Page 31 of Not In The Contract

Her words trailed off into a nervous giggle and she spared me one last glance before hurrying past me and into the bathroom.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek. Hard. But nothing could keep the corners of my mouth from kicking up into a smile.

I sidled through the throng of dancing bodies, keenly aware of the foreign touches that brushed against me as I passed by. I didn’thatesocial places so much as I despised being touched by strangers. Not that Hayden cared much for my displeasure.

“Fucking finally!” she chorused when I got back to our table. “Was there a line at the bathroom or something?”

“Or something,” I answered smoothly, sitting down next to Taylor, who dutifully nursed her virgin daiquiri.

“Did something happen?” Frankie asked, leaning forward on the table, one of her hands twined with Hayden’s.

“What do you mean?” I hedged, taking a sip of my ice water. “It’s a bathroom, what could happen?”

Hayden’s arched brow quirked in interest. A light sheen of sweat adorned her brow, a byproduct of her dancing with Frankie for the last two hours. “You know as well as I do thattonscan happen,” she purred.

I rolled my eyes.

“You do look a lot happier,” Taylor pointed out unhelpfully.

I shot her a withering glare. I hadn’t noticed the smirk that froze on my face instantly. “Aren’t most people happier after they use the restroom?”

“You’re not most people, Alex,” Hayden countered.

“And yet you and your girlfriend have managed to coerce me into a night out,” I reminded her.

Frankie bit the inside of her lip, guilt washing over her freckled face.

But Hayden was remorseless. “Yeah, because you’re on your way to becoming the new Cam of the group,” she teased.

“You take that back.” I chuckled, pointing a finger at her. “I still know how to have fun. I just don’t have time for it.”

“That sounds like something Cam would say,” Taylor mused.

“Whose side are you on?” I scoffed, but it was lighthearted.

I loved my friends to death, and teasing was part of our group as much as we were.

“The side that gets you laid?” She shrugged.

Unbidden, the memory of Devon’s flushed cheeks and bright eyes flooded my mind, and nothing I did would shake it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the soft, sunset-dyed fabric that clung to her body, and the way her soft curls fell over her shoulders and down her back.

And those heels…

I shook myself free of the moment, returning to Hayden’s hawk-eyed stare.

“I know that look.” She smirked. “You found a hottie.”

“Ew, don’t say shit like that.” I cringed.

She smacked a hand on the table in triumph. “So I’m right,” she decided, twisting in her seat and surveying the crowd.

“You’re not.” I sighed, but it wouldn’t stop her.

Hayden knew me well enough and lying to her only caused trouble.

But I liked keeping Devon a secret, at least for the moment. The fact that only I knew what she looked like felt precious, like something that hadn’t been blown open for the wider viewing public. Cautiously, I let my eyes drift across the sea of people, wondering where Devon and her friend were sitting.

“There are so many people here, Hayden.” Taylor groaned. “And more than half of them are good-looking.”