Bad Engagement (Billionaire's Club #10) - Elise Faber Page 0,52

need, an important one, was hot sex, not that she let her brothers in on that sentiment.

Regardless, it was nice to get the heavy out the way then to just sit with her friends and tease and laugh and drink too much as the conversation drifted to reality TV and what they were getting each other for Christmas.

Tradition said they got each other a white elephant gift, along with something they really wanted.

All small things—their budget for both together was forty dollars.

But it made for a fun tradition of getting together on Boxing Day and exchanging gifts.

“Only four more days until presents!” she said with a nod at her tree in the corner of the room several hours later as she shepherded them out the front door.

“Meanie!” Heidi said and stuck her tongue out. “You know I don’t have any patience when it comes to surprises.”

“Technically, it’s only three days since it’s after midnight,” Kels said, wavering slightly as she made her way into Tanner’s arms.

“I stand by my meanie statement,” Heidi said.

Cora giggled but didn’t say anything, just headed down the stairs and for Tanner’s car.

Kate smothered a grin and kept walking her friends out. Tanner had knocked on the door after Kelsey had called him not too long before for a ride home—since they were all lightweights and three bottles of wine between them had certainly put them well beyond their limits for operating motor vehicles.

Hell, they could barely operate a doorknob.

A fact that Tanner had busted a gut over after how long it had taken the three of them to figure out the lock and turn the handle.

Three because Kate had eventually nudged her friends to the side and opened the door herself.

She’d always been a little better at holding her alcohol than her friends—something that had been helped even more recently because she and Kelsey had been practicing of late with prickly pear margaritas from their favorite Mexican restaurant.

Anyway, she digressed, but—shrug—that was the lovely, pleasant, fuzzy-headed side effect of the booze talking.

Which was probably going to make for a painful morning.

At least for her head.

Her heart, on the other hand, was full. There was champagne in her veins, bubbling and filling her with so much joy that she couldn’t wait to see Jaime again.

She’d texted him already, telling him to come back, to come and kiss her goodnight—cough, because she wouldn’t mind more than a kiss—but it was late, and he hadn’t texted back, so he was probably already in bed.

Which made sense. She had the rest of the week off, but he had to work a full day tomorrow—well, later that day—and then another half-day on Christmas Eve. He didn’t exactly have the luxury of a midnight-post-Girl’s-Night messing around session. Even if she definitely wanted a repeat of the previous evening.

A repeat with the cherry on top. And maybe some chocolate sauce.

And whipped cream.

Mmm.

Just not on her sheets.

Grinning, she checked her cell again, saw that he still hadn’t texted back. But that was okay.

He had a life.

Of course, now she wanted that life to be firmly intertwined with hers.

Because, God, what he’d said that night. Unabashedly and without compunction right in front of her friends. Her heart swelled because it meant so freaking much to her and her carefully protected heart. It meant . . . everything.

Her eyes burned and she knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge for one more text before she let sleep take her over.

Just nudging that door open a little wider.

Heidi stumbled, and Kate pushed her sappy thoughts away, focused on getting her goofy ass friends safely into Tanner’s car.

“Have fun with the drunk patrol,” she said, herding Heidi to his car.

Tanner stopped, glanced from Kelsey to Kate to Cora to Heidi, and though he didn’t groan out loud, Kate still saw it cross his face.

“You love me when I’m drunk,” Kelsey stage whispered. “It means you’re guaranteed to get lucky.”

Heidi pretended to gag. “Just drop me off before you start taking his clothes off, okay?”

“No guarantees,” Kelsey sing-songed.

Heidi fake gagged again.

At least, Kate hoped it was fake.

Tanner was apparently on the same train of thought. “So long as that wasn’t a real pretend puke—” He shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The point is . . . just no puking in the car. Deal?”

“Deal,” Cora said and patted his cheek before sitting down and fumbling with her seat belt.

Tanner’s eyes rolled to the sky, but he reached over and buckled her in.

“Heidi?” he asked.

“No puking,”