All the Wright Moves Page 5

  “Good taste,” Cannon said.

  Pete brought the beer to me, and Cannon dropped cash on the bar.

  “Um, thanks for this,” I said.

  “No problem. Me and my buddies are playing pool. If you want to play a game, come join us.”

  He winked at me and then disappeared.

  A small thrill ran through me as I headed back to where Weston was waiting. I did a little jig as I walked back to him.

  “Oh my God, I did it!” I twirled in place, nearly falling over in my heels.

  Weston laughed and reached for me. “Someone bought you a drink?”

  “Yes! He’s playing pool over there. Should I go talk to him again?”

  Weston glanced at the guys I pointed out and wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, probably not. This is just practice. Let’s not get attached to the frat boys.”

  I snorted. “Not my type anyway. But he was nice! And he bought me a drink.”

  “See, I told you it was easy once you got started.”

  “I didn’t really do anything though. He did everything. I didn’t even realize he was flirting with me.”

  West laughed. “Yeah. That was the story of my life, too, but you’ll be able to pick it out the more practice you have. See if you can get a guy to ask for your number.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Just talk about your life.”

  My eyes widened. “Uh, you make it seem like that’s simple.”

  “It is.”

  “You’re a musician. So, of course it is.”

  He tipped his drink at me. “Fair.”

  “So, just…regale them with descriptions of my plants and being a wedding planner?”

  He nearly choked on his drink. “Maybe hold off on talk of being a plant lady and wedding bells until the first date.” I rolled my eyes at him. “What did you say to that guy?”

  “I don’t know. I mentioned Wright Vineyard.”

  “There. That’s your opening. Try that again.”

  I bit my lip and glanced at the bar again as I sipped my beer. That had been surprisingly easier than I’d thought. And a little confidence boost. All I’d had to do was fake being confident, and I hadn’t even done that well. Maybe I could do this.

  I finished off my second beer. “Should I try again?”

  Weston brushed a strand of hair off my face. “Knock ’em dead.”

  7

  Weston

  There was only one problem with this situation.

  It was working.

  Nora was shy around guys. That fact was still clear. But it didn’t seem to matter. Once I’d forced her to wade out into the deep end, she’d figured out how to swim. Every adorable stagger brought her right back to me with another beer in hand, giggling about the stupid thing that the guy had said or how she’d managed to get through the conversation. She still hadn’t had anyone ask for her number, but she was on her fourth beer, and I’d only purchased the first.

  “I did it,” she crooned as she stumbled into me. Literally.

  I caught her around the middle, swung her around, and pressed her back against the wall. She gave a little hiccup, and then covered her mouth.

  “I did it.”

  “Did what?” I asked, suddenly conscious that I had her pressed against a wall.

  My body leaned into her with an arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She was all soft and supple under me. And despite sending her off after other guys all night, I’d had a good night. Her coming back to me and recounting it all. Always back to me, doing her ridiculous little dance.

  She held up her beer. It wasn’t Blood & Honey, which meant it was beer five. “Gave out my number.”

  “Really? Who?”

  She pushed my shoulder lightly and pointed out the guy. He was another frat bro, like the first, with a backward baseball cap and a popped collar. It was just practice, but I didn’t like the idea of that guy hitting on her.

  “His name is Chip.”

  “Of course it is.”

  She giggled again. “Do I go out with him?”

  “Nah. Just practice, Snickers.”

  She tipped her head back. “This has actually been fun, West. Thanks for taking me out here.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

  Her bright blue eyes looked up at me. She wasn’t even trying to flirt with me. She had no idea what those eyes were doing to me, looking up at me under thick, dark lashes. A half-smile on her painted lips.

  I swallowed and tried to focus on anything other than my cock twitching in my pants. I did not need to feel this right now. She’d had her heart broken, and the last thing she needed was for me to make any of this harder. Not to mention, Campbell and Hollin had made it clear that nothing was going to happen there. I wasn’t sure they’d ever forgive me if I touched her. I was pretty sure they’d kill me if I hurt her. I couldn’t take that chance.

  So, I backed up.

  Way up.

  Put all the distance I needed between me and her. Told my cock to fucking sort its shit out. Nora Abbey wasn’t for me. She couldn’t be.

  “We should get you home.”

  “What?” she gasped. “It’s early. I should practice more.”

  “You’re a little drunk.”

  “Shouldn’t that make it easier?”

  “Maybe. But we want to keep you safe. We can practice more later.”

  She shrugged. “You’re the boss.” Then, she passed me her half-finished drink. “If I finish that, I’ll be wasted anyway.”

  “Five is your limit?”

  She winked at me. “That’s seven.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “How did I miss two?”

  “I drank them at the bar,” she said, pushing off the wall and teetering slightly.

  Well, that explained a lot. I’d thought that she seemed a little drunk, but I didn’t know where her tolerance was. Mine had always been strong despite not drinking much before going to LA. Another thing I’d gotten from my dad. Great.

  “Come on, you,” I told her. I wrapped an arm around her and steered her toward the door.

  We were almost out when a guy reached for her. “Nora! You’re leaving already?”

