Page 7 of Where We Bloom (The Blackwells of Montana #3)

Once I’ve chosen five songs, I start back to the table, but suddenly, a body stands in front of me.

“Well, hello, gorgeous.”

I’m in heels, which puts me at eye level with this guy. He’s a little drunk, and his eyes are on my tits.

“Excuse me.”

“I’m talking to you.” He reaches out to put his hand on my hip, but I move away, evading him .

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

His eyes jerk up to mine, and he sneers. “What, do you think you’re better than me or something?”

“Or something. You have a good night.”

I go to walk around him, but he grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop, and I round on him, my patience long gone.

“Oh, hell no,” I yell in his face. “I said don’t fucking touch me , you asshole. Who the hell do you think you are? Keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll remove them from your ugly body.”

“You’re a fat cunt,” he says, holding his hands up. “Jesus, try to be nice to a bitch.”

“No. You weren’t being nice. You were being a slimy, creepy, predatory asshole. No one, not one woman in this bar, wants that from you or anyone else. Learn some fucking manners, you piece of shit.”

I walk away, and the guys at the pool table applaud.

“We were about to come help, but you didn’t need it,” one of them says with a proud smile. “He won’t bother you again.”

“No. He won’t.”

With my chin high, I return to my table, and my friends are all watching me with wide eyes.

“What?”

“You’re so fucking badass, Bee.” Alex shakes her head. “Like, I would do you right now.”

I laugh and take a sip of my drink. “I don’t get assholes like that. Get some liquid courage in them, and they think they’re the boss of everything. I’d have punched him if I had to.”

“Have you taken self-defense classes?” Skyla asks me.

“I have four older brothers,” I remind her with a smirk. “They taught me to punch before I started kindergarten. That asshole doesn’t scare me. I outweigh him by a solid fifty pounds.”

There’s a heartbeat of silence, and then more laughter around me, and the jerk is forgotten.

We all get up to dance, and when we return to the table, we order fresh drinks—because you just never know—and eat some more of our food.

I admit, the room is a little fuzzy from the alcohol and the endorphins of a good night spent with my girls.

“I’m so getting laid tonight,” Skyla says with a sloppy smile. “I know it’s your brother, Bee, and I apologize, but holy shite, the man knows what he’s doing. He can do this thing with his fingers that I can’t get enough of.”

“Ew.”

“Bridger, too,” Dani agrees. I feel a little sick to my stomach at the thought of my brothers having sex. “The orgasms are insane with that man. And his mouth! He says the sexiest things.”

“Yes!” Skyla high-fives Dani, making me blink. “The orgasms! I didn’t know it was possible to have that many in one night.”

“If you keep talking about my brothers”—my words slur slightly—“I’ll talk about yours, my Irish friend.”

Skyla laughs, waving me off. “I don’t honestly care. Connor’s almost forty. The man obviously has sex.”

“And he’s too good at it.” I don’t know why that makes me grumpy. Probably because it’s been so long since he did it with me , so he’s probably moved on to having it with someone else.

That lucky bitch.

I want to kill her, whoever she is.

“Anything new happening there?” Alex asks, and I shake my head.

“Nothing’s going to happen, either.”

“You never know,” Dani replies, but I sigh and eat a mozzarella stick.

“I’m pretty sure I know. Okay, maybe I should get Connor off my brain and have sex with one of these lucky men tonight.”

I turn in my chair, and we scan the room. The guy at the pool table, the one who told me he’d make sure the asshole didn’t bother me again, is handsome. He’s muscular with blond hair and blue eyes, and his forearms are sexy when he leans over the table to shoot at a ball.

“I think the one you’re looking at is gay,” Alex says, leaning toward me.

“Why?”

“Because he’s been holding hands with the other hot guy all night.”

As soon as she says that, hot pool guy walks over and kisses the other hot pool guy, and I grin.

I know that guy.

“Well, damn.” With a fresh idea in my mind, I grin at my friends. “Wait. Maybe they’re bi, and they’d like a third. ”

I smile at the girls, who all whoop and clap and encourage me to go ask.

This is gonna be hilarious.

“I dare you to go ask them that,” Dani says. “You’re safe. We’re right here. Do it. Right now.”

“What do I get if I do it?”

“Free yoga classes for the rest of your life,” Skyla offers.

“You already give me that.” I laugh at her as she frowns into her glass.

“Oh yeah.”

“I’ll pay for your dry-cleaning for a month ,” Dani says with a knowing smile and winks as she sips her drink. “And I’m not kidding.”

“That’s a lot, friend.”

“I know.”

“I’ll split it with you,” Alex offers, getting in on the action.

