Page 66 of Slumming It

I knew exactly what this meant. Instead of calling from my own cellphone, I would be begging a stranger to let me use theirs. Or I would be hiking it back to town.

But neither of these things happened.

Not exactly, anyway.

Chapter 25

Reese

In spite of our easy entrance, Emily was looking more nervous than relieved.

The music was pulsing, and we were seated at a circular booth on the club's upper level overlooking the crowded dance floor. We'd just placed our drink orders – a basic beer for me and a glass of champagne for her.

I knew my alcohol, and champagne wouldn't be enough – not in Emily's case. From the look on her face now, a double shot of vodka would have been a much better choice.

It wasn't that she was frowning.No.Nother. She was putting on a brave face, trying to smile even though it never reached her eyes.

Still, I had to give her credit. Working to play the part, she was sitting nice and close, with her hip touching mine in the circular booth. I liked the feel of her body against me more than I should have, but her expression was a problem.

For some inexplicable reason, her troubled eyes bothered me.

I turned and spoke softly into her ear. "Don't worry. If anyone bites, I'll bite them back."

When she laughed, I felt something ease in my shoulders. It was a real laugh, the kind that chased away the shadows – hers and mine. With a genuine smile, she said, "Sorry, I know I’m acting all nervous." Her gaze warmed as she added, "So thanks for that."

Her eyes were bright and beautiful, and I was finding it hard to look away. "For what?"

"The laugh," she said. "I think I needed it more than a drink."

I had never been thanked for a laugh before, and the novelty had me wishing I'd done something more deserving. "You'rewelcome." I gave her a serious look. "But I wasn't joking. If anyone hassles you, I'll make them regret it."

She looked surprised. "But why?"

Because nobody messes with what's mine.But I didn't say this. She wasn't mine, and she wasn't going to be, so there was no need to give her the wrong idea. Keeping it simple, I replied, "Because you're my date."

She lowered her voice. "Yeah, but not for real."

For some messed-up reason, the statement bothered me. In spite of my plans, I liked her. And I liked how she made me feel. But pursuing anything beyond that was off the table, and I needed to remember why I was here.

I gestured toward the crowd. "Theydon’t know that." Hell, at this point, I wasn't sureIknew it.

Emily gave an earnest nod. "Right." She glanced around. "So…since you're checking out the nightlife, I'm guessing you have some questions?"

I did, in fact. "Yeah. Why'd you order champagne?"

"Actually, I meant questions about the town."

Fuck the town. "Call it market research," I said. "Is champagne your favorite drink? Or are you celebrating something I don't know?"

She gave me a sheepish smile, one I hadn't yet seen. It was cute as hell, especially when her eyes crinkled at the corners. With a little laugh, she confessed, "Actually, it's the only drink I could think of when she asked."

"You mean the server?"

Emily nodded. "But then I recalled that I'd been thinking of champagne when we first walked in."

I was oddly curious. "Why?"

"No reason." She hesitated. "Or at least no important reason. But when the server asked me what I wanted, I drew a total blank." She glanced downward toward the main bar, located onthe far end of the packed lower level. "But I didn't want to make her wait so I said the first thing I could think of."