Page 73 of Risk
It’s been so long since I’ve gone clubbing. I wish my sisters were here with me. Aly would really appreciate this DJ’s skills and Bex would be a blast to dance with.
Once the song’s over, I snake my way over to order a bottle of water. I need to hydrate before I die-drate.
“I’ve got it.” Landon lifts his hand to the bartender. “Put it on my tab.”
“No, no, I can buy my own water.”
“Let me be a nice guy tonight, Leah.” He puts his hands together like he’s about to pray. “Pretty please, with cherries on top?”
“Fine.” It’s just a bottle of water. Still, I don’t always like it when people pay for my stuff. It makes me feel like I owe them something in return, which isn’t true, but whatever. My brain is not always logical.
“I’m not sure where you came from.” Landon grabs the water and twists the top off for me. “But I’ve never seen Mason like this before.”
“Like what?” I take a careful sip. The liquid pours down my throat, dousing my overheated body with icy goodness.
“Happy. Himself.” He takes a sip of his drink. “Kerrington says you guys just met?”
This feels like a trap. “Yeah.”
“And he flew you out here?”
“Yup.” I don’t think I like where this conversation is going.
“He’s never done that before.” Landon rests his elbow on the bar. “He doesn’t date. He doesn’t go clubbing. And he sure as shit doesn’t talk about having a future wife.”
“That was just a joke.”
“No, it wasn’t.” He takes another sip, cautiously looking up to where Mason and Kerrington have secured us a table. “He’s crazy for you.”
“That’s…” I shake my head. “No, he’s just in a great mood because of the deal you guys secured today. A billion bucks would make anyone happy and talking crazy.”
“Not Mason.” He takes another sip of his drink before locking eyes on me. “He doesn’t give a fuck about money like that.”
“Well, he seemed thrilled when he told me about it. He was super proud. As he should be.”
“Mase took every dime he had, combined it with ours, worked his ass off, and sold his precious company for a mint.”
“Hence the happy mood.” I’m not sure I understand the problem here. What’s Landon getting at? “He made a lot of money today.”
Landon’s smile falls. “No, sweetheart. He lost everything today.”
My gut twists. “What do you mean?”
Landon downs his drink and slams it on the bar just as Mason approaches. “I gotta take a piss.”
“Could have lived my whole life without that knowledge,” Mason says, letting Landon slip by him. Leaning against the bar, he runs his finger along my ribcage. “I thought you might need rescuing down here. Landon doesn’t shut up after he’s had too many drinks.”
“Oh no, he’s fine. He was drinking club soda.”
“Really?” Mason’s brow pinches as he looks in the direction Landon went in. Then he focuses back on me. “You wanna dance?”
“Always.” I drain the rest of my water and place the empty bottle on the bar. Mason leads me into the crowd, his big hand engulfing mine. Even with his jacket and vest off, he must be sweltering. I’m melting in my dress, and it barely covers anything.
We easily find the rhythm, and I wrap my arms around his neck. We don’t say a word, but our eyes talk plenty. It’s hot, secretive, but there’s worry in both of our gazes, too.
The night ends faster than I expect, and we head out to our cars just after the club closes.
“Leah, it was a pleasure meeting you.” Kerrington drapes his arm over my shoulder. “You keep this fucker in line, mmkay? Spank him if you have to. It’s likely the only way he’ll learn.”