Opposites Attract (The Locklaine Boys Book 2) (27 page)

Richard:
Is everything okay?

Richard:
Where are you? I’m starting to worry.

Richard:
Devon says you haven’t been feeling well. Is there anything I can get you?

Richard:
Baby, please text me back. I’m getting concerned.

Each text message was like a knife straight to the gut. After the first four, I finally stopped reading, knowing if I saw one more sweet, concerned message, I’d cave like a newly professed vegan at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The phone vibrated on my bedside table and I flopped back with a miserable whimper.

“None of that,” Devon declared as she marched into my room. “There will be no moping tonight, understand? Tonight’s a celebration, and I’ll not have you acting like a Debbie Downer while the rest of us are downing shots and shoving dollar bills into G-strings.”

In my self-imposed misery over the last few days, I’d completely forgotten all about the bachelorette party that Navie and Pepper had all but demanded Devon and I attend. I’d been so busy pouting over the status of my relationship — non-relationship? — to give much thought to anything else.

“I’m not moping,” I moped as I stared up at my ceiling.
Jeez, I really need to dust that fan.

The bed depressed next to me as Devon plopped down. “You’re totally moping. You’ve been at it since you snuck back in here at the butt crack of dawn Thursday morning. Now, I lied for you yesterday when you asked me to without giving you any shit, but it’s Saturday evening now, and your time has officially run out. You better start telling me what’s going on or, so help me God, Del, I will tickle you until you pee your pants.”

I turned my head and scowled at her. “Why are you so mean? What happened to you as a child to make you this way?”

“I never got enough cuddles,” she retorted. “Now spill it.”

There was no way she was going to let it go any time soon, so I pulled in a deep breath and asked the question that had been weighing on my mind. “What do you think it means when a guy says he’s ‘
just having fun?
’ Do you think it means he’s never going to get serious, or just that he isn’t serious for now and could eventually get there with time?”

I started to worry when she didn’t answer right away. I turned my head to find her looking up at the ceiling deep in thought before finally saying, “Good God, woman, when was the last time you dusted that damn fan?”

“Devon!” I reached over and smacked her. “I’m being serious! Come on.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry.” She giggled, not sounding the least bit sorry. “Look, I can’t guess how Richard meant it when he said he was just having fun because I’m not a mind reader, and I don’t know the context in which he used it. The only person who can answer that question is Richard, and from what I can tell, you’ve been more concerned with avoiding him than
asking
him. Instead of making yourself sick worrying over this, you need to talk to him, babe.”

“But…” I trailed off before finally finding the nerve to voice the biggest concern. “But what if the truth isn’t what I’d like to hear?”

Her hand came between our bodies and grabbed hold of mine, giving it a comforting squeeze. Then you’ll deal. It’ll suck, and it’ll hurt, but you
will
move on, eventually. And you’ll do it knowing that he’s the one missing out on something great, not you.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I whispered.

“I know it wouldn’t be easy, honey, but at least you’d know, right?” She let go of my hand and turned onto her side, facing me. “But I need you to promise me something. No matter what happens, whether you guys work past it or not, I need you to promise that you won’t use it as an excuse to go into every future relationship with one foot already out the door.”

My head shot sideways to look at her. “I wouldn’t do that!”

“You so would,” she chuckled. “Because of what happened with Brant, you fought this thing with Richard from the very beginning, and once the inevitable happened, you’ve spent most of your time worrying instead of just enjoying.”

“That’s not—” I started to argue, but stopped when I realized just how right she was. If things with Richard didn’t work out, I’d use that as an excuse to close myself off to the next interested guy because I won’t want to get my heart broken again. “Okay—” I ended up saying softly. “I promise.”

“That’s my girl!” Devon shouted, jumping up and grabbing my hands to pull me from the bed. “Now get your cute ass dressed. We have to meet up with everyone else at Navie’s place in two hours. Chop chop!” With a smack to my ass, she skipped out of my room, leaving me standing there with a stinging butt and some serious stuff to think about. But it was stuff that would have to wait until tomorrow. Because tonight I was determined to have fun even if it killed me.

And seeing as I was going out with Devon, Navie, and Pepper, that was a very likely outcome.

“IT’S MY BACHELORETTE PARTY
, BITCHES!” Navie yelled at the top of her lungs as soon as she slung the door to her and Rowan’s apartment open, scaring the ever-living shit out of me and Devon.

“I see someone’s already gotten into the tequila,” Devon laughed as Navie pulled us both inside and kicked the door shut. “I approve, wholeheartedly.”

“Yay, they’re here!” Pepper cheered, running — or shuffling over seeing as she too was more than a little buzzed — to scoop us up into tight hugs. “Now we can get this party started!”

Once Pepper released us from our chokeholds, I was able to get a good look around the living room and my heart instantly stopped in my chest.

