“DRINK!” ALANNA SHOUTED just before the three of them lifted their shot glasses into the air and downed the tequila.
Lainie felt the alcohol burn her throat as she swallowed, eyes clenched shut as her body shivered from the sharp taste, quickly following the shot with a long swallow of her ice-cold beer. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Josh and Alanna were doing the exact same thing. It was a universal reaction to tequila no matter how smooth.
“Perfect,” Alanna said in a wheeze. “We should do another.”
Lainie just laughed. “Yeah, you sound like you’re ready for another shot.” She shook her head as she continued to laugh. This was definitely not the way she intended to spend her Wednesday night, but she was glad for the distraction. And the booze. Alanna surprised Lainie by being so accepting of her and even joining in on the jokes at Josh’s expense. The redhead even sat by Lainie on the couch as opposed to choosing to be near Josh. It almost felt as if the other woman flirted with Lainie more than Josh, which confused her. The heavy scent of pheromones in the room told Lainie that there was definitely more than just casual dating between Josh and Alanna, so why would the redhead be so touchy-feely with Lainie? It didn’t make sense.
“Another?” Josh asked with eyebrows raised. “Shouldn’t we let that one hit first before chugging another on top of it?”
“Wuss,” Alanna said. “What’s the problem? Can’t hold your liquor?”
“Yeah,” Lainie said, words slightly slurred. She thought Josh could be right about slowing down, but she wasn’t about to admit she needed a break as well, not in front of the sexy redhead. Lainie arched her eyebrows as the words of her thought reverberated in her mind. She shook her head, shaking the image from her mind as she turned to Josh. “I thought you’d love the idea of two women tipsy in your apartment.”
“It’s not that,” Josh started, but that’s as far as he got before Alanna took over Lainie’s point, scooting closer to Lainie as she spoke. “Yeah, what’s up with that?” She turned to Lainie, placing a hand on her thigh. Her words didn’t slur at all. “I thought two women together was every man’s fantasy. Is there something about Josh I should know before I go any further in this relationship?”
Lainie held a finger up. “Well, now that you mention it. He does hang around my brother a little too much to be just friendship. There’s a deep bromance there, I think.”
Josh just rolled his eyes as he groaned, “Please. That’s a little too…”
“You know, he did rake an entire forest for Dimitri,” Alanna said, her eyes wide as she recalled the way she found Josh last Friday. “I wouldn’t do that for anyone. I mean, really, raking a forest? Who does that?”
“Someone who doesn’t want to burn the place down,” Josh said. “Yeah, definitely no more tequila.”
“Well, if you don’t pour us another shot, you might never see this,” Alanna said, and before Lainie knew what happened, the redhead held Lainie’s cheeks in her hands and kissed her, deep and long, her tongue twirling in her mouth as she held Lainie in place.
At first, Lainie had no idea what to do as she sat there, the other woman French kissing her. Then, she placed her hands on Alanna’s arms and surrendered to the kiss, enjoying the soft taste of the other woman. When the kiss was broken, the two women just stared at each other, and Josh gawked at them with his mouth hanging open, eyes wide. Alanna gave Lainie a wink before turning to Josh. “So, do we get another shot?”
“Oh, yeah,” Josh said as he slid out of his chair and started toward the kitchen. He hadn’t gone two steps, however, before a hard rap came at the door.
Lainie felt a sharp twisting in the pit of her stomach as she jerked her attention to the door, her hands clutching tightly to Alanna’s arms. Miles. It has to be. She didn’t move, just stared.
Alanna bounced her gaze back and forth between Lainie and Josh, who also stared at the door. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Lainie swallowed, the sensation of Alanna’s kiss gone.
“I’ll get it,” Josh said as he moved toward the door. He glanced at Alanna. “You watch her.”
Alanna just nodded, placing a reassuring hand on Lainie’s arm, even though her expression showed she didn’t understand why she was doing it.
Lainie couldn’t take her eyes off the door as whoever was on the other side knocked again.
