When Bellamy arrived at Sam’s around eight, Kai and a woman she assumed was Grace were already there, sitting at a square high-top table in a corner near the front window of the bar. A giant platter of cheese fries sat in the center of the table—minus the bacon—along with a frosty pitcher of margaritas and three salt-rimmed glasses.
Kai introduced Bellamy to Grace, and naturally, Grace eschewed a handshake in favor of a hug. Bellamy was starting to believe that was the customary greeting in Serenity.
Sitting between the two of them, Bellamy felt downright drab, although she’d dug out her best jeans and newer boots, pairing them with a floral western-style shirt and leather belt. She’d even applied a little makeup and attempted to curl her hair. She’d be lucky if the style lasted an hour.
Kai always dressed nice, and tonight was no exception. She’d forgone her usual cute dresses for a pair of slim jeans tucked into heeled black boots and a pale-yellow sweater that made her blue eyes pop. Her long blonde hair hung in a loose braid over one shoulder.
Grace was like a garden in springtime. Everywhere you looked was color. From her strawberry-blonde hair—more strawberry than blonde—to her jade-green eyes, red-stained lips and purple nails. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and trickled across her cheeks. It looked as though she’d come straight from her job—a loan officer at a local bank, Kai had explained—because her outfit was more work than casual, and more Atlanta than Serenity. Her gray fitted blouse accentuated the fullness of her breasts and her slim waist, and a charcoal-colored pencil skirt hugged her hips and thighs, ending just above her knees. On her feet was a pair of leopard-print pumps with heels so high, Bellamy winced at the thought of them pinching her toes, let alone trying to walk in them.
Questions flew for an hour about Bellamy’s job, mostly from Grace, before the topic shifted to men. By this point, the cheese fries were long gone and the second pitcher of margaritas had been ordered.
“So, Eli, huh?” Grace asked, bobbing her perfectly arched eyebrows.
Kai refilled their glasses as soon as a server returned with the fresh pitcher.
Bellamy shrugged and took a sip of her drink, shuddering at the amount of alcohol in it. The bartender was more liberal with the booze this go-round. Good thing they’d eaten the fries and were drinking slow, otherwise they’d be kissing Buzz Town goodbye on the way to Drunkville.
“Bellamy’s not an over-sharer like you are, Grace,” Kai said, giving Bellamy a playful wink.
“I didn’t ask for details about their sex life!” Grace said. Then mumbled, “At least not yet.”
“There’s so much there, I doubt I could find the right words anyway,” Bellamy said. “I mean, of course there are the obvious traits that don’t need repeating, but there are other things I don’t think his brothers even know about him.”
“I told you he was special,” Kai said, smiling softly.
“He is that,” Bellamy agreed, feeling her face flush.
“But does he make you forget your name in bed?” Grace asked.
“And here we go.” Kai rolled her eyes. “I knew it wouldn’t take long.”
“My name, social security number, date of birth, what I had for breakfast. And I think I’m developing a fetish for pearl snaps,” Bellamy blurted, then scowled at her drink. What the hell was in the thing, truth serum? Something that induced diarrhea of the mouth?
Oh right. Tequila, and lots of it.
Kai grabbed Bellamy’s arm. “Omigod, tell me about it. Fritz has this faded denim shirt that I swear is going to disintegrate every time I wash it, but all I have to do is hear those snaps come apart and it’s on, sister.”
“Eli wears this cream-colored one. Man oh man. I don’t even have to hear the snaps pop and I’m in need of a cold shower. And his forearms…Jesus.”
“Okay, you two can shut up now, says the girl who hasn’t gotten laid in four months, two days and eight hours.” Grace waved a hand at them.
“Hey, you asked first,” Kai said.
Grace pointed at her drink. “Alcohol makes you stupid. And obviously a glutton for punishment.”
“Whose fault is it you’re not getting any?” Kai asked. “Because it ain’t for lack of available candidates. Case in point, Mr. Lindley over there.” She pointed to where Tucker sat alone at the end of the bar, watching something sports-related on television and nursing a beer. “He’s attractive, sane, gainfully employed and available.”
“I spent the afternoon with him, checking over his horses and shooting the breeze,” Bellamy said. “He seems like a super-nice guy.”
“I agree with both of you. It’s just that I’m carrying a torch.” Grace frowned. “Well, really more like a pyre.”
“For?” Bellamy asked.
“Sage,” Kai supplied with a sad sigh.
Bellamy’s wide-eyed gaze swung back to Grace. “Ooh. And?”
“And he’s immune to my charms. Or just flat-out not interested. Or he’s in the closet.”
Kai gasped. “Sage is not gay!”
“How can you be so sure? He’s always going out of town, yet when he’s home, he’s practically a hermit.”
“How do you know that?” Bellamy asked.
Grace shrugged. “This is Serenity. News travels.”
“You mean gossip,” Bellamy said.
“Is there a difference?”
“Sage is not gay,” Kai repeated. “Trust me on that.”
“Have you slept with him?” Grace asked.
