Mike shook his head and stood. To argue now would make him appear even weaker than he felt. “Fine. But when you wanted to stay home and douche, I let you.”
“No, you mocked me. And I wasn’t staying home, I was with your sister. Who I was in love with.” Garrett watched him a little too closely. “What’s your excuse?”
“I don’t have one.” Mike shoved his chair in. “Let’s get this over with. I need food first, though.”
“You sound so excited.”
“I told you, I’m tired. What the f**k do you expect from me? Pom-poms and a short skirt?”
A shit-eating grin spread across Garrett’s face. “A guy could hope.”
Mike flipped him off and headed for the door. He would go to support Brianna, but then he was going home to hit the rack early. And he certainly wouldn’t be thinking about Morgan when he fell asleep.
Mike settled into the U-shaped VIP booth at the casino theater, surrounded by Thomas, Brianna, Kiersten, and Garrett. He sipped his beer and looked around. Even with the lights turned down low, he could see how much attention to detail Thomas’s company had paid to the remodel. Gone was the outdated eighties carpet and in its place was an updated, contemporary feel. The wood floors and dark mahogany booths screamed of comfort and luxury. “Thomas, you did amazing work in here.”
Thomas grinned. “I know. Brianna was a certifiable wreck the whole time we gutted the place but I knew it would be for the best. Just look at the turnaround already, and on the first night.”
Brianna swatted his arm. “It’s not my fault. You had some crazy ideas about this place. Brand new honeymoon suites that cost over a thousand dollars a night. Theater on site. Knocking out half the casino floor for it. It’s crazy talk.”
“I was crazy about you when I met you, too.” He nuzzled her neck. “And look how well that worked out for us.”
Brianna rolled her eyes but didn’t push him away. Even though his brotherly urge was to punch his brother-in-law for pawing his sister, Mike smiled. He couldn’t help it. He loved seeing how happy she was. First Brianna, and then Kiersten.
It made him all warmhearted and f**king mushy inside to think of his sisters being so damned happy. “Well, the space looks great.”
“Yeah, it does.” Kiersten reached across the table, her hair brushing the dark surface, and squeezed Brianna’s hand. “Great job.”
Garrett nodded, his arm thrown over Kiersten’s shoulder. “Absolutely.”
“Thanks.” Brianna smiled at Thomas. “Wait till you see the show. It’s amazing. We had to get a last minute replacement because one of the girls got sick, but she’s great.”
As if on cue, the curtains lifted. Within seconds, girls in beaded bras and feather skirts were on the stage. Beaded bras that reminded him of Morgan. Shit, there he went thinking about her again. He obviously needed another taste to get her out of his system. To get him in the red zone. Hell, even the girl in the middle made him think of…
Oh, f**k. That was Morgan.
She was on his sister’s stage, kicking her legs up like a Rockette girl. She smiled the whole time she flitted across the stage.
And he couldn’t stop watching her. She was amazing.
By the time the show ended, he was practically humming with sexual frustration. She’d kicked those perfect legs up for all to see. Shook her ass for all to see, too. Everyone in the damn room got to see what she no longer wanted Mike to have. Because of what?
Why had she pushed him away? Why wasn’t he supposed to touch her anymore? Why couldn’t he have her? Why didn’t she want him as much as he wanted her? As the stage lights dimmed, she caught sight of him. Her eyes widened and her smile slipped for a fraction of a second, but just before she exited the stage, she shot him a cocky grin over her shoulder. And then she winked. Fucking winked at him. As if she knew how much it tortured him to see her up there.
Fuck that.
After making some half-assed excuse about having to go to the bathroom, he excused himself from his family. He pushed past the security guard and flashed the VIP badge Brianna had given him to get backstage. He followed the sound of feminine laughter and found Morgan in a room filled with babbling women.
All of them stopped talking and stared at him when he opened the door, but Mike barely noticed their attention. His eyes were on one girl and one only—and she was alone with no one by her side. He could be by her side. He could be her person.
He crooked his finger at her. She gave him a dirty look and shook her head. He raised a brow and crooked his finger again, and then pointed to the floor in front of his feet. If that didn’t piss her off enough to make her come over, nothing would. She hesitated, but then she stood.
Crossing the room, she put her hand on her curvy hip and glowered at him, her blue eyes spitting flames of fire. She’d changed into a pair of shorts and a soft pink top. “What do you want?” she hissed.
He held out his hand. “Come with me.”
A look of desire flitted across her features but she seemed to try to press it down. To ignore it. He wished her luck with that. He’d been trying to tamp down his longing for her ever since Friday night and he’d been failing miserably.
“No,” she answered firmly.
He wiggled the fingers on his outstretched hand. “Yes.”
She disregarded his hand and shook her head. “I’m not some puppy you can call to your side when you want me. Go back to your seat.”
“After watching you up there all night, shaking your ass at me?” He hauled her close, not even caring that at least ten sets of curious eyes were on them. “Not. Happening.”
She shoved at his chest. “Lots of guys get horny watching women dance. Go find someone else to scratch your itch.”
“It has to be you,” he said simply. And for some odd reason…it was true. He paused. “Please, Morgan.”
And the steam left her. She rested her hands on his chest, no longer pushing him away. “You know a place we can talk privately?”
He didn’t answer, just grabbed her hand and led her out of the crowded room. She clung to him, following him as he led her to the back office that was reserved for management. Brianna had shown it to him earlier. When he found it, he pushed her inside the shadowed room and locked the door.
She crossed her arms. “I thought we were both very clear about what we wanted from each other the other night.”
“We were.”