Josh opened the door, one hand clenched in a fist, standing back and to the side.
“Bout time,” Fitz Everest said as he shoved past Josh and into the apartment, his wife, Mandy, right behind him. There were several people behind him as a matter of fact—Gavin and his mates, Drey and Caitlin, Sheriff Pearlman, Victor Sutherlin, and Murphy Wallace. Each one entered the small apartment, some carrying beer or bottles of alcohol while others carried various snacks.
Lainie shot to her feet, staring at her brother and the others. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here?”
Josh closed the door, giving her a sheepish look. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention some friends were coming over.”
Fitz laughed as he shook his head. “Smooth, Rayburn.” He then turned to his sister. “I couldn’t let you sneak out of town without a proper sendoff. We called the troops and a party formed.” He lifted the bottle in his hand. “I even brought tequila.”
Lainie glanced at Alanna, and the two women laughed, a knowing look passing between them. Lainie hoped she’d be able to finish the promise of that kiss later. Turning back to her brother, she walked over to where he stood. “That sounds awesome, Fitz.” She reached out, placing her hand on his upper arm. “Thank you. Really. This means more than you know.”
He just smiled at her, his eyes soft, almost misty. “I’m going to miss you,” he whispered.
Lainie pressed her lips together and then embraced her brother. “And I’m going to miss you. Truly.”
“Hey, enough of this sadness,” Victor Sutherlin said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “This is a party, right?”
Lainie pulled away from her brother as she turned to face the small group in Josh’s apartment. Josh introduced Alanna to everyone, and Lainie noticed the redhead remained close to Josh’s side, suddenly looking like a cat in a room of hounds. Unsure what had the other woman so nervous, Lainie walked over and asked her to help with the glasses and ice, offering her something to focus on. When they were out of everyone’s earshot, Lainie asked, “You doing okay?”
Alanna nodded as she pulled glasses from a cabinet. “Yeah, just not good in small places with crowds. I prefer bigger bars or being outdoors.” She glanced over at Lainie, giving her a weak smile. “Bad memories. Sorry. I’ll shake it in a moment. It was just sudden, that’s all.”
“No worries,” Lainie said, offering the other woman a reassuring smile. “We all have our dark spots. I’m here if you need anything or need to escape outside a bit.”
“Hey, Lainie,” a voice said from behind them. “Can I help with anything?”
Lainie turned to see Mandy, Fitz’s new bride, standing there, looking as out of place as Alanna felt. Lainie smiled, suddenly feeling bad that she hadn’t spent more time with her new sister-in-law. While the arranged marriage wasn’t the way Lainie would have gone, Mandy was still part of the family now, and Lainie needed to treat her that way. She nodded as she gestured to the freezer. “You can fill these up with some ice while I get bowls down for the chips.”
Mandy nodded as she grabbed a couple of glasses and moved over to the freezer.
Once the other woman left, Alanna leaned in and whispered, “Sorry for that sudden kiss earlier. I just couldn’t help myself. The shock on both of your faces was pretty hot.”
Lainie giggled as she grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. “I’ll admit, it shocked me.” She then turned to Alanna, a sheepish grin on her face. “I’ll also admit, I liked it. A lot.”
Alanna winked. “Maybe we’ll get to finish it before time gets away from us.”
Lainie couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “I’d like that as well.” She then cocked her head to the side as she studied the other woman. “So, what exactly is going on between you and Josh? Should we even be talking like this?”
Alanna glanced over her shoulder at Josh who stood in the middle of the room talking to the other men. “He’s my destined mate,” she said. “We both know it, but I’m not ready to be marked yet. I need time.” She glanced back over to Lainie, a smirk on her face. “As far as sex, well, that’s sex, and a lot of fun. Even if I let him mark me, he’ll have to be open about certain things.”
Lainie nodded, glancing back at Josh. “I like being one of those certain things.” Perhaps that door wasn’t closed after all.