“You know I haven’t! But I happen to be engaged to his brother. I’ve heard tales of certain sexual escapades that would set your hair on fire.”
Grace’s brows rose. “Involving females?”
“Yes, involving females. He’s straight.”
“Do tell then,” Grace said.
“I’m sworn to secrecy,” Kai said.
“Pics or it didn’t happen,” Grace countered.
“Are you insane? You think I want pictures of Sage doing the nasty with some random chick or three on my phone?”
“I sure would,” Grace muttered against the rim of her glass.
Kai’s mouth twisted wryly. “Of course you would.”
Then Grace’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head and she shoved a purple-tipped finger across the table at Kai. “Aha! You said ‘or three’! He’s had a ménage! Er, wait, that would be a…” Her gaze went skyward while she thought. “What’s that called? A qua…quatrage?”
“Just call it a foursome, goofy, and I was being flip.”
Meanwhile, Bellamy was getting whiplash and her sides hurt from laughing at the two of them bicker good-naturedly, and perhaps a little drunkenly, back and forth. She was having a great time and she was glad they’d invited her to join them. Glad to have met them both and been welcomed so warmly into their small fold.
“But he’s had one?” Grace asked. “A foursome.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny any information unwittingly divulged while under the influence of alcohol and cross-examination from a tipsy, persistent redhead.”
“So. Sage Carter is not gay, he’s a closeted porn star,” Grace said smugly. “That Airstream is probably equipped with video cameras in the bedroom, a bucket o’ lube in the nightstand, and whips and chains in the closet. I bet he buys condoms by the truckload. That’s where he goes on the weekends when he disappears—to Atlanta to sell his self-made movies in the underground.”
Bellamy accidentally snorted her margarita, making her eyes water and her sinuses sting. She wheezed in a breath while trying not to choke on more laughter.
“See, this is how rumors get started.” Kai sighed, shaking her head, and reached for Grace’s glass. “I’m cutting you off.”
Grace giggled and slid the glass back toward her. “All right, I’ll stop. God, I really needed this night out.”
“Bad day at work?” Bellamy asked her once she’d recovered enough to speak.
Grace frowned down at her glass, flicking salt off the rim with a fingernail. “Bad every day at work. No matter how hard I bust my ass, it never seems to get noticed. At least not enough for me to lose the ‘junior’ part of my title. Five years I’ve worked for that bunch of misogynistic asshole cronies, bringing in big clients and consistently making good loans. All for nothing. But I’ve heard rumors another bank might be coming to town. I sure hope it’s true.” Then just like that, she perked up, the misery disappearing from her expression. Or at least she made a great showing of it. “Enough of my sob story. We’re here to have fun and cut loose, not grouse about my employer.”
“Allow me to take advantage of your slightly inebriated constitutions and plead for help with Ruby’s party,” Kai said to Bellamy and Grace.
“You don’t have to plead, Kai,” Bellamy said. “Just say when and where, and I’ll be there if I don’t have appointments. Even if I do, I’ll come over after I’m done.”
“Me too,” Grace said, topping off their drinks with what was left in the pitcher.
“I hate to be a pain, but I could use the help with decorating. The boys have been cleaning up the barn and I think they’re almost finished, but if I leave the decorating in their hands, the place will look like a stag party.”
“For sure. When’s the party?”
“The Saturday after Thanksgiving, so two weeks from tomorrow. I’m praying the weather is nice because I don’t have a backup plan at this point.”
“What do you have lined up as far as food and entertainment?” Grace asked.
“I’m having it catered by the Cottonwood Diner since Ruby’s not big on barbeque. Just a couple entrees, a few side dishes, salad, rolls and tea. If people want to drink alcohol they can BYOB. Marilee Martin is baking her cake, and I’ve booked Sam’s nephew’s country band.”
“Girl, you got this,” Grace said.
“Did you send invitations?” Bellamy asked.
Kai nodded. “But only to Ruby’s family and friends who live out of town. The rest I’ve called or told in person. I’m figuring on around seventy-five guests.”
Grace whistled. “Wow, that’s some birthday party.”
“She’s worth it, especially since she didn’t have a bash for her fiftieth and she’s always made the boys’ birthdays so special.”
“Speak of the devil and in he walks,” Grace said, nodding toward the front door where Eli and Fritz stood, their gazes landing on them. Kai, Grace and Bellamy waved then Grace slumped back in her chair. “Party’s over. Where’s the third musketeer, I wonder?”
“In Atlanta peddling homemade pornos,” Bellamy said, spurning another fit of laughter.
Kai covered her face with her hands. “I’ll never be able to look at Sage again without giggling.”
Instead of joining them, Eli and Fritz wandered down to the end of the bar where Tucker sat, and ordered beers. Probably a good thing, since it would be hard to explain what they’d found so funny.
“Why didn’t they come say hello?” Grace asked.
“Because I told Fritz I would kick his ass if he showed up before ten. I might require a ride home, but I don’t need a chaperone.”
Grace high-fived her. “You tell ’em, sister. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pee like a racehorse.”
