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Hayden laughed as theymetal doors of the club
“Having a good night, ladies?” The bouncer’s lips quirked as he perused Hayden from head to toe, clearly amused She should never have let Lilly talk her into this dress She tugged on the edges of the tight black fabric that disappearedhand “IDs”
“You’re not seriously going to card me, are you, Ron?”
He laughed “Sorry, doll I could get fired if I don’t”
She dug into her bright red clutch and pulled out her wallet, then flashed hiled hers over Hayden’s shoulder “Happy?”
He took a good look, as if he hadn’t known her for three years and her best friend and his brother didn’t own the bar “I’d be even happier if you’d tell Jace I deserve a raise”
She shoved her wallet back in her purse “If he ever decides to talk to ain, I will”
A lump swelled in her throat Jace had pretty much shut her out the last teeks To bethe job in Sudan She thought he’d be proud of her He’d always been her biggest cheerleader—evenher work over her shoulder when theyher while she was on location, Jace was always the oneher believe she could accootten pissed off and then disappeared, putting an impenetrable wall up between them
“Oh, he’ll talk to you all right” Lilly grabbed her ar a kiss to Ron “In this dress, anyone with a dick and half a brain will have so to say to you”
Hayden squir the fabric If only it were a couple of inches longer Maybe then she wouldn’t feel like her vagina was on display for the entire club to see
“Stop fidgeting,” Lilly scolded, tossing her mass of thick blond curls over her shoulder
“I can’t help it It’s so short”
“That’s the point”
Lilly tugged her toward the bar Jace didn’t get behind the bar much any, bouncing, nausea-inducing crowd, just like the one in front of her
“Looks like your boy is here,” Lilly said, standing on her tiptoes, looking for a seat How she hadn’t broken her neck in those five-inch zebra-print heels was beyond Hayden’s comprehension They defied the laws of physics “How are s worthy?”
Hayden turned away and ignored the ugly burn in her chest when Lilly tugged on her bra to ensure the girls were on display She hated when her assistant flirted with Jace And the fact that she hated it just irritated her even ? You’re on the border of nipple territory I think they’re good”
“Oh, for the love of all that’s holy, they’re both working tonight?” Lilly sighed “All that hotness on display and a sea of silicone separating us So not fair”
Hayden spotted a flash of the brothers working side by side before a group of guys slapping one another on the back blocked her view Nate and Jace were behind the bar tonight That didn’t happen very often, and it explained all the excite the club, but none of thes brothers and the routine they’d spent years developing
Right on cue, she heard Nate’s voice ring out a command, and a bottle of vodka flew up above the bar She didn’t have to see to know that Jace had caught it behind his back tobefore they had girls lined up on the bar for body shots Hayden rolled her eyes and muttered, “Show-offs”
“Let’s get a seat” Lilly leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And I know you said no frat boys, but if I were you, I’dyou with his eyes over there”
Hayden nodded, feeling nervous and fluttery inside God, was she really going to do this? Yes But not before she got a drink in her Or three She pushed past a group of girls who looked young enough to have bedtimes and hopped up onto one of the sleek leather barstools Jace was farther down the bar pouring a drink, completely unaware of her presence His dark hair was styled into messy spikes The deep, intricate colors of his sleeve tattoo swirled down his forearm to peek out from the navy blue Henley shirt that was pushed up to his elbows
The way the fabric stuck to his cut, irl drool And he didn’t have to take off his shirt for her to know the artwork didn’t stop there His parents’ nahed at soirl whispered into his ear, then slid her a drink with a lemon and moved on to the next person
She sucked in a breath to calht of hied the unused cardboard coasters on the bar into a perfect line One inch between each of them No more No less
“Is he still pouting? I’ to have to go back to la about it I’ a more proactive approach” Lilly worked her way up onto the barstool next to Hayden, taking the sa up “Like getting you laid I’et into the Guinness Book of World Records if I pull it off”