to Mia.

“Let’s have a drink. I know you planned to drink water with me but why not have fun?”

Mia’s expression became troubled. “Are you sure? I don’t mind having sparkling water with you.”

“I never had problems with alcohol addiction,” Bethany said gently. “I know Jace worries, but he

doesn’t have to. I’m not that person anymore. I’m so glad you invited me here with your girls. Let’s

have a good time. You said someone will get us home afterward, right?”

Mia grinned. “Oh absolutely. Look for Gabe to make an appearance in a few hours. The man is still

pissed about the one time I went out with the girls and took a cab home alone, drunk off my ass. He’s

cool with me drinking. He just makes sure he’s around to get me home afterward.”

“Then let’s do it!” Bethany said.

Mia turned to the waitress. “I want a Cosmo. What do you want, Bethany?”

“Amaretto sour, please.”

A few minutes later, the waitress returned with a tray of drinks and Mia held up her glass in a toast.

“Drink up, girls. Tonight we’re going to have fun!”

“And get plastered!” Chessy interjected.

“I’ll drink to that,” Gina said, holding up her glass.

Bethany joined in the fun, holding her glass to clink with the others. They all laughed and chugged

down their first drink.

The sweet drink hit Bethany’s tongue and blazed a warm trail into her belly. She put the empty

down, surprised when the waitress immediately passed out another round.

Mia laughed. “She always gets our table when we’re here and she knows we always toast and

down the first one immediately, so she double orders for us. She knows us now.”

“Works for me,” Bethany said, reaching for the next drink.

“Let’s dance!” Chessy yelled. “The night is young and there are men waiting.”

“You can be my dance partner,” Mia yelled to Bethany over the music. “Well, you, me and Caro

will split off. Brandon would have a kitten if she danced with another guy. The others are on their

own.”

“Sounds good!” Bethany returned.

They hit the dance floor and Bethany allowed the music to take over. For the space of a few hours,

she could forget Jack and her worries. She embraced the newness of having girlfriends and fun and

having a wonderful, loving man to go home to at the end of the night.

She, Mia and Caroline danced in a tight circle, laughing and letting loose. They shimmied up close,

teasing the crowd as they bumped and grinded, gyrating in time with the frenetic beat of the music.

After dancing four songs, they returned to their table, where new drinks were waiting. Brandon

was standing there, amusement twinkling in his dark eyes.

He put his arm around Caroline, pulling her in close to his side. “Babe, I gotta tell you, if you and

your girls don’t stop that sexy shit, me and the boys are going to have a hard time pulling the guys off

you.”

Caroline laughed and turned her face up for his kiss.

“I have rounds to make. I’ll be back later to check in on you.”

After that, he kissed her and it wasn’t just a simple peck. It was a sexy as sin, tongue-kissing mark

of possession. Bethany wasn’t fooled. He’d done it to let anyone watching know that Caroline was

his and to keep their hands off. It also helped that the man was built. No one in their right mind would

take him on in a bar fight.

Caroline sighed and her eyes were slightly glazed—the alcohol having nothing to do with the

slighty drunk look.

“He’s amazing,” she yelled to Mia and Bethany.

“We see that,” Mia teased.

“Drink up!” Caroline said. “Tina is coming back with more. No alcohol goes to waste here!”

Mia and Bethany laughed and quickly downed their drinks.

By the time two hours passed, Bethany was buzzing on alcohol and laughing ridiculously at

everything the girls said. They danced more, getting bolder in their shenanigans and occasionally

returning to the table to down more drinks.

The third time they went onto the dance floor, Bethany was definitely drunk. Mia wasn’t in any

better shape from what Bethany could ascertain and they were giggling madly as they bumped and

swayed, getting more provocative in their movements.

“I’m so glad Jace isn’t here to see this,” Bethany hollered over the music. “I think he’d kill me!”

Mia giggled and then her eyes rounded. “Oh shit.”

“What?”

“I was about to say that I was glad Gabe hadn’t made it yet either, but, uhm, he’s here.”

Bethany whirled around and nearly toppled over when the room kept moving after she’d stopped.

The heels she’d worn, which at the time seemed a good idea because they were totally sexy with

enough lift to make her legs look damn good, suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea because she

damn near tripped and broke her ankle.

It had felt good to dress up even though she wasn’t going anywhere with Jace. She’d chosen a

really kickass sparkly cocktail dress that fit her like a dream and actually gave her the appearance of

curves. She was still slim—too slim from too many missed meals and the life she’d led—but ever

since she’d met Jace, she’d put on at least ten pounds, five of which had to have been on her boobs.

Not that Jace was complaining about the new plumpness to her chest.

She’d carefully done her makeup, pulled her hair into a loose knot so tendrils floated down her

neck and worn huge dangly earrings that she thought looked pretty damn hot.

It was a far cry from the tattered jeans and threadbare shirts she’d worn for so long. She felt pretty.

Actually, she felt . . . gorgeous. Like someone worthy of attention from a man like Jace.

“Ah, whoops!” Mia said, catching her arm so she didn’t face-plant on the floor. Then they both

dissolved into giggles when Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he took in just how tipsy they were.

“I vote we don’t go over there just yet,” Bethany said. “He, uhm, well . . . he looks kind of

intense.”

“Hell no,” Mia said belligerently. “Let’s give him a show instead.”

