Page 6

six

GRIFFIN

“To the future Mr. and Mrs. Graves,” I shout over the din of the club, drink raised.

“To Maddox and Isla,” our friends agree. The clink of glasses punctuates a night none of us will forget.

My best friend is engaged to the redheaded teacher who stole his heart.

I totally called it the first time I saw them together.

Mira pulls Isla in for yet another hug and squeals, “I can’t wait until we’re sisters!”

The women do a happy dance and start talking at hyper-speed about wedding dresses, venues, and what kind of cake is best. I’m thrilled for my friends.

They deserve every happiness, and I’m so glad they found each other.

I’m sure whatever wedding they plan will be beautiful.

Though I still think my earlier suggestion of eloping—because we’re in Vegas and there are 24-hour chapels everywhere—was solid.

They could be married right now. But hey, it’s their lives.

Our drinks are gone in record time, and we order a second round for the table. I’m feeling loose and happy, and I’m not the only one.

“Let’s get out on the floor and dance,” Mira shouts.

Her brother scowls. “Can’t we just relax with a drink for now, Mi-Mi?”

“Oh, come on,” she says, unperturbed. “Are you really going to sit here like a bump on a log, instead of getting out there and dancing with your future wife?”

Isla peers up at Maddox with a hopeful expression and bats her eyelashes at him a few times. And that’s all it takes.

“Fine,” he grumbles. “But if anyone grinds against you, I’m kicking their ass.”

That earns a giggle from Isla, and I grin when he leads her onto the dance floor.

A pretty little brunette with dark golden skin catches Logan’s eye.

She nibbles at her bottom lip, offers him a smile, and I know that is the last we’ll see of Byrne for the night.

The woman whispers something to her equally beautiful blonde friend, who eyes Bash up like he’s her next meal.

“Come on, Navarro.” Logan tugs Bash to his feet. “None of that priest shit tonight. We’re in Vegas. And you know what they say about Vegas.”

Sebastian sighs, resigned to his fate. “Don’t waste your money on the slot machines?”

Logan laughs as he drags Bash toward the women.

“And then there were two.” Mira levels me with one of those smiles I’ve grown to look forward to. The kind that lights up the whole room. She stands and extends her hand, palm up. “Wanna dance, Griffy?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Mira leads me onto the floor with swaying hips and a bounce in her step.

She doesn’t even notice the appreciative stares from just about every guy we pass.

Not that she ever seems to. I’ve watched guys on the team try—and fail—to flirt with Mira.

But she rarely catches on to the fact that they want her.

I can’t tell if it’s because she’s oblivious, she’s just not interested in dating, or she doesn’t understand how beautiful she is.

She’s made a few comments about her ex in the months we’ve been living together, but I still don’t know the entire story.

It’s possible he messed with her head enough that she has given up on men. At least temporarily.

I hope I never meet the guy, because I’d rather not get arrested for assault.

It doesn’t matter if he didn’t do anything terrible, like raise a hand to Mira or break her down emotionally like Isla’s ex did to her.

The simple fact of the matter is that Mira’s ex was a douche, and that’s all I need to know.

Only once we’re in the middle of the dance floor does Mira stop. She turns to me with an effervescent smile and begins to move her body. She’s sexy as hell as she sways her hips and undulates to the driving house beats blaring through the club’s speakers.

Shit. I cannot be thinking things like that about my best friend’s little sister.

I’ve held myself pretty well in check in the months she’s been living with me.

Of course, I’ve acknowledged that my roommate is beautiful.

And sure, I’ve had to fight a few stiffies when she does yoga in the living room in nothing but tight little shorts and a sports bra.

I’m not dead. But even watching Mira practice yoga has nothing on feeling her tight little body grinding against me in a skimpy black dress.

Pure. Fucking. Torture.

Still, I keep my hands from blurring the lines between friends and fuck buddies. The last thing I want to do is screw up the friendship we’re building.

“You’re a good dancer,” Mira shouts over the music. Her skin glows with the finest sheen of sweat.

“And you’re surprised?” I let my palms rest lightly on her hips as we move in sync with one another.

She shakes out her sweaty, dark hair and grins. “Maybe a little.”

“Baby,” I tease, “I’ve got moves you’ve never seen before.”

“Show me!”

I do. I don’t care who sees or who may take a video of my ridiculousness. I bust out moves from the lawnmower to the shopping cart to make Mira laugh. And laugh, she does. When I add some hip thrusts to the shopping cart, she nearly loses it.

