“Holly,” she said, clearly unhappy to see me.
I snapped my fingers. “Right.” I grinned. “Hi, Holly. How are you?”
She smiled stiffly. “Fine. If you don’t mind, Griffin and I were talking.”
I didn’t have a good response for this, but I didn’t need one.
Griffin put his arm around me and tugged me close. “Sorry, Holly. It’s Madeline’s birthday, and I promised to spend the night with her.”
Holly rolled her eyes and sighed. “Yeah, I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said to herself more than to us. She looked at the two of us and shrugged. “Your loss,” she said to Griffin and walked away.
Once she was out of earshot, the two of us started laughing.
“Your loss,” I mimicked. “If she only knew.”
Griffin snorted.
He still had his arm around me, and he pulled me into a semi-hug, so we were chest to chest. “I owe you.”
I clutched his sides and enjoyed the feel of him under my hands. He felt and smelled delicious. “Yeah, you do.”
“I’m going to have to get you an extra-big present now.”
I laughed and rested my head on his chest as the bartender approached.
“Two beers,” he said, and I felt the rumble of his deep voice next to my ear.
As I looked out into the crowd, my eyes landed in the corner of the bar, where a couple was making out. Actually, it looked like they were past making out and moving on to doing things they shouldn’t be doing in public. The guy had his mouth on the woman’s neck, and her head was thrown back in what was clearly an O face.
I looked up into Griffin’s face as he paid the bartender and put his wallet back in his pocket.
“I want that,” I told him.
His brow furrowed as he looked down at me. “Want what?”
I nodded toward the couple. “That.”
Griffin squinted off into the distance. His face changed to surprise. “Whoa. Those two need a room.” He turned his head sideways. “What is he doing to her? Because she looks like she’s…”
“Orgasming? Yeah, I know.” I grabbed his chin and turned his face toward mine. “I want that. For my birthday present.”
This time, his eyebrows went up. “You want to have an orgasm in the bar?”
I chuckled. “No. I want to have an orgasm so good that I don’t care where I am.”
“That makes more sense.” He seemed to think about it for a second. “I suppose I did offer to help you get some on your birthday, didn’t I?”
I let go of his chin and ran my hand down his chest. “No, you don’t understand. I don’t want you to help me find someone to have sex with. I want you to have sex with me. I want you to fuck me so good that my legs shake when I come.”
Griffin took a small step back. “Jesus, Madeline.”
Well, this wasn’t going how I’d thought it would. My best friend was usually all about sex and never seemed to be picky when it came to his partners. He loved women in all shapes, sizes, races, and ages. I never thought he would be against sleeping with me, but if his physical retreat meant anything, it was that he was not excited to have sex with me.
Still…in for a penny, in for a pound.
And thanks to the boost of confidence from the alcohol, I was able to finish my thought, but I didn’t close the distance between us. He obviously needed his space.
“Look, I know you’re good in bed.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “I’ve heard more than one woman sing your praises. And I want that. It’s not every day someone turns a decade older, and I’m thinking some mind-blowing sex is the perfect present,” I said with a smile.
He sighed, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth next. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mads. You and I are friends. You’re my best friend. And I like it that way.”
My smile fell. I realized he didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but I was still hurt. He could have added that I was hot and he thought we’d have a good time, but it wasn’t for the best. People had joked with us that they couldn’t believe we’d never dated before. I always thought it was because we were such close friends, but it turned out, it might be because he wasn’t attracted to me.
I forced myself to smile again, but I couldn’t quite get it to reach my eyes. “It’s okay. I understand.” I picked up my beer. “Forget I said anything.”
“I need a shot down here,” Griffin yelled to the bartender.
And now, it seemed like he didn’t want to even walk back outside with me. I hadn’t meant to shake him up that much.
“Right. Well, I’ll meet you back outside then,” I told him.
“Madeline, wait,” he said, but I had already turned around and was heading for the patio.
As I made my way through the bodies of people, I considered going back outside through the front door. The cool air would help me clear my head without facing my friends right away. As much as I understood Griffin’s side, if our friends found out, I would be mortified. Rejection was still rejection even if it came from a good place.
Out of nowhere, someone bumped into me from behind, and my beer spilled onto my hand.
I turned around, ready to see who was being careless and rude. The crowd was large, yet everyone else managed not to run into others. But I stopped when I saw a handsome man with a sincere, apologetic look on his face.
“I am so sorry about that. My rude friend seemed to forget we were surrounded by people.” He handed me a napkin.
I changed my mind. He was very handsome.
“Apology accepted,” I said as I wiped my hand clean.
“So, are you here with anyone?” he asked.
I smiled. For real this time. “I’m with friends. We’re celebrating my birthday tonight.”
“Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“Do these friends include a boyfriend?”
I laughed. “Nope. I dumped him two days ago.”
The guy laughed and stuck out his hand. “I’m Todd. And the asshole who pushed me is Clay.”
“Hi, Todd. Hi, Clay. I’m Madeline.”
“Sorry for the run-in,” Clay said. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” I said to Clay.
“Can I buy you a birthday drink?” Todd asked, still holding my hand. He looked down at my other hand and blushed. “I mean, I know you already have a full glass, but I can wait until you’re finished.”
How cute. The guy was flustered. Over me.
It was just the pick-me-up my confidence needed after Griffin’s rejection.
“Thank you. I would lo—”
“She’s with me.”
I looked over Todd’s shoulder as Griffin stepped around him and put his arm around me.
Todd immediately dropped my palm and held his hands up. “Sorry, man. She said she didn’t have a boyfriend.”
I sighed. “I don’t. This is my friend Griffin. Griffin, this is Todd. Todd, Griffin.”
Todd eyed Griffin warily even though I’d explained to him my relationship with Griffin. He looked at me. “Maybe some other time. You have a good night, Madeline. And happy birthday.”