Bethany’s eyes widened as they turned away from Gabe. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Mia laughed. “Oh yeah. Because after? When he drags us home? He’ll be so hot for me that we

won’t even make it inside the door of his apartment and he’ll be tearing off my dress. Although he’ll

leave the heels on because my man loves me in these heels.”

Bethany’s mouth fell open as she stared back at Mia’s mischievous smile.

Mia winked. “Drunk sex is the absolute best. I bet Jace will be the same with you. A tipsy, sexy

woman in the heels you’re wearing and in that dress? He’ll be all over you the minute you step back

into his apartment.”

A shiver worked over Bethany’s shoulders. “I’d planned to sober up before we went back home. I

didn’t want Jace to know I got drunk. He’d worry and probably disapprove. But if what you’re saying

is true . . .”

Mia bumped into Bethany’s side and threw her arms up in the air. “Oh it’s true,” Mia shouted. “He

won’t be able to resist!”

“In that case, let’s get our drink on some more!” Bethany shouted back.

“After we give Gabe a show he won’t soon forget,” Mia said with a wink.

Bethany laughed and the two got into the beat of the music. Caroline joined them a moment later,

her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with happiness. The three put on a show that later would

mortify Bethany when she thought back on it, but it was so much fun, and she couldn’t remember the

last time she’d really let loose and had such a fabulous time.

When the song ended, Mia grabbed Bethany’s arm and the two fell all over each other getting back

to the table where, predictably, the waitress was waiting with another round of drinks.

Gabe’s lips were twitching in amusement when they teetered up to the table. His eyebrow lifted

when both Bethany and Mia reached for their drinks and downed them in two seconds flat.

“You girls are tying one on tonight,” he observed. His gaze drifted lovingly to Mia. “You going to

pass out on me, darling?”

Mia grinned cheekily and then lifted up on tiptoe to plant a scorching kiss on Gabe’s mouth. Then

her mouth slid over his cheek and she murmured something in his ear that had Gabe’s entire body

tightening. His jaw clenched and his eyes darkened.

Bethany’s stomach churned just witnessing his reaction to whatever it was Mia said, and Bethany

was convinced it was extremely naughty. Apparently she was absolutely right about this drunk sex

thing.

She waved to the waitress and held up her glass for another.

Gabe put his arm loosely around Bethany and pulled her close so she could hear him.

“You okay, sweetheart? How much have you had to drink?”

She flashed him a bright smile. “I’m fine! And Mia said you were getting us home tonight so I

didn’t have to worry about how drunk we got.”

His arm tightened at her waist. “Damn straight. I’ll be taking you home to Jace, so do what you

want. I just want to make sure you can handle it.”

She smiled again. “You’re sweet.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sweet isn’t a word I’d use to describe me.”

No, she supposed it wasn’t. Power emanated from him just the way it did with Jace. There was a

glint in his eyes, particularly when he looked at Mia, that just made her shiver from head to toe. Even

now when he’d put his arm around Bethany to steady her, he had a lock on Mia’s wrist and he made

certain there was little space between them.

“Just don’t make yourself sick,” he said. “I want you girls to have fun and not to worry about

anything else. When you’re ready to go, I’ll get you all home.”

“Thanks!”

“Let’s dance again, Bethany!” Mia yelled.

Gabe groaned. “Got to tell you, baby, that dancing you’re doing? Should be illegal. I’m going to

have to beat every man’s ass who’s staring at yours.”

Mia grinned and then snagged Bethany’s hand, dragging her toward the dance floor again.

For the next hour, they danced, drank and then danced some more. And then drank again.

The last time they left the dance floor and got to the table, Bethany knew she couldn’t tolerate

another drink. She was fuzzy and completely enveloped in a warm haze. She laughed at everything,

whether it was funny or not. Gabe wore a perpetually amused look and Brandon grinned when he

checked in on them again.

“I think I’m done,” Bethany said breathlessly. “But I don’t want to ruin the night for the rest of

you.” She stared up at Gabe, who was holding Mia upright. She had her own tight grip on the table,

worried that if she let go, she’d hit the floor with a resounding
thud
.

“No, I’m ready too,” Mia said. “You ready, baby?” she asked Gabe.

“Been ready,” he growled.

She giggled. “We have to get Bethany home first. I imagine Jace is fit to be tied by now.”

“I texted him,” Gabe said dryly. “He knows what to expect.”

“Let me go grab the others,” Mia said. “Caro is hanging out until Brandon gets off work.”

“I’ll call for the car,” Gabe said. “You’re not walking out of here without me. You’ll fall on your

faces.”

Bethany grinned and waited, still holding on to the table, while Mia rounded up the rest of the

group.

“Tonight was fun,” she hollered at Gabe. “Thanks for getting me home. Mia is great.”

Gabe smiled, his eyes warm and affectionate. “Glad you had fun, Bethany. And yeah, Mia is the

best. No problem on getting you home. No way I’d let you go home by yourself. Jace wouldn’t allow

it either. If I hadn’t come to get you, he would have.”

Mia returned a moment later with Chessy, Trish and Gina. They were all as drunk as Mia and

Bethany were and giggling like lunatics. Gabe rolled his eyes and then motioned for Brandon.

Brandon appeared with one of the other bouncers and they guided Chessy, Trish and Gina toward