Page 16 of Slide
She’d bet he was. Not that she would ever find out. The guy gave it up for anything in a damn skirt…except her. Oh no, Lucy wasn’t good enough for Adam Grady. Jerk face.
The music was turned up and she glanced over to the center of the room. Tonight was a special night at Abella’s. It was the owner’s wedding anniversary. The place was packed with family, at least the ones not working. They’d been drinking and celebrating for a while, and now they cheered and a bunch of them headed for the dance floor. She couldn’t help but grin.
Hugh, Shay, Joe, and Darcey were talking and laughing with each other, still in their own little love bubbles.
That left her and Adam. Screw it. She reached out and tugged on the bottom of his shirt.
He looked down at her, brows raised.
“Hey there, buddy.” She plastered a grin on her face and patted the seat beside her. “Why don’t you take a seat? Or are you just going to stand there making the place look untidy while my brothers single-handedly clean out the kitchen?”
“Buddy, huh?” He sat his butt down and leaned back, heavy thighs spread, arms crossing over his wide chest.
Do not check him out. “That’s what we are, right? Or can’t you be friends with women you consider annoying little sisters?” Crap. She probably shouldn’t have said that.
He shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. That was a first. She liked it.
“Of course we’re friends.”
“Awesome.” The waitress put her drink down in front of her and she lifted the shot glass. “Cheers.” She downed it and ordered another.
Adam frowned at her, and that pissed her off as well. Looking down on her, judging her, like everyone else. She was so over it. So damn sick of it.
“So what’re you doing here?” She turned in her chair and her knees slid along the outside of his thigh. That stubborn jaw got tight and he actually jerked away. Didn’t that just make her feel like the smelly girl with cooties? So she did what she always did when she felt hurt or embarrassed, she lashed out. “Why aren’t you out sowing your wild oats? I mean, that is if you have any oats left. You do dish them out pretty freely. Does it get exhausting, fucking a different woman every night?”
Adam stared at her, jaw not only tight but ticking like he was grinding his teeth.
“No?” She’d much rather fight with him and have him hate her than him learn the truth, that she was some sad, pathetic idiot who’d completely messed up her own life.
There goes Lucy, fucking up again.
Only this time was worse because she’d destroyed that family. She was the reason those kids didn’t have their father living with them anymore. She knew how that felt. How it felt to think you must have done something to send him away. That it was your fault.
And as bad as all that was, it wasn’t even the worst of it.
She jerked on the brakes, bringing those thoughts to a screeching halt.
Perhaps the powers that be decided to take pity on her, because her next shot arrived. She downed that one as well. When she looked up, Adam was watching her.
“Think you’ve had enough,” he muttered for her ears only.
“You do?” She turned to the waitress. “I’ll have another, thanks.”
“Lucy—”
“That’s not really your call, buddy.”
He gave her a dark look.
Whatever.
The music turned up again and a song she loved started playing. She’d changed her mind; she didn’t want to argue with Adam, she wanted to get the hell away from him.
She bounded out of her seat. “I’m dancing!”
Shay clapped her hands and Darcey wolf whistled as Lucy headed to the dance floor. Laughing, she did a little butt wiggle, ignoring the three scowling male faces at the table, and weaved her way into the center of the room.
Abella’s was packed with sexy Italian dudes. Maybe she should take a page out of Adam’s book and make the most of it. What the hell. Everyone already thought she was irresponsible. She ignored the voice of reason yammering in her head, telling her it was the alcohol talking, that this was her trying to forget the pain of the last few months—a way to get Adam out of her goddamn head—and entered the thick of it.
