Page 25 of Whiskey & Honey
I’m impressed by Ben’s birthday gift for Ashton. Those pictures were perfect and the locket itself is perfect for her. When he said he had a gift for her I assumed it was an iTunes gift card or a book. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised he went out of his way to get her the perfect present. He’s that guy.
I watch Ashton subconsciously finger the locket on the chain as she rambles on and on about, well I don’t really know. I’m a horrible friend because instead of listening to her, I’m more interested in watching the way Ben moves his arms while talking to his dad in the front seat. I can’t help but imagine what those arms would be like holding him over me as he kisses me. His hands really are quite big, have I ever noticed that before? His fingers, I bet they can create magic.
“Hello!” Fingers snap in front of my face, pulling me from my less-than-innocent thoughts. “Are you even listening to me?”
“What? Oh sorry, I was just thinking about how much I love you and how much fun we’re going to have.” Liar, pants on fire.
“Well, of course we are! Are you going to dance with me? I feel like dancing tonight. Plus, you’ve got on your dancing boots!”
Ben laughs and turns around from the front seat. He looks at me with eyes full of questions and mischief. I roll my eyes at him and turn toward Ash. “First, stop shouting, we are all right here. Second, I’m pretty sure I don’t dance. Like ever. And last, I always have my boots on. Look, we’re here.”
Chuckles from the front seat won’t sway me from my “no dancing” rule. I’m laughing to myself and shaking my head as we head inside Country Road. I will never understand why Ashton would want to spend her nights off at her place of employment, but here we are. Of course, this thought on my part may be the fact that my place of employment smells like glue and crayons. Regardless, I don’t understand.
Ash links arms with me and attempts to get me to skip with her to the door. “Ashton, you did just turn twenty-five. Maybe you should give up the skipping.”
“Pish posh. I’m twenty-five not eighty-five! Come on, girlfriend, let’s boogie!”
It has been two hours since we arrived for the “Ashton turns twenty-five extravaganza” and so far so good. Ashton is having a blast and there has been zero drama, aka no Tony sightings. I’ve enjoyed watching Ash float around laughing and dancing. I’ve also managed to dodge her demands for me to join her on the dance floor.
“Whew, it’s hot in here. Are you having fun, Pipe?” Ashton shouts at me as she flops into the booth next to me. She literally flops, almost laying down as she does it. Giggles and snorts abound as I slide a water toward her. “Drink up, Ash, you need to have some water.”
She doesn’t even argue and takes a few hearty drinks. The guys are all up at the bar right now taking shots. Well, all except Ben. I noticed he’s taken the same path as me and hasn’t been drinking. I have been stealing glances in his direction far too often.
“Shit. I knew it was too good to be true,” Ashton hisses.
I follow her sight line and notice my night of fun is about to end.
“Hey, sweetheart. Ashton.” Addressing Ashton must have killed Tony.
“Dickhead and dickhead’s friends. Could you leave, please? You’re ruining my good time.” I laugh as Ashton attempts to dismiss Tony and his friends.
“Nice to see you too, Ashton. But no. Last I checked you don’t actually own this place. Plus, I want to see my girl. How about a dance, Piper?”
I glance toward the bar and see that Ben has caught sight of our newly arrived guests. He turns to walk toward us and Jameson stops him. They exchange a few words and now all the guys are headed our way. This can’t be good.
“Tony, hey. What’s up?” Jameson asks, offering his hand to Tony.
“Hey, man. Not much, just seeing if my girl is up for a dance.”
I hear a low rumbling of a growl come from Ben as Ashton hops up from her seat. “No can do, dickhead. She’s already got a full dance card. Ben, weren’t you just about to take Piper for a spin on the dance floor?”
My eyes go wide as I look up through my lashes. “Ash, hush. Ton…”
“You bet I was,” Ben says as he extends his hand to me and I take it. “Shall we? Excuse us, guys.”
Holding my hand, Ben leads me to the dance floor as a slower song comes through the speakers. My heart can probably be heard over the music, it’s beating so loud. My palms are sweating and my breathing is questionable. It’s possible I’m having a heart attack. At twenty-five.
As he pulls me to him with ease, I find my body melting into Ben, my nerves easing, and the tension leaving my body. Just as I’m starting to relax, his right hand comes around to grip my lower back and I let out a little gasp and he laughs. My eyes shoot up to his to find him smirking and his eyes hazy with more than humor. Lust? It’s not something I’m really privy to but if I were to put a label on it, lust would be the one.
“Relax, Princess.”
“Sorry, I am not much of a dancer and I feel like everyone is watching us. It’s nerve-wracking.”
“Well, they are all watching us, but I think that is a good thing. If they are over there they can’t talk to us. I don’t know about you but being sober around that group is exhausting. I’m ready to call it a night and them a cab.”
I couldn’t agree more and laugh at his comment. “I thought it was just me. I love your sister but the more she drinks the higher her pitch goes.”
We manage to relax. Okay, I manage to relax for the rest of the song. And the next two. I don’t know who decided to play all of these slow songs but I’m not complaining. Three songs in this man’s arms is nothing to avoid. With each song I find myself closer and closer to his body. At this point, we are practically one person.