Page 6 of Grasp The Moment

“I mean, it’s a tryst—y’know, a sort of dillydally. We get drunk, we have fun…” I shrug, my heart stammering as Derek cracks a full-blown smile my way.

Did the heavens just part? My God, this man is gorgeous.

I blink the thought away, licking my lips.

He’s my friend.

He’s myfriend.

He’smyfriend…

“Sound’s cool, but don’t fall in love with me or anything…” Heshrugs, looking off to where Sienna hauls Denver onto the dance floor, the two of them twerking on one another. He chuckles silently as I roll my eyes at his words, swatting at his chest.

“Sorry,Cougar Magnet, but that ship willneversail. You’re hot and all, but the mysterious vibe doesn’t do it for me.”

Lies.

The mysterious vibesodoes it for me.

When we met at the first football game of the season for SFU, I took one look at this man and knew. Then, I saw him and his adorable daughter, Delilah, and my ovaries burst. A hot guy who takes care of his kid? Immediate swoon.

Then I realized that he was the guy giving Sienna a hard time and had to push back the swooning.

But now Iknowhim. He’s myfriend. Derek is kind, funny, an excellent chef, and a wonderful father. I honestly don’t understand how Si Si hated him when they first met, but I digress. It could’ve been all the chemicals from her hair dye.

“Sure,Blondie, another drink?”

“Only if it’s on you.”

3.Derek

I might have fucked up.

About five shots ago, I fucked up. Now, I think all of my fuck-ups are counteracting one another.

My first mistake was coming to Vegas. The second, sitting at the bar alone. The third, allowing the devilish blonde next to me to fill me up with liquor. And the fourth, the most crucial mistake, was listening to Jace Heart when he said we’d be going to a strip club.

Now, you’d think that we’d be at a regular club like Diamonds or Cherries Cherry–but no. We’re at Lovely fucking Larry’s.

“Shake that ass, mister!” Georgia squeals as one of the male strippers clad in a yellow patent leather Speedo and body oil gyrates, shaking his junk in all of the girls’ faces.

Cleo, to her credit, looks mildly taken aback by the debauchery, but the same can’t be said for her cousin. Sienna is having a blast, to say the least. She whips her hair, dancing on the table of the strip club as male dancers and her friends cheerher on. Denver and Georgia take turns dancing and egging on the birthday girl while the rest of us watch along in horror.

These girls are… something.

“I’m so happy my girl looks uncomfort—Princess?! What the hell?!” Blake exclaims, his jaw on the ground, watching as Cleo gets hoisted in the air by one of the strippers.

I suppress a laugh as Cleo giggles her heart away, taking off her signature pink bow and letting her hair down.

“You were saying?” Ryan asks, grimacing at the sight of his sister in the air.

Just as I’m about to laugh, a man wearing a G-string that leavesnothingto the imagination hoists his junk in both Jace’s and my face. I grimace, twisting to face the blond asshole next to me.

Before coming on this trip, I was promised strippers. Did Iwantto watch a bunch of naked women shake their asses all night? Nah, not really. I mean, it’d be entertaining, but I’d rather not. However, would watching random women shake their asses leave me more satisfied than a bunch of guys shaking their dicks in my face like a helicopter parade beanybetter? A million times, yes.

“You’re dead when we’re done,” I say, swatting away the guy in front of me as Jace smirks.

“Oh, don’t be such a sour bear,” he teases, passing me a stripper bill.