Page 23 of Ice Cold Hearts
“Fried pickle chips?” Emily asks hesitantly. “I’ve been wanting to try them. I can get them and my drinks to. Just remind me to ask for a separate tab when the waitress gets here.”
“Absolutely not,” Alexei says.
Her nose crinkles adorably, and I have to fight the urge to kiss the tip of it.
“Do you really hate them so much that you can’t be at the same table as them? Are they not worth ordering?” she asks, confused.
Oliver laughs. “What my grumpy friend here is trying to say is that under no circumstances will you be paying for anything tonight. We are taking you out. I don’t know what kind of frogs you’ve been dating lately, but you’re with a couple of princes tonight and we don’t allow our woman to pay for drinks.”
Emily’s smile reaches her eyes for the first time tonight, and I’m struck once again by how stunning she is. Her amber eyes almost glow under the dim lights of the club, and the thick knot of hair on the top of her head is practically begging me to take it down and tangle my hands in it. I can’t help but picture that hair brushing against my chest as she rides my dick.
“Ian.” Emily taps my shoulder. “She just asked what you wanted.”
I glance at the edge of the table at the woman that had apparently walked up while I was in fantasyland.
“I’ll have a Negroni. Did we already put in for the nachos and pickles?” I ask.
The waitress smiles and nods.
“And you, Hon?” She nods at Alexei.
She’s brave. I’m pretty sure his own mother called him sir.
“Do you still have the Jasmine Tea Mocktail?” he asks.
“We do. All right, I’ll put that in for you.” She gives us a lingering look. “Unless there’s anything else I can get you?”
I feel Emily bristle beside me.
“Thank you, Hon.” She practically spits the word. “But we’re good here.”
I pinch my lips together to keep from smiling, but Oliver can’t keep the grin off his face so he tries to hide it behind his hand.
“What are you two laughing about?” Emily scolds after the waitress scurried off. “The two of you looked ready to murder any guy who so much as looked at me when I was walking over here, but it’s funny when I get a little jealous?”
“I found it rather charming,” I admit.
I’m rewarded with a smile and a squeeze of my hand.
“I found it funny,” Oliver admits, then quickly adds, “Do you honestly think we’d even glance at anyone else when we’ve got a literal goddess at our table?”
Emily shakes her head at him. “Are you always this good at getting yourself out of trouble, McKenna, or are you just trying to impress me?”
“How about both?” he teases.
The waitress comes back bringing our drinks, our appetizers, and unfortunately, the tense mood from when we first sat down.
Alexei looks at me and nods once as soon as the coast is clear. I’m not sure how, but somewhere down the line, I ended up being appointed as our group’s emotional spokesperson. I don’t mind, though. I’ve always found it easier to let my feelings live on the surface even if it’s gotten me into trouble.
I reach over and grab Emily’s hand. She startles but doesn’t pull away, so I take it as a sign to continue.
“Emily, we owe you an apology. Don’t say anything yet, just hear me out. We got carried away in the stairwell. All that talk about informed, enthusiastic consent, and clearly, we didn’t give you enough information based on the guilty look you gave us when you came in with Alexei. The three of us were so drawn to you that none of us thought much further than getting you to say yes. That’s not how we do things,” I tell her.
“Do you do this sort of thing often?” she asks with a vague gesture at the three of us.
“Not often, but it’s happened once or twice before,” Alexei answers.
“And you have a routine? You just fit the woman in like a cog in a machine?” Emily bites her lip nervously.