Page 33 of Dangerous Men

More explanation on the other end. Alec’s eyes flick up to Ash’s, and he gives a quick nod.

Still pressed against my back, Ash sighs, long and sad. His hands return to my waist.

“Give us five minutes,” Alec says to the person on the other end of the phone before ending the call.

“Viper?” Ash asks.

Alec shakes his head, lips tight.

“Just some contract issue in Seneca. They won’t clear the permits in time for us to break ground on the new building, and now it’s looking like the whole thing might be fucked. Sydney, I am so sorry to do this, but Ash and I need to make a quick phone call,” Alec says to me.

My heart drops.

Of course they do. I knew this was too good to be true.

“I understand,” I say. I reach for my champagne glass, forgetting it’s empty. I hesitate, suddenly holding a glass with nothing inside it.

“Babygirl.” Ash puts a finger beneath my chin, angling my face toward him. “We wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t an emergency. Fifteen minutes, that’s all it will take. Promise me you won’t leave until we get back?”

He looks so damn sincere. Staring into his bright blue eyes, I can’t help but believe him.

“Okay,” I say, wetting my lips with my tongue. Hell, if there’s a chance of another kiss like that? I can wait a little.

“Fifteen minutes,” Ash promises.

“Ten,” Alec amends. He stoops down, pressing a warm kiss to my cheek. “And Ashton is right. Only an emergency would pull us away from you right now, and this… this is an emergency.”

“Enjoy the party,” Ash tells me as they walk away. “We’ll be right back, I swear.”

And then they’re gone.

And it’s just me…

And the throbbing ache they’ve left between my legs.

I hate whiskey.Always have.

And I’m pretty sure that’s what Alec was drinking, because sure enough, when I gulp down the contents of the drink he left behind, I absolutelyhate it.

Ash’s drink is next, and I think it must have been a double, because it takes me a while to finish the whole thing. But I can’t just stand here at this table, all by myself, thinking about what just happened without drinking, so…

Bottoms up!

By the time there’s nothing but ice left in Ash’s glass, I start to wonder if I really do hate whiskey after all. The last two sips weren’t so bad. In fact, every sip went down easier than the last.

Went down.

I hiccup a giggle.

What am I even doing here?

What weretheydoing?

That kiss. It felt so natural to be between the two of them, with Ash’s hands and Alec’s mouth on me.

I’d wanted it.

I’d wantedthem.Bothof them.