  It was the guy, Chip, who she’d given her number to.

  “Yeah, Chip. Time for me to call it a night.”

  Chip eyed me for a second and then dismissed me. “I can give you a ride home later if you want. I thought we were having a good time.”

  “She said no,” I growled low, putting Nora between me and Chip.

  I didn’t know what had come over me, but I didn’t want him anywhere near her. It was almost…possessiveness…or jealousy.

  The guy held his hands up. “Hey, tough guy, I was talking to the lady.”

  “West, it’s fine,” Nora said, putting her hand on my arm. “Let’s just go home.”

  “This your boyfriend?” Chip asked in confusion.

  Nora laughed. “No, no, no. Just a friend.”

  I arched an eyebrow at him, and Chip backed off.

  “Cool. Friend. Right,” he said. “I’ll call you.”

  Nora waved at him and then strode out of the bar. “That was weird,” she said. “Why was he acting like that?”

  Him and not me. Well, at least that was a relief.

  “Pretty sure he bought you drinks, hoping to get you home,” I told her.

  “Oh,” she said with a nod. “Right. I’m not really interested in that.”

  I breathed out slowly. Although I was teaching her how to flirt and getting her out there to date, I wasn’t sure how much I could handle like having her bring guys home on the regular.

  The thought sent a chill through me. Yeah, I didn’t like that idea at all.

  I helped Nora into the passenger seat and then drove us back home. If possible, she was even drunker by the time we got there. As if that last drink had hit her hard on the drive. She kicked her shoes off and carried them inside as she stumbled through the garage.

  “Oh my God,” she said with a giggle. “I haven’t been this drunk since college.”

  “Careful,” I said as she pitched forward.

  I wrapped an arm around her middle to keep her from face-planting into the living room. Once she was steady on her feet, I gently released her, and she went tumbling anyway.

  She lay sprawled on the floor, laughing. “Fuck, I am so fucking drunk.”

  “Can you get to bed?”

  “Yep.”

  Then, she began to crawl across the hardwood floor in her dress. My eyes landed on her ass. Luckily, the material was flowy enough to cover her, but every inch of creamy thigh was on display, and if I were anyone else, I could have gotten a completely free show as she crawled on her hands and knees toward the back bedroom.

  “Fuck,” I growled under my breath.

  “I’m going to have bruises,” she said, flopping back down and rolling onto her back. “Someone is going to think I’ve been sucking cock.”

  I closed my eyes. Fuck, her filthy, drunk mouth was turning me on. And I needed to get that under control.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Suck cock?” she asked, her eyes wide and thoughtful.

  I nearly choked. “To your bed.”

  “You want to get in bed with me?”

  “I…” Jesus fucking Christ.

  “I thought my brothers said look, but don’t touch.” I gaped at her as she was sprawled out on the floor, her arms stretched over her head. “Did you get a good enough look?”

  “Nora,” I groaned.

  Where the hell had this come from? Thank fuck I’d gotten her out of the bar when I did. The shy girl who was awkward around guys turned into a sex kitten when drunk. I was never going to be able to scrub this image of her out of my mind.

  “Please let me help you to bed.”

  She nodded and held her hand out. I pulled her to her feet, and when she stumbled again, I gave up, scooping her in my arms. Her head lolled against my shoulder as I walked down the hallway.

  “I think I had one too many,” she whispered.

  “Yeah. Maybe so. I didn’t realize you had no tolerance.”

  “Tamara tried to up my tolerance one summer in college, but all that meant was, I got drunk all summer long. It never did anything,” she admitted.

  “Let’s not think about her. You did good tonight. We’ll try to drink less next time.”

  She settled into my arms and said nothing.

  I toed open her bedroom door. The room was spotless with just as many plants as the living room. I hadn’t been in here. It was her private sanctuary. I could see her eye for design in every aspect of the place—from the wood bed to the fluffy white comforter and pillows to the shaggy brown-and-pink rug.

  I lowered her gently onto the bed, the mattress dipping inward as her weight sank into it. “There you are.”

  She looked up at me with those starry-blue eyes. I hadn’t realized when I set her down how close we were. I was still leaning over her. Our breaths mingled in the space. Part of me wished that I were drunk enough to give in to that look right there. I could claim her lips, pull her lush body against mine, and teach that dirty mouth all the ways I could make it moan.

  “West,” she whispered, “I had a good time.”

  I swallowed. “Me too.”

  She reached forward, brushing back my hair from my eyes. “Are you going to cut your hair?”

  “I haven’t decided. Should I?”

  “I like it both ways,” she said, dragging her hand down my cheek.

  She drew me in closer. So close. I breathed in the Tiffany’s perfume she sprayed on herself every morning. Our lips nearly touched. I could practically taste the honey on her lips.

  Then, her eyes widened a fraction, as if she, too, realized how close we were. Then, she burst into laughter.

  I jerked backward and laughed, too. “Dear God, you’re drunk.”

  “I really, really am. Oh my God.” She ran a hand down her face. “You should get to bed. I probably won’t even remember this in the morning.”

  I cleared my throat. “Get some sleep.”