“I’m in too,” Skyla says. “We’ll pay for your dry-cleaning for a month if you go ask those sexy boys over there if they’d like you to join them with their … sticks .”

“You guys think I won’t? Just watch.”

“Go proposition those men, friend. If they accept, be careful. Make sure they wrap it up.” Alex pats me on the arm.

“Oh my God, what if they say yes? I never considered that!”

My friends laugh some more, and I’m on the verge of laughing.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Dani reminds me, patting my shoulder. “This is all in fun. Go do it. Think of all that free dry-cleaning.”

“Fine.” I down the last of my margarita in two gulps, then stand and straighten my dress. As I walk to the two men playing pool, I’m determined not to be embarrassed or panic. I can do this. I look good tonight.

“Well, hi there,” Number One says with a charming smile. “Do you need us to save you from that jerk?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” I reply with a wink. “I don’t usually need saving from much.”

“Good girl,” Number Two says, and I can’t help but remember the way Connor said that in my ear.

Good fucking girl.

A shiver runs through me, and I take a deep breath. I so need to get that sexy Irishman out of my head.

Then Number Two’s eyes widen in surprise. “Billie?”

“Hey, cousin.”

Gabe leans in to kiss my cheek and grins at me. “You look like you’re up to no good, baby doll.”

Gabe is a flirt.

“What can we do for you?” Number One asks.

“I honestly came over here so my friends would pay for my dry-cleaning.”

Number One’s eyebrows climb. “Now we need to know everything. Have a seat, beautiful.”

I climb onto a stool, and both men hover close by. I wish I could say that I feel tingles of excitement, but I don’t.

Not one fucking tingle in sight .

I mean, obviously I wouldn’t for my cousin, but not even Number One is giving me a spark.

Goddamn you, Connor.

“So we’re all women over there, right?”

“A gorgeous group of women,” Gabe agrees, eyeing them over my shoulder.

“And most of those girls are going home to men tonight. My brothers, in fact, but that’s a long story.

Anywho, I’m a little tipsy, and I mentioned that you’re a handsome fella.

” I point at Number One, who preens while Gabe chuckles.

“But then it was pointed out to me that you’re with him”—I point at Gabe, who smiles back—“and I said, what if they want a third?”

I swallow hard. I cannot believe I just said that out loud.

Gabe starts to cough.

“I mean, you’re my cousin, and that’s not happening in this or any other lifetime, but the girls don’t know that because Alex and Dani haven’t recognized you yet, and I really wanted them to pay for my dry-cleaning. So I was dared to come over here and ask.”

“How much is your dry-cleaning?” Gabe asks.

“It averages over a thousand dollars a month.”

“Holy shit,” Gabe says. “Yeah, I’d do it, too.”

“Do you want an answer to your intriguing question?” Number One asks.

“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “What is your name?”

“I’m Adam,” Number One says.

“Adam and Gabe. Got it. I’m Billie, Gabe’s cousin on my dad’s side. Nice to meet you, Adam. Okay, you can give me an answer so I can take it back to the table, and we can talk about it.” I push a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

“If you weren’t his cousin, fuck yes, we’d take you home with us,” Adam says as his eyes move from my face, down my body, and back up again. “We love to share, sweetheart.”

“Shut up.” I roll my eyes, but Adam leans in and plants his lips at my ear.

And there might be half a tingle.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, baby girl.” His fingertips ghost down my arm. Gabe’s gaze catches mine, and he winks at me.

“You know, that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day,” I reply and then give them a sassy smile. “I’ll go relay the message.”

Adam chuckles and kisses my cheek. “I’m glad we could help with that dry-cleaning bill.”

“So that’s Alex Lexington?” Gabe asks, gesturing to the table with his chin. “I haven’t seen her in over a decade.”

“She’s single.” I waggle my eyebrows. “Shall I send her over?”

They share a look, and Gabe nods. “If she’s interested, by all means.”

“Oh, this is fun.” I grin and turn around to return to the table, and when I sit down, all I can do is grin at Alex.

“Well?” Dani demands, waving her hand in front of my face. “Did they make you short-circuit? ”

“What happened, then?” Skyla asks. “You can’t just sit there and smile.”

“Oh, they’d be down for a threesome,” I reply, taking a sip of Alex’s drink. “But not with me.”

“Huh.” Alex eyes them and sips her drink. “With who, then? You’re hot as fuck tonight.”

“That’s Gabe Blackwell, friend. And he’s eyeing you up, so you should go over there. They’re hot, they’re nice, and holy shit, they’d rock your world.”

“Hmm.” Alex sips her drink and eyes the two men, who are staring right back, smiling. “Gabe has changed a lot . Jesus, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”

“He’s so different,” Dani agrees.