laid her head on my shoulder. “Do you hear that?” she asked.
I listened but didn’t hear anything out of the usual. “Uh, no, doll.”
She reached up and patted my cheek. “You’re such a good boy.”
Raelyn sputtered, and Playboy choked on his beer.
“Boy, doll?” I laughed.
She waved her hand around. “You know what I mean. How about sexy boy?”
“Sounds like a pedophile,” Raelyn snickered.
“Let’s just stick with Six, Memphis.”
She laid her hand on my thigh and sighed. “A sexy Six.”
Now that sounded a lot better than boy.
Raelyn managed to slide off her stool and stumbled ‘til she found her balance. “Whew, maybe I should have stopped at four,” she muttered.
“Where are you going?” Memphis asked.
Raelyn hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “Pool.”
“What kind of bar has a pool?” Memphis asked. “I didn’t even bring my swimming suit. I’m going to have to swim in my underwear.”
Maybe Memphis was a little more drunk than I thought. She only had two glasses of Raelyn’s rum concoction, and they obviously hit her pretty hard.
Raelyn cackled with laughter and leaned on the bar. “No, silly. The kind of pool with sticks and balls.”
“Oh,” Memphis laughed. “I suck at that.”
“I don’t think we’re playing the same kind of pool if you suck on the balls,” Raelyn laughed.
Memphis giggled. “I meant I suck at pool. I’m not good.” She leaned toward Raelyn. “At all.”
Raelyn grabbed Memphis’ hand and pulled her off her stool. “Let’s go, sister.”
They managed to make it over to the pool table with neither of them falling on their face.
“You think we should move over there?” I asked.
Playboy glanced over his shoulder. “They’re good.” He turned back to me. “Raelyn has been needing this. Losing Leona really did a number on her.”
“I bet.” I couldn’t imagine losing any of the guys in the club who were like my brothers. Leona was like Raelyn’s sister, and now, she was gone.
“I’m there for her whenever she needs me, but she needs more than me. Hopefully Memphis sticks around for a while and can help fill that void.”
I nodded and grabbed my glass of water. “I hope so, too.”
Playboy chuckled. “You fully decide she’s it?” he asked.
I nodded and glanced at the girls as they tried to fit all of the balls into the triangle. “I’d be a damn fool to not see it.”
“And what is it?”
“You trying to get me to spew my feelings all over this bar?” I laughed.
Playboy shrugged. “We can all see it. Just wondering if you saw it.”
I saw it. It was hard to ignore.
“She’s it. Don’t know if she knows it yet, but she’s getting closer.” The kiss earlier was a huge step. Just like always, I gave her the choice.
She chose me.
Playboy chuckled. “She’s a lot closer than you think she is. Just keep doing whatever the hell it is you’re doing, and it’ll all work out.”
“Are you the guy we go to for relationship advice now?” I laughed. “The guy who had more girls than he knew what to do with is now settled down and thinking he’s good enough to dole out advice?”
Playboy shrugged. “I mean, if the shoe fits, I might as well put the fucker on and lace it up.”
“Stop!” Raelyn screeched.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I jumped up from my stool and saw two guys crowding in on Raelyn and Memphis.
“What the fuck?” Playboy growled.
One of the guys put his arms around Memphis from behind and tried to bend her over.
Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked dead. No emotion on her face.
Completely checked out.
I tore my way across the bar and ripped the guy off her.
Playboy was right behind me and put the guy who was crowding in on Raelyn in a headlock.
Monk was next to me and grabbed Memphis before she fell to the floor.
I whipped the guy away from the table, put my hand around his neck, pressed him to the wall, and got in his face. “What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growled.
The guy struggled against the hold I had, but he wasn’t getting loose. “Stop, stop,” he croaked.
I pressed against his windpipe and cut off his air. “The girls said that to you, too, but you didn’t fucking stop. Why the fuck should I?” I spit in his face.
“Hey,” one of the guy’s friends called. “He didn’t mean any harm.”
I glanced over at Memphis who was still staring blankly at the floor.
“You think you can touch whoever you want? Doesn’t