sorry. Shaz just looks so different.” He raised his voice. “Hi, Shaz. Hi, Giles.”
Shaz struck one of his exaggerated poses. “You like?”
Billy swirled his tongue in his mouth to get a little spit. “You look nice. Yeah.” He stood up and held out his hand to Giles. “Good to see you, man.” Hell, was he trying too hard to seem as if he liked the guy?
Giles glanced at his hand like maybe it was dirty, then extended his own and shook quickly and softly. “Hello again.”
Mitch pulled out two more chairs beside him. “Sit. Join us.” That put Giles beside Mitch and Shaz beside Billy. Shaz leaned in a bit. “Hi. How’s the furniture?”
Billy grinned. “Great. I had a few minutes this evening to work with the spot remover. It’s gonna look so good.”
“You’ll have to throw a party and invite us all.”
Billy shook his head and looked at the bubbles in his glass. “Probably not.”
Shaz smiled softly. “I understand. It’s your refuge. Not for the rest of us. I’m honored I got to see it.’
Jesus, he did understand . “You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thank you.” Those catlike green eyes glistened.
Giles stood up suddenly. “Come on, baby. Grab a champagne and let’s dance.”
“Oh yeah, I’m there.” Shaz leaped up and started boogying very gracefully in place. His narrow hips and tight butt waggled in the dark jeans while the chains on the jacket jingled.
Billy laughed. Damn, he was cute. He glanced up and found Giles staring at him levelly. So what? He didn’t own Shaz. But Billy looked away and started talking to Sissy.
Shaz danced down the stairs with Giles trying to keep up with him. Mitch snagged two more glasses of champagne from a hovering waiter and set them both in front of himself. He really was intent on getting drunk. Drunker. Rhonda didn’t look happy.
Billy leaned over to her. “You guys need a ride home? Sissy was nice enough to let me use her car.”
Rhonda glanced at Mitch, then shook her head. “We came in a limo.” She reached out and grabbed one of the glasses from Mitch and raised it to her lips. “Thanks.”
Mitch smiled blearily. “All yours. I really do love ya, baby. You know that, right?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in. She flinched a little at the alcohol breath that Billy could smell from his seat but still let Mitch kiss her lightly.
“Yes, I know it. And I love you too.”
“So glad.” He snuggled his head on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to do this whole life thing without you.”
She petted his perfectly cut hair. “I know. I know.”
“Sometimes it’s just hard.”
“I know.”
Sissy tugged on Billy’s sleeve. He looked over, and she glanced as if to say Let’s go and leave them alone . He nodded. “Hey, Sissy, I’m an okay dancer. Want to dance with me?”
She clapped her hands like he’d just had the world’s most original thought. “Love to.”
She jumped up, and he got up beside her. Mitch still had his head on Rhonda’s shoulder. She looked over and gave Billy a strained smile. “Enjoy the dancing.”
Mitch raised his head. “Hey, I know how to danch.”
She pulled his head back to her shoulder. “No, that’s okay. We’ll have plenty of chances to dance at the wedding. You just rest.”
Billy followed Sissy down the stairs. On the crowded dance floor, she turned and started bobbing. He smiled. He hadn’t lied. He actually was a decent dancer—a gift of his coordination that also made him good at baseball and swinging a hammer. He started to move, and her eyes widened. “Wow.” She stepped up her game as the music blared around them, and they strutted and bumped while they laughed.
Two women were dancing together near him. They split up and started dancing beside Sissy so they were strutting with him too. He widened his movements and included them in the dance. Pretty soon, another girl joined in, and they formed a semi-circle around him. Sissy seemed to be enjoying it,
Shaz struck one of his exaggerated poses. “You like?”
Billy swirled his tongue in his mouth to get a little spit. “You look nice. Yeah.” He stood up and held out his hand to Giles. “Good to see you, man.” Hell, was he trying too hard to seem as if he liked the guy?
Giles glanced at his hand like maybe it was dirty, then extended his own and shook quickly and softly. “Hello again.”
Mitch pulled out two more chairs beside him. “Sit. Join us.” That put Giles beside Mitch and Shaz beside Billy. Shaz leaned in a bit. “Hi. How’s the furniture?”
Billy grinned. “Great. I had a few minutes this evening to work with the spot remover. It’s gonna look so good.”
“You’ll have to throw a party and invite us all.”
Billy shook his head and looked at the bubbles in his glass. “Probably not.”
Shaz smiled softly. “I understand. It’s your refuge. Not for the rest of us. I’m honored I got to see it.’
Jesus, he did understand . “You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thank you.” Those catlike green eyes glistened.
Giles stood up suddenly. “Come on, baby. Grab a champagne and let’s dance.”
“Oh yeah, I’m there.” Shaz leaped up and started boogying very gracefully in place. His narrow hips and tight butt waggled in the dark jeans while the chains on the jacket jingled.
Billy laughed. Damn, he was cute. He glanced up and found Giles staring at him levelly. So what? He didn’t own Shaz. But Billy looked away and started talking to Sissy.
Shaz danced down the stairs with Giles trying to keep up with him. Mitch snagged two more glasses of champagne from a hovering waiter and set them both in front of himself. He really was intent on getting drunk. Drunker. Rhonda didn’t look happy.
Billy leaned over to her. “You guys need a ride home? Sissy was nice enough to let me use her car.”
Rhonda glanced at Mitch, then shook her head. “We came in a limo.” She reached out and grabbed one of the glasses from Mitch and raised it to her lips. “Thanks.”
Mitch smiled blearily. “All yours. I really do love ya, baby. You know that, right?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in. She flinched a little at the alcohol breath that Billy could smell from his seat but still let Mitch kiss her lightly.
“Yes, I know it. And I love you too.”
“So glad.” He snuggled his head on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to do this whole life thing without you.”
She petted his perfectly cut hair. “I know. I know.”
“Sometimes it’s just hard.”
“I know.”
Sissy tugged on Billy’s sleeve. He looked over, and she glanced as if to say Let’s go and leave them alone . He nodded. “Hey, Sissy, I’m an okay dancer. Want to dance with me?”
She clapped her hands like he’d just had the world’s most original thought. “Love to.”
She jumped up, and he got up beside her. Mitch still had his head on Rhonda’s shoulder. She looked over and gave Billy a strained smile. “Enjoy the dancing.”
Mitch raised his head. “Hey, I know how to danch.”
She pulled his head back to her shoulder. “No, that’s okay. We’ll have plenty of chances to dance at the wedding. You just rest.”
Billy followed Sissy down the stairs. On the crowded dance floor, she turned and started bobbing. He smiled. He hadn’t lied. He actually was a decent dancer—a gift of his coordination that also made him good at baseball and swinging a hammer. He started to move, and her eyes widened. “Wow.” She stepped up her game as the music blared around them, and they strutted and bumped while they laughed.
Two women were dancing together near him. They split up and started dancing beside Sissy so they were strutting with him too. He widened his movements and included them in the dance. Pretty soon, another girl joined in, and they formed a semi-circle around him. Sissy seemed to be enjoying it,
Similar Books
