Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
My friend—my date?—leans in and speaks to me quietly so that Gray can’t hear him. Though we haven’t had drinks together, he knows my taste for food and nonalcoholic beverages, so he makes a few suggestions, explaining the flavor profiles of popular cocktail categories.
“Would you like me to order?” Erik asks when I’ve made a decision. I nod, and he looks up at Gray, who’s been watching us with interest. “Two whiskey sours.”
“Coming up.”
I try not to stare at the bartender as he makes our drinks, but my eyes follow him like they have a mind of their own. The man is magnetic, and it’s not just his perfectly-proportioned face or the way his body looks in the well-fitting black shirt and pants he’s wearing—there’s just something about him.
Erik watches me watching Gray, looking both curious and amused. Maybe I misread him earlier, because he doesn’t seem bothered like he did when I told him about Brax, but of course, looking at someone and kissing someone are entirely different things.
“Here you go.” Gray sets a short glass in front of me. Pale golden liquid surrounds a large ball of ice, and the cocktail is garnished with a twisted piece of orange and a dark cherry.
After he delivers Erik’s drink, the bartender taps his fingers on the counter in front of me and gives me a wink. “I’ll be back.”
“Should we toast?” Erik asks as I tentatively lift my glass.
“To?”
His brown eyes are merry but filled with depth. “To being sinful.”
My brows lift and I let out a breath. “To being sinful.” He clinks the rim of his glass to mine, and then I take a small sip, surprised that the first flavor I taste is sweet caramel. This is quickly followed by a tartness that puckers my cheeks.
“Do you like it?”
I nod quickly. “It’s good. I was expecting a stronger flavor that would take some time to get used to, but I think I could drink this easily.”
Erik nods. “You should go slow with it, though.”
Sensing his presence before I see him, I turn and find Gray approaching. He stops in front of me, but this time he turns his attention to Erik, lifting his chin in a nod, the way men do. “So, how’ve you been?” he asks him.
I look between the two of them. “You know each other?”
AVA
It’s Erik who answers. “Gray used to hang out with Aaron.”
I swivel to look fully at the bartender. “You know my brother?”
Gray’s answer is terse. “Haven’t seen him lately. He doesn’t approve of my life choices.”
I wonder whether there are other choices, besides the one to work at a bar in a casino, that my brother disapproves of. There must be so many opportunities to sin when a man looks like Gray.
“I don’t remember you,” I say. I would’ve definitely remembered meeting this man.
“I knew Aaron in high school. We used to play basketball.”
I’d noticed that my brother’s friend group narrowed as he got older, and I assumed it was a normal part of growing up and changing priorities, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear that there may be a judgmental aspect to his choices.
“And you know Gray through Aaron?” I ask Erik.
Erik nods. “We all played basketball back then, and Gray and I reconnected in a city league a few years later. We’ve kept in touch since then.”
Gray says, “So you’re Aaron’s little sister?” His focus is back on me, his eyes assessing, as if he can’t believe I’m related to his old friend, and my skin heats under the weight of his gaze. “I wouldn’t expect to see anyone from your family in here,” he adds.
While I’m trying to formulate a response, Gray tips his head toward Erik. “When did you two get together?”
“Oh, we’re not … we’re friends,” I say, stammering before I quickly take another sip of my drink for something to do.
“Is that right? That’s very interesting.” Gray leans in closer and lowers his voice. “Friends … with benefits?”
Erik’s arm comes to the back of my stool, resting there protectively, the tips of his fingers gently brushing the top of my shoulder. He frowns at Gray. “Dude.”
The single word is a warning to shape up, and Gray leans back, but only a couple of inches. “You’re right. None of my business, though I can’t help but be interested … for personal reasons.”
It’s a wonder I don’t melt right into the chair, but my flirty conversations with Brax have given me some practice, because I manage to challenge him. “Do you tease all of your customers like this?”
“Only the beautiful ones, and Ava, I am definitely not teasing.”
His dark brow arches in a way that has me biting my lip, and I take another sip of my cocktail, hoping I can blame my reddening cheeks on the alcohol. The drink wasn’t very big, but I’m shocked to find there isn’t much liquid left, and the ice cube has barely melted.