  “Hey, West,” she said as I got to my feet.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for a good night. It was what I needed.”

  “Anytime,” I told her.

  Then, I hastened out of her bedroom. That had been fucking close. So close that her perfume still lingered on my shirt. I could smell her all over me. I pushed down my erection as I hurried down the hall to my room. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep without taking care of this.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about her crawling around on the ground, talking about sucking cock, as I came in the shower later.

  8

  Nora

  “Have you heard anything from West?” Annie asked. She leaned against the table at the center of the Wright Vineyard barn. Annie was in residency as a doctor at the local hospital, and her fiancé, Jordan Wright, came over to peck her on the cheek.

  “Any word?” Jordan asked.

  “I just texted to ask,” I told them both.

  Today was Campbell’s big surprise birthday party. We’d worked it all out that West would hang with him in the studio until we got everything set up, and then Blaire would drive him over. They had their reasons all straightened out, but I’d still barely had enough time to make the barn presentable.

  My phone dinged.

  On my way now. Blaire just came to get Campbell.

  “Clock is on,” I called. “Fifteen minutes. Everyone to your positions.”

  Annie hopped up and grabbed her two best friends, Jennifer and Sutton. Jennifer was the photographer for the winery, and I worked with her regularly for my weddings. Sutton Wright had been Annie’s bestie since high school, but we saw a lot less of her since she had two kids—Jason and Madison. Mostly because Madison was a walking tornado.

  Piper strode over to the table with her sister, Peyton, and her newest roommate, Eve Houston. Eve was a big reason that Piper’s winery had been saved. She was friends with Hollin and had joined our rec soccer team, The Tacos. She had a man-stealer reputation that the lot of us thought was ridiculous. And even though she’d been living with Piper and Blaire for a while now, she was still hesitant around us, as if expecting all of this to be a dream. We always told her we didn’t deal with the bullshit slut-shaming, and I hoped one day, she’d feel like she fit in.

  Peyton grabbed my hand. “This is incredible. You’ve done a great job.”

  “Thank you.”

  It was so wonderful, having Peyton in town. She’d married Annie’s brother, Isaac, last year when she returned from New York City to take over the Lubbock Ballet Company.

  “I have news, too, before Campbell gets here,” Peyton announced to the girls.

  Piper and Annie grinned. They apparently already knew.

  “I’m pregnant!”

  All of us careened forward, pulling her into a hug and issuing our congratulations.

  “It’s a girl. We’re calling her Autumn,” she announced.

  “Aly and Autumn,” Jennifer said. Aly was Isaac’s seven-year-old daughter from his first marriage. “Perfect.”

  “I love the name!” I gushed.

  “Thank you,” Peyton said. “I didn’t want to overshadow Campbell’s surprise, but I have all of you here.”

  “We’re so happy for you!” Annie said, giving her a crushing hug. “I can’t wait to have another niece.”

  We all gushed over Peyton for a few more minutes. Then, the door to the barn burst open. Everyone froze, as if anticipating Campbell even though my alarm said we had three more minutes.

  Instead, Weston Wright strode into the barn.

  “He’s right behind me,” he announced.

  My heart galloped at the sight of him. We hadn’t talked about what had happened at the bar last night. Or how drunk and horny I’d been when we got back. I remembered enough of the interaction to be embarrassed at the thought of it all. Had I crawled on my hands and knees and made blow-job jokes? Had we almost kissed? That still felt fuzzy in my mind. That couldn’t be right. Weston had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in me. My own behavior was cringeworthy, considering that fact.

  I’d had a crush on him when we moved in together. We were strangers then, and he was the hot guy who had taken me in when I needed a place to live. He saw me through the worst of what had happened with August. He got me ice cream that time I ran into August at Starbucks. He stayed for our soccer game the day we had to play August’s new team. And a million other littler interactions that made me wonder if this could possibly go somewhere or if I was insane.

  And then he’d gone. All of that pulled apart. But now, he was back, and was I crazy for thinking of him like this? He was probably going back to LA, just like Campbell. I didn’t have a job like Blaire, where I could pick up and leave anytime I wanted.

  But still…

  But still…

  “You ready?” West asked when he reached me.

  I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yep. All set. He still doesn’t know?”

  “No, but he’s irritated,” he said with a chuckle. “He thinks we’re going out to eat and is confused why he has to pick you up from here.”

  “Can’t blame him,” I said with a smile. “All right, everyone. Get into position. He’ll be here any minute.”

  I pointed at Hollin, who cut the lights. We all hid behind the table at the back of the barn. A white tablecloth had been draped across the front, so none of us were visible. We’d practiced to make sure that Campbell wouldn’t be able to see us.

  Weston pulled in tight next to me so that we were shoulder to shoulder. There was only enough light to see his big blue eyes. He squeezed my knee gently and shot me a wink. I was glad that he couldn’t see more than that because my cheeks flared red.

  Then, the door to the barn creaked open again.

  Blaire’s voice filtered through the opening. “It’ll just be a minute. Come on.”

  Campbell grumbled something low, and then he was inside.

  Hollin flipped the lights, and we all jumped up, yelling, “Happy birthday!”