“That was actually pretty cute and quite memorable. I’ve never seen a woman walk away from this guy before.” Sin hiked a thumb at Dash.
“She’s the cutest.” Dash kissed her. “But for the record, she wasn’t walking away. She was throwing down a challenge.”
“Talk about grabbing someone’s attention. That’s almost as good as getting water dumped on you while you’re taking a piss,” Graham said. “And then being told by your future wife that she thought you and your brother were lovers.”
They all laughed.
“In my defense, I didn’t know you were standing there when I dumped the water out of my boot,” Morgyn insisted. “And as far as you and Zev go, you winked at him like you were a couple.”
“You are a little too pretty,” Trace teased Graham.
“Yes, I am, but the good looks got the girl.” Graham kissed Morgyn. “I should thank you, Jericho. As I recall, the reason I got time alone with Morgyn at that music festival was because Brindle left to see your ugly ass.”
Brindle picked up Trace’s drink and sipped it, eyeing Graham over the glass. “You obviously haven’t seen his ass up close and personal.”
Graham waggled his brows. “Or maybe I have.”
They joked around and told funny stories, and Dash was right in the thick of it, sharing his own humorous tales. His laughter was hearty and carefree, and even though Amber noticed women checking him out, his attention never left their table. He kept his arm around her or held her hand the whole time, just as he had when they were at Lyrics and Lattes, listening to Phoenix play. Only this time, he pulled her close, whispering in her ear or kissing her. JJ’s was another place where she’d always been on the sidelines, watching her sisters have fun with their dates or her friends pick up guys, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. But right now, holding hands with the sexiest, most thoughtful guy she’d ever met, she felt like she finally fit in, and it was the greatest feeling in the world.
Dash leaned closer and whispered, “I’ll be right back, sexy girl.”
He kissed her cheek, and as she watched him walk away, she corrected her last thought. This was the second greatest feeling she’d ever had, because when she and Dash were alone and intimate, they reached a whole different plane of greatness.
“Hello.” Morgyn waved her hand in front of Amber’s face, startling her from her thoughts.
“Sorry, Morg. What were you saying?”
“That I really like Dash, even more than I did when we met at the jam session. He’s funny and sweet, and I love that he can’t take his eyes off you.”
“Or his hands.” Brindle waggled her brows.
Amber felt her cheeks heat. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he?”
“He’s one of the best,” Sin said. “He’s always kept a pretty tight rein on his reputation because of his family, so you’re not going to see scandals popping up about him. And he’s crazy about you. When he told me that he turned down a spot on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, I knew he was getting serious about you.”
“What do you mean he turned it down?” Amber asked.
“When he was in LA, Shea got him a spot on the show,” Sin explained. “But he would have had to fly to New York and then come back here later in the week after they taped it.”
“He didn’t mention that. I hope he didn’t really give up that opportunity because of me.”
“You’re the only woman on the planet who would say that,” Brindle said. “If Trace did that for me, I’d be all over him with the hottest kind of gratitude.”
“But that’s huge, Brin. I don’t want him giving up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Couples are supposed to support each other, to help each other be the best they can be. It sounds like I’m holding him back.”
“No, you’re not, trust me,” Sin said emphatically. “But Sable might be.”
They all followed his gaze to Sable and Dash, talking by the stage.
“Does she have her claws out?” Morgyn asked.
Amber hoped Sable wouldn’t scare him off. She’d been supportive of them, even on a temporary basis. As if Dash felt them watching, he looked over, flashing that overzealous smile that made Amber’s chest flutter, and he gave her a thumbs-up.
“Either Sable has him fooled.” Trace took off his cowboy hat, raked a hand through his hair, and set it back on his head. “Or she’s playing nice. My money is on having him fooled.”
Sable went back to the stage, and Dash headed across the room toward them, those dark eyes shimmering with something devilish, causing Amber’s pulse to quicken.
Morgyn said, “That is not the look of a man who was just told to back off.”
“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Dash asked as he approached the table.
“We’re wondering how you escaped the wrath of our sister,” Brindle answered.
“Sable?” Dash scoffed. “She’s a tough one, but we’re cool.” He sat beside Amber and took her hand. “You didn’t think Sable could scare me off, did you?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t stop thinking about what Sin had said. “But maybe I need to. Did you really give up a chance to be on The Tonight Show just to see me?”
His brows slanted, and he looked at Sin, who said, “Sorry, man. I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“It wasn’t.” Dash squeezed Amber’s hand. “It just wasn’t worth mentioning.”
“Of course it was,” she said. “You shouldn’t have given up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity just to see me.”
“You’ve got it backward, sweetheart. I didn’t give up my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Dash lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “I seized it.”
Amber felt her insides turn to mush as her sisters said, “Aw.”
“Dude, you’re setting that bar kind of high for the rest of us,” Trace said, and clinked glasses with Sin and Graham.
“What can I say? My girl is worth it.” He turned a sexy grin on Amber. “Now, stop looking for trouble where there is none and dance with me.”
He lifted her to her feet as Sable’s voice boomed through the microphone. “This next song is a special request from a certain charmer who’s got the ladies in this town all aflutter to his one and only very special girl.”
“That’s you, sweetheart.” Dash leaned in to kiss her smiling lips.
“What did you do?”
Without answering, he led her to the dance floor, and Sable’s band began playing “Wild Thing.” Amber froze, but Dash pulled her into his arms. “You’re not getting away that easily.”
Her sisters and their husbands cheered, and Brindle hollered, “It’s always the quiet ones! Go, Amber!”
People began clapping to the beat, stepping back to give them the dance floor as Dash twirled her around and hauled her into his arms again, singing with that infectious grin and sexy sparks shimmering in his eyes. Amber didn’t think it was possible to like him more than she already did, but boy was she wrong.
They were literally the center of attention as he twirled her again. Laughter bubbled out as he clapped his hand over his heart, singing about how she made his heart sing. He threw a fist in the air to the beat as the song started over and her sister belted out the lyrics. Then he pulled her in close, holding her tight as they swayed to the music.