“Richard,” I breathed as soon as I caught sight of him standing beside the couch. He looked phenomenal in dark jeans and a black button down shirt, so good I wanted to throw myself on top of him and lick him all over, to Hell with the rest of the people in the room.

“Delilah,” he replied as he came at me, the look on his face did not scream
I’m so happy to see you
. His eyes did a sweep of me and I felt his heated gaze on every inch of my body. “You look beautiful,” he said in a low voice. “As you’ve probably guessed, I’m pretty fond of that dress.”

I let out a nervous giggle and trailed my hands down the fabric of the clingy red dress, the same one I’d worn the very first night we met.

“Uh… thanks,” I blushed. “I, um, I tackled my fear of touching my eyeball and managed to get contacts in.”
What the hell? Why did I just say that
? Mental face palm.

“Well, you’re gorgeous as always,” he told me softly. “But I prefer the glasses. They’re you.”

Damn it! I was getting all melty again!

“Guys, we’ll be back in just a moment,” he addressed the room, not taking his eyes off of me as he grabbed hold of my arm and began leading me away.

“You can’t drag her off!” Pepper shouted after him. “We’re about to leave, and I need to do quick introductions and pre-party shots!”

“God-fucking-damn it,” he mumbled under his breath. He might have stopped dragging me away, but he didn’t let go of my arm and he stayed so close to my side the heat from his body, and the delicious smell of his cologne invaded my senses.

I stood on shaky limbs as Pepper shoved a tequila shot in
each
of my hands and watched like a hawk as I downed them. Once Devon and I were declared properly liquored up, I was lead around the room. I said hellos to everyone I already knew, along with the few I didn’t. Rowan was there with Collin, Griffin, and obviously Richard, and I met Pepper’s friend Tomas, and Navie’s best friend from college, Harlow, who was there with her husband Noah.

There was also another couple there that Navie introduced me to as her foster brother Carson, and his wife Cassidy. I didn’t know the story of what Navie’s life was like growing up, but I was glad she’d met someone in foster care who obviously cared about her enough to claim her as family.

“Don’t worry,” a semi-drunk Navie assured me, obviously mistaking my look of discomfort as just being shy. “The guys are doing their own thing tonight. They just met up here, too.”

“What do you ladies have planned for tonight, anyway?” Rowan asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “You never did tell me.”

“We’re going to a titty bar!” Pepper shouted triumphantly, fist-bumping the air above her. Tomas, who was so obviously gay, groaned, seemingly as excited to see T and A as I was.

“Those places smell like sex and poor decisions,” Devon said. “I’m in!”

“A strip club?!” Collin cried. “I’m going with them,” he informed Rowan. “That sounds so much better than beer and pool. You should be ashamed of yourself, man. It’s obvious your woman knows how to live better than you do. I’m embarrassed to call you my cousin.”

Rowan’s mouth dropped open as he threw his hands in the air. “I didn’t plan it! It was up to the Best Man to put the bachelor party together!” He shot Richard a killing look.

“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted laid back. I gave you laid back. How the hell was I supposed to know the women you guys associate with had better taste than you do?”

“Uh…” the man who’d been introduced as Noah held up his hand. “Just saying, if my wife’s going to a strip club I’m going with her.” Harlow looked at him with a glare. “Strictly to make sure you’re safe and out of trouble!” he amended quickly. “
Not
because I want to see other women dance around naked. Blech, gross.” He did a full body shiver for effect that even I had to laugh at despite the tension building between me and Richard.

“I’m with Noah,” Griffin spoke. “If we leave them unmanned every one of them is bound to end up arrested. I say we go with them, make it a co-ed thing.”

“Co-ed bachelor party!” Tomas cried, “I second that. If I’m to be forced to watch glitter-covered giggly bits dance around a greased up stage tonight, it’s only fair I have eye-candy of my own to look at.” He shot Rowan a sultry look that had him stepping behind Navie like she could possibly defend him.

“Then it’s settled,” Richard declared from beside me. “We’ll all go to the strip club as one big happy family.”

Uh oh.

As if my warning bells weren’t echoing loud enough, he looked down and added so low that only I could hear, “And you and I are going to have a little talk on the way there.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we got that limo since you’re all a bunch of party crashers,” Pepper spouted, propping one hand on her hip while downing a tequila shot with the other. “Let’s go! The strippers aren’t going to dance for themselves. Time to put some poor, lost girl through medical school, ladies and gentlemen!”

And just like that, we were off.

LETTING THESE WOMEN LOOSE
in a strip club had to have been one of the worst ideas known to all of man-kind.

We’d been at the club for about an hour, and already the women seemed to have made best friends with every one of the strippers — to the extreme displeasure of every single man in the building.

I’d been trying to find the opportunity to talk to Delilah since we left Rowan’s place, but was thwarted at every turn. If it wasn’t Pepper barging in to feed her more shots, it was Devon stealing her away to get impromptu dance lessons from one of the strippers who was supposed to be working the floor. There was always someone there to take her away the moment I tried to corner her for out little chat.