With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men, #4)(63)

I’m not sure if I really looked that great, but it was soft and it made me feel pretty, so I gave in. And I think Aspen felt the same way. But even as she longingly eyed her reflection in the mirror, she made it seem like she didn’t want to leave the boys home alone.

“Are you sure you’re okay with heating up leftovers for supper?” she asked Brandt.

He snorted. “That’s how we ate every night before moving here.”

Aspen paled and opened her mouth, probably to say she wasn’t going to leave them alone, but Brandt waved her on “We’ll be fine. Just go. Have fun. Make Noel sweat by showing up, looking like that.”

Biting her lip, Aspen nodded and was helplessly swept along as Caroline hooked her arms through Aspen’s and then mine.

“I don’t know about you two, but I’m totally looking forward to tonight. I’m feeling good vibes.”

I was mostly just feeling nervous vibes, but I hoped she had more reliable vibes than I did.

We arrived before the club opened. Caroline tapped on the front glass doors until her brother appeared on the other side. He grinned when he saw us, and let us in. His eyes were only for Aspen.

“I couldn’t believe it when Caroline texted and told me she’d talked you into coming. I swear you haven’t been here since…” His eyebrows lifted and Aspen blushed while they shared an inside secret.

After he pointed at Caroline and said, “Behave,” he grabbed Aspen’s hand and swept her away toward the bar, leaving Caroline and me behind. We glanced at each other as we huddled together just inside the entrance. One bartender was in the back behind the bar, setting up a row of glasses while a handful of waitresses pulled chairs off the tables and four guys milled around the staging area. No one seemed to pay any attention to the pair of us.

“Have you ever been here before?” I asked.

She shook her head but hooked her arm through mine. “I guess we’ll learn our way around together.”

We didn’t have to worry long about where to go, though; someone started tapping on the glass doors behind us. Caroline glanced around only to grin. Hurrying to the entrance, she pulled the door open for a waving Reese.

“Thank goodness you’re here. Zoey and I have no clue where to go.”

“Hey, chickie.” Reese pulled her into a half hug. “Let me show you guys around then.” She swept out an arm. “This…is Forbidden. There’s the bar, the stage, and that hall there leads back to a kitchen, office, bathroom, storage and a new private reception room. And that’s about all there is. Except for this…” She’d led us to the bar where she rested her elbows on the countertop and half leaned over it so she could ogle the guy behind the counter with his back to us as he finished stacking a row of glass cups.

“Oh, sexy bartender,” she sang out. “I think you dropped something there. You really ought to...bend over and pick it up.”

Instead of bending, the bartender whirled around and sent her a devastating grin. “What’re you doing here so early?”

Batting her lashes, Reese sent him her own smoky smile. “I couldn’t stay away from you.”

Striding to her, he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her even further over the bar until she was more than halfway hanging over his side. Then he kissed her hard and long.

Feeling hot around the collar after witnessing such a scorcher, I glanced Caroline’s way to find her looking back at me with raised eyebrows.

“Wow,” she mouthed the word as she fanned herself. We started laughing in unison.

Reese unlocked her lips from the bartender and grinned back at us. “Oh, sorry! Caroline, you’ve already met him, so...Zoey, this is my boyfriend, Mason.” Then she rolled her eyes and slapped her hand to her forehead. “I mean, my fiancé, Mason.”

Caroline snickered and bumped her elbow into mine. “Yeah, I think she kind of figured that out already.”

Mason chuckled. “Hi again, Caroline.” Then he glanced at me, “And Zoey. Reese described you perfectly.”

Reese let out a dreamy-sounding sigh. “Isn’t it awesome? He actually listens when I ramble.” When she leaned in for another kiss, Mason seemed eager to supply her with one.

They were still locking lips when a new guy exited the back hall. Face full of piercings and arms laden with tattoos, he scowled when he caught sight of the necking couple. “Hey! No baby-making on my counter, please.” He smacked Reese lightly on the butt, making her yelp and jump away from Mason. Then he winked up at her. “Not unless you have a little loving for me, too.”

“Hey, cousin.” Reese dutifully smacked a kiss to his cheek and wrapped her arm around his neck as he wrapped one around her waist to pull her off the bar top and back onto the floor.

Folding his arms over his chest, Mason just scowled at them. Reese was too busy asking the newcomer to notice, though.

“Where’s my girl?” she asked.

“She’s back in the office, still looking for her panties.”

“Pick!” Gasping, Reese smacked his arm. “That was way more than I wanted to know.”

He just chuckled and brought attention to his pocket as he stuffed a peek of cloth deeper out of sight. “So I really shouldn’t tell you she’s not going to find them, huh?”