“Oh my god. You’re terrible.” Mira shakes with laughter as she fans her face. “Truly awful.”

“What? I’m amazing.” When Mira keeps fanning her face, I lean in and shout, “Do you need another drink? Maybe a water?”

“Water is for the weak. I want a mojito.” She waggles her eyebrows at me and licks her lips. She’s ridiculous. And she probably does need some water, but I’ll make sure she has some after our next round of drinks.

“Stay right here. I’ll be back in a minute.

” I notice Maddox and Isla dancing a few feet away and signal Madds to look out for his sister.

He gives me a nod, then I push through the crowd toward the bar.

I lose sight of Mira while I wait for our drinks, but I can see Maddox’s giant head over most of the crowd, so I head back in that direction.

It’s difficult not to spill the drinks in the sea of writhing bodies, but I somehow make it back to where I left Mira with two full glasses. Except, Mira is no longer alone.

“What the fuck?” I growl under my breath. Two guys have their hands all over her as they dance way too close to my roommate. Close enough that I’m sure she can feel the outline of at least one of their dicks, if not both.

I catch Maddox’s eye, and his expression darkens when he sees the dudes grinding on his sister. At least I’m not the only one pissed by this. Madds is looking out for his sister, and I’m looking out for my friend. That’s all this is.

Pushing through the people dancing between us, I use my hockey skills and hip-check one douchebag away from Mira. He glowers at me, but when he realizes I have a solid six inches of height and at least fifty pounds of muscle on him, he backs away.

Good choice , I mouth. He narrows his eyes but keeps his mouth shut.

Douche number two is harder to shake, so I press against Mira’s back and shout that I’m back with her drink.

She spins around with a smile, and just like that, douche number two is forgotten.

He tries to grind against Mira a few more times, but when I shoot him a dirty look and she continues to ignore him, he finally gives up.

“This is so good,” Mira shouts as she gulps her drink. I warn her to slow down, but she either doesn’t hear me or chooses to ignore my words.

Screw it. When in Vegas.

I toss back my drink and set our empty glasses on a passing server’s tray.

A new song comes on, and Mira squeals. “I love this one!” She throws her arms around my neck, and her body sways against mine. As she dances, she gets closer and closer until one of my knees is between her thighs and my hands grip her hips to keep her from losing her balance and toppling over.

Isla and Maddox move closer to us, and we all dance together. And if Maddox notices how little space there is between his sister’s body and mine, he doesn’t say. He’s too lost in his fiancée.

We get another round of drinks, then Logan flags us down. He’s got the little brunette under his arm. Sebastian stands near the blonde, but they don’t look as cozy. No doubt, the poor guy is trying to figure out how he can get out of sleeping with her.

“We’re getting out of here. See you guys at the hotel tomorrow morning.”

“Be safe,” Isla calls after them. Logan just waves a dismissive hand in the air. She rolls her glassy eyes and then turns to us. “Another round?”

Maddox hums. “I don’t know, Short-Stack. You sure you’re not done for the night?”

“One more,” Isla says with a pout. Of course, Maddox caves.

He’s a sucker for a pouty lower lip and the woman he loves.

Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s my secret romantic heart, but watching them makes me feel all gooey inside.

A sweet kind of gooey. Not the sex kind of gooey.

They’re perfect together, and I couldn’t be happier that Maddox pulled his head out of his ass and begged his woman for a second chance.

If I was in Maddox’s shoes, I’d never let a woman like Isla slip away in the first place.

But all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

The four of us down another round of drinks.

What is that? Three? Four? Whatever it is, I’m feeling good.

And if I’m feeling good, I know Isla and Mira have got to be well on their way to being totally drunk, if they’re not already there.

When Isla stumbles for the tenth time, Maddox pulls her into his arms and tells her it’s time to call it a night.

“You two heading back now?” he asks Mira and me. I’m set to say yes, but Mira has other plans.

“No way. I’m having too much fun. Stay out with me, Griffy?” She flutters her eyelashes at me in a move that’s probably meant to be sexy, but she’s a little too drunk to pull it off. It ends up looking like she’s got something stuck in her eye.

It’s cute as hell.

“Okay, well, don’t stay out too late,” Maddox tells his sister. Then he turns to me. “I’m trusting you to keep her safe and not do anything stupid.”