Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(70)

She also loved that her mother and Lydia really seemed to hit it off. She supposed as mothers of football players and career women, they had a lot in common, because she’d eavesdropped on their conversations and the topic frequently focused on their children, which didn’t surprise Harmony at all.

Soon it was time to start getting ready, and Lydia started directing everyone to various rooms and bathrooms, no doubt to avoid utter chaos. When it was her turn, Harmony freshened up, redid her hair and makeup and brushed her teeth, then dashed into her assigned bedroom to get dressed. She ran into Aubry in the same room, so they helped each other with zipping their dresses.

Aubry was wearing a killer slinky red dress.

“Tucker is going to go crazy when he sees you in this dress,” Harmony said, as she pulled the zipper up.

Aubry gave her a grin over her shoulder. “I certainly hope so.”

Harmony stepped into her dress.

“Men will be ogling you all night. This silver sequined number makes your skin simply shine, Harmony,” Aubry said.

Harmony loved the compliment. “Thank you. I bought this dress at the beginning of summer and haven’t had an opportunity to wear it yet. I’m really excited about tonight.”

“Me, too,” Aubry said, slipping into her heels. “Let’s go make men’s tongues fall out of their mouths.”

Harmony laughed and she and Aubry grabbed their clutch bags and left the bedroom.

Frankly, everyone looked stunning, including her mother, who wore a copper-colored dress that clung to her curves and showed off her cleavage.

“Mama. You are so freakin’ hot.”

“Thank you, honey. So are you.”

It turned out the men were meeting them at the hotel, so when there was a knock on the door, all the guys piled in.

They all looked amazing in suits and ties, and Harmony simply could not take her eyes off of Barrett, who wore a dark suit, white shirt and a beautiful silver and black tie.

She knew she was supposed to play it cool, but at this moment, she simply couldn’t. Everyone else was milling about and throwing out compliments, so she wandered over to him.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Goddamn, Harmony. You look so f*cking beautiful. How am I supposed to get through the night not touching you when you look like that?”

Her heart clenched. She reached out to brush off an imaginary speck from his jacket. “Thank you. You look amazing.”

Her brother came over, and as usual, the man had an impeccable sense of style. He wore a black suit, dark blue shirt and a white tie. The man was stylin’.

He kissed her cheek. “Hey, gorgeous.”

She grinned and patted his chest. “Hey yourself, hot stuff. Have you seen Mama?”

“Yeah. She’s angling for a rendezvous tonight. Elijah about swallowed his tongue when he saw her.”

She laughed. “I’m sure that was the reaction she was looking for. And what about you?”

Drake adjusted his tie. “Playing the options, like always.”

She shook her head. “Do I need to play protector for you?”

He put his arm around her shoulders. “Not a chance, baby sister. I’m freewheeling and checking out the action. You keep an eye on Mama.”

“Ha. She already told me to step clear of her action.”

“Then I guess you’re on your own.”

Just the way she wanted it. Hopefully Drake would find some beautiful woman to hit on, and who would capture his attention, and she could find some alone time with Barrett.

Though with his entire family in attendance at the club opening tonight, the chances of that were pretty slim.

“The limos are here,” Lydia said. “We need to head downstairs.”

They all piled into two limos. And for some reason, she ended up next to Barrett. She was tucked into the corner, with him next to her, for the ride over. Flynn was on his other side, and Tucker and Aubry sat across from them.

Drake and Mama ended up in the other limo.

Perfect.

Especially when Barrett slid his fingers under her thigh. She breathed deeply, trying to act as if his touch didn’t affect her, when all she really wanted to do was inch her fingers next to his.

Thrilling, but also frustrating.

There were spotlights in front of Just the Blues, along with a red carpet and photographers and media crews.

“Wow,” she said, then turned to Barrett. “Did you know it was going to be all this?”

He laughed. “No. But leave it to Easton Cassidy to cause a ruckus.”

They waited until Barrett’s parents got out of the limo, then they followed.

Harmony had never been involved in anything like this before. She’d seen Drake on TV surrounded by the media, but she’d never personally experienced it.

Lights flashed in her eyes, and she was more than happy to cede the spotlight to Barrett’s parents, who talked about the reopening of the club. Lydia and Easton handled it gracefully and with much enthusiasm, talking about the club’s past and hopeful future.

“We’re proud to be a part of the reopening,” Easton said. “There are so many fantastic blues bands and artists here in Austin, and elsewhere, and since Lydia and I are such fans, we were saddened when the original club closed. When our partner, DeMartin Lewis, offered us the opportunity to invest with him, we jumped at the chance to breathe new life into this club and encourage the talent who would walk through these doors.