With Every Heartbeat

Pick lifted his face from the cash drawer he was slotting into the register. “Yes, my love?”

“Oh, don’t you give me that innocent little smile. You know what you took from me.” She held out her hand, palm up. “Give them back.”

He just grinned. “Now, you know better than that. That’s not how to go about getting anything from me, Tink.”

Tink’s eyes lit with pleasure and she murmured, “You’re right. I know a much better way to get what I want from you.”

But when she went to stroll toward him, Reese lifted her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. “For the love of God, just give her undies back already. I swear, the two of you are even making my unborn babies blush.”

“Ree Ree,” Tink cheered, when she saw Reese. “I didn’t know you were here already.”

They came together and hugged. While Tink had blonde hair and Reese had dark, I could still tell they were related from the shape and color of their eyes.

“And look.” Reese steered Tink around to face us. “Caroline and Zoey are here, too.”

“Zoey?” Eva pulled back and glanced around blindly until her gaze settled on me. “You mean, the Zoey?”

She sounded as if she couldn’t believe it, but when Reese nodded, she studied me up and down, before a knowing smile lit her face. “You were exactly right about her, Ree Ree.”

Reese just laughed. “Of course I was.”

I glanced between them, but neither seemed willing to let me in on the joke, so I had no idea what Reese had been right about. It must not have been anything bad, though, because Eva came to me and immediately pulled me into an enormous hug. After greeting Caroline, she returned to me and looped an arm around my shoulder to ask me all kinds of getting-to-know you questions, like my year in college and what my major was. After I politely answered everything, she shook her head and glanced toward Reese again. “I can’t believe it,” she murmured, sounding almost in awe. “She’s freaking perfect for him.”

“Wait, what?” I blushed at the unexpected comment. “Who’re we talking about?”

But Eva just tsked at me and patted my cheek. “Oh, honey, you’ll figure it out soon enough. Just know, Reese and I will be cheering you on the entire time.”

“Um...” I shook my head, completely confused. “Okay.”

Eva glanced at Caroline. “And we’re cheering for you and...” She glanced around before turning back to us, “your other half, too.”

Caroline glanced at me and lifted her eyebrows. I shrugged, so she shrugged, too. “Thank you?” she finally told Eva as if it was more of a question than an answer.

I felt strangely elated after that. I still had no idea what was going on with all the other-half talk, but Eva seemed to accept me, so a giddy little smile stole over my face.

I liked the Forbidden Nightclub.

Caroline must’ve felt the same because she leaned in to whisper, “I think we’ve been accepted into the inner circle.” She sounded ecstatic about that idea.

I glanced at her, hoping she was right, when Pick clapped his hands together.

“Time to open. You guys ready for this?” he asked the band. Asher sent him a thumbs-up. Pick glanced toward the waitresses and then the bar, where his brows lowered into a scowl. “Wait. We only have one bartender. Where the hell is Gamble?”

“Right here,” Noel called as he exited the back hall, one hand laced possessively with a blushing Aspen’s.

Pick sniffed. “Oh, how the tables have turned. Wasn’t it you who used to rag on me about always being late to work?”

Noel scowled back at him as he led Aspen forward. “I’m not late. I’ve been here the entire time.”

“And seeing to the extreme comfort of our customers too, it seems.” Setting his gaze on Aspen, he sent her a grin and extended a hand to her. “Hey again, beautiful. Nice to see you tonight.”

Aspen took his hand and he aptly stole her away from Noel, leading her to the bar. “You should watch the show from here. Best seat in the house.” He helped her up until she was sitting on the counter instead of on a barstool. Then he glanced around. “Tinker Bell?”

“Right here, lover.” Eva ran her hand up his back until he turned to her and grinned.

He kissed her on the mouth, lingering before he asked, “Can I help you up?”

She nuzzled her nose against his. “Please do.”

Reese popped up beside Eva and patted the open space beside her. “Caroline. Zoey. Sit with us.”