“I need to go too,” Bellamy said, sliding out of her chair.
Kai sighed. “Well, fine. I guess I’ll go say hi then.”
Grace and Bellamy were standing at the sinks washing up when two girls burst into the restroom, chattering and preening in front of the remaining mirrors. Both looked to be just a day over twenty-one to Bellamy, wearing jeans so tight, bending their knees had to be difficult.
“Oh my God, Eli Carter just walked in. He’s so hot!” the brunette gushed, fanning her face for effect.
In the mirror, Grace met Bellamy’s gaze and winked as she reapplied a fresh coat of lipstick.
“Ain’t he, though?” the second girl said. “So are his brothers, but Fritz is taken. I hear he’s engaged to Kai Donnelly now. And I also heard Eli was seeing that new lady vet in town.”
Jesus, the gossip vine in this town rivals the internet. Bellamy pressed her lips together and made a showing of finger-combing her hair while she waited for Grace to finish.
“Well, he’s alone tonight and that makes him fair game, as far as I’m concerned,” the brunette said saucily.
Bellamy felt her eyes narrow. We’ll see about that.
It would be easy to say something nasty, but it wasn’t her style to get into catfights over men. There were other ways to handle situations like this, and she preferred to let actions speak louder than words. They tended to carry more weight.
Grace must’ve been thinking the same thing. She looped an arm through Bellamy’s, saying, “Come on, girlfriend. Let’s go polish a few belt buckles.”
Fritz had Kai on his lap when they exited the bathroom, kissing her neck, putting a secret smile on her mouth. Bellamy laced her fingers through Eli’s, tugging him off his barstool. “Dance with me, cowboy.”
He smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around her waist as she led him out onto the dance floor. Grace followed with Tucker in tow, a wide grin of pure delight on his face, and maybe a touch of disbelief. It wasn’t long before Fritz and Kai joined them too.
Eli pulled her close as a country ballad started playing on the jukebox. She slid her hands around his neck, relishing the heat and awareness that flared as their bodies touched.
Over his shoulder, she noticed the two young girls from the bathroom gaping at them while they whispered to each other, probably calling Bellamy all kinds of ugly names. She didn’t care. When Grace and Tucker drew closer, Grace gave Bellamy a fist bump. In the high heels, her and Tucker were nearly the same height, and his grin hadn’t faded one degree.
“What was that all about?” Eli asked.
“Just silly girl stuff.”
He pressed his mouth to her ear, whispering, “You look beautiful.”
“So do you.” She drew one palm down to stop over his heart. “I love the shirt.” It was rose-colored with faint paisley print and pearl snaps. In addition to being pretty, it showed off the width of his shoulders, hugged the muscled curves underneath. She fingered the snap in the center of his chest. “Can I tell you something?”
“Always.”
“I think I’m developing a fetish for pearl snaps.”
His eyes glittered with mischief. “That so?”
She nodded, biting her lip.
“Any old pearl snaps or just my pearl snaps?”
“Just yours.” No question.
They were almost indecently close now, with Eli’s hard thigh tucked between her legs as they swayed to the music. Arousal simmered in her blood. Everyone else in the room disappeared.
“Good to know ’cuz I have a closet full of ’em.”
Bellamy smiled, burying her nose in the shirt, breathing his scent deep. One of his hands cupped the back of her neck while the other rested at the top of her ass, keeping their lower halves pressed together. Making her panties wet and her heart thump with anticipation.
He brushed his mouth across her temple. “I’ve missed you this week.”
She drew back to peer up at him. “Yeah?”
“Like crazy.”
“Same here,” she confessed.
“I’ll make it up to you later tonight,” he said, those gray eyes darkening with heat and promise.
“How about sooner rather than later?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he took her hand and they left the dance floor, waving goodbye to everyone as they headed for the door. Eli helped her up into his truck then circled around to climb in. As soon as his door slammed shut behind him, he was grabbing her thighs and dragging her across the truck seat. Laughing, she caught his face in her hands to kiss him, tracing the seam of his lips with her tongue, bypassing flirty and coy altogether. He groaned into her mouth and let her in before taking control of the kiss, melting her bones in the process.
They necked like greedy teenagers for a solid ten minutes, hands roaming everywhere, breathing heavy enough to fog the windows, before she said, “Not that I have anything against making out in your truck, but I’d rather you come home with me.”
“No way in hell I’m fucking you in the parking lot of a bar, either.” He shoved a hand through his hair then grabbed the steering wheel. “Just need a minute for some blood to return to my brain so I can remember how to drive.”
Bellamy scooted back to her side of the truck while he adjusted the impressive bulge in his jeans with a wince.
“All the doors and compartments on your truck locked?” he asked her.
“Yes. Think it’ll be okay?” She wasn’t totally sloshed, but she was tipsy enough to know she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, drive herself home.
“Yeah, the streetlights stay on all night and city cops patrol pretty regularly through here.”
Decision made, Eli cranked the truck, they both buckled up, and he drove out of the parking lot.