Dirty Desires (Devil Kings MC #3) - Nicole James Page 0,6

screwing up her face and doing a whole-body shiver.

Hayley lifts a brow. “Whatever.” She raises her shot glass, and they all follow suit. “Happy twenty-first birthday, brat!”

“Here, here, and the last one of us to do it,” Melody shouts out.

“Thanks, babes,” I reply, and we all down them.

Hayley, who’s been my best friend since fourth grade when we fought over Jimmy Wilkes, knows me better than anyone. She cocks her head and immediately reads my mood. “You just turned twenty-one, Tess, you should be more excited than this. What’s the matter?”

I shrug. I’m not sure I even know. I work at the local food bank, passing out groceries, delivering meals to seniors and sometimes helping plan fundraising events and soliciting donations from corporations. It’s a job I love. I’ve also got great friends, and I’m young with my whole life ahead of me. If you don’t count my fucked up family, things are great.

“I know what’s wrong with her,” Carla chimes in. “She needs to get laid.”

They all burst out laughing.

Ha-ha, hilarious. Men nearby turn to stare, and I want to curl up and die of embarrassment.

Melody bites down on her stir straw and lifts her index finger from her rum and Coke to point toward the dartboards. “How about that guy? He’s cute. Bet he’d be up for a go.” She giggles.

Hayley twists to look over her shoulder. “No way. It’s like you don’t even know Tess at all. She likes ‘em tall and blond. Oh, and she likes facial hair.” She bumps my shoulder and gives me that look, the one that says she knows all my secrets, and she’s not above teasing me with them.

I roll my eyes and bump her back.

“You mean like that guy at the end of the bar?” Carla asks.

We all turn to follow her gaze, and that’s when I spot him. Holy hell. He’s tall and rugged looking with a square jaw lined with the perfect amount of facial hair that grows along his jaw bone and encircles his mouth. It glints with golden highlights in the lights from the bar.

“Oh, my God,” Hayley murmurs softly beside me. Then I feel an elbow jab in the ribs, and she hisses in my ear. “Go buy him a drink or something.”

This is my first damn night in a bar, not that I haven’t partied before. I was quite the hellion in high school, not to mention the tailgates parties we’d all have down by the river practically every weekend. But this is different. This is walking over to a grownass man in a bar and hitting on him.

I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge though, and my girls all know it.

Melody grins and clinches the deal. “I dare you, Tess.”

I lift my chin. Why the hell not? I feel good tonight. I’m wearing my favorite low cut jeans and the cute blouse I treated myself to today. It’s black, sleeveless, and tied up around my waist showing off the abs I’ve worked so hard for.

I feel confident. Why not be brave and do it? I look back at the man in question. The guy is gorgeous, and he appears to be alone.

I get up from our table, and my girls all hoot and holler as I focus in on him. The ruckus draws his attention, and he glances over, and then does a double take when I catch his eye. I run my hand through my hair, pulling back the long blonde locks that hang almost to my ass. I give it my best slow sexy strut as I walk across the room. His gaze moves down my body, then sweeps back up to latch onto mine, and we hold eyes until I’m standing right in front of him.

“Hey, beautiful,” he says.

“Hey, handsome. Have a drink with me?” I cock my head and smile.

The corner of his mouth pulls up. “Absolutely. What’ll you have?” he asks, already snapping his fingers twice for the bartender.

“Seven & Seven.”

“What brings you out tonight?” he asks, pushing up the sleeves of the thermal he’s got on under a denim shirt. There’s lots of yummy ink revealed. I can’t really tell what it all is, but I catch some skulls.

He stands and slides his barstool out for me. I sit. “Well, actually, it’s my birthday.”

His gaze cuts over to the table where my friends sit, all staring back at us then quickly looking away.

“That your posse?”

I grin. “Posse. I like that. Yes, that’s my posse.”

His