Skin Deep (Skin Deep #1)

I glared at her. “Allie, that was summer camp, when we were thirteen! I cant help it, it was like I went to bed and woke up with my cha-chi revisiting the seventies!”

Looking back, that had to have been the most embarrassing moment of my life. Allie was rushing me to get to the lake so we could swim with Alec Holt and Brad Sumner. I had walked out of the bunkroom in my swimsuit, ready to go. Allie and our counselor were standing in the living room of the cabin, and they had frozen, mouths open, gaping at me in shock. The counselor had turned without a word and walked into her room for a second before returning and handing me a pair of nail scissors. She then had pointed to the scissors, pointed to my thighs, and pointed toward the bathroom. Even at thirteen I got the hint, and never looked back. Bushzilla had never returned.

Allie shrugged. “Just looking out for my bestie,” she said. “Anyway, so when are you gonna see him again?”

It was my turn to shrug. “Not sure. We didn’t really talk about it, and I don’t have his number. Come to think of it, he doesn’t have mine, either.”

Allie pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. “No, but you do know where he works. We could always hit up Skin Deep…”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not stalking him at his work. He called me at my work, so he knows how to get ahold of me. And I just remembered that I’m mad at him anyway. He just called out of the blue, ordered me around, and just expected me to listen!”

I was trying to work myself into a good pissed-off-ness, trying not to think about how hot it actually was when had done that, when Allie said, “He did give you four orgasms, Emma.” Allie, always (not always) the voice of reason.

Hmm. She’s right. Only it was six. Can you say multiples? Holy shitballs, girls, they’re real!

Shaking my head to clear those thoughts before they made me drool and stare glassy eyed off into space, I asked Allie what she wanted to drink. She gave me her order and I bellied up to the bar between Willy and Billy, Willy’s drunken best friend and bar stool neighbor for life, and ordered two sangria margaritas, on the rocks, sugar rimmed, please.

I fended off Willy and Billy’s questing hands, grabbed our drinks and headed back to Allie.

As I got close to the table I said to her, “Okay, no more talk of Luke, who may or may not ever call me again, orgasms, or Bushzilla. We’re gonna drink our drinks and then I think we should go hit the drag show at Shimbots on Broad later. Showmia Buffet is headlining and I just love her!”

I didn’t pay much attention to Allie until I sat the drinks down on the table and started to slide into the booth opposite her. When I looked at her face, I noted that she was staring wide-eyed at something. I turned my head to see what the hell she was looking at and my eyes collided with smoky blue-grey ones. Yikes!

“Uh, hey, Luke,” I stammered.

He nodded, his lips twitching, before crowding into the booth beside me, giving me no choice but to slide over for him. As I did, I realized that he wasn’t alone. Brandon was shoving Allie over on her side, as well.

“Hey, hey, ladies!” Brandon crowed, grinning at both of us. He then reached over and without a beat, snatched Allie’s margarita, and downed it before licking every bit of sugar off the rim.

“Hey!” Allie screeched. “You bastard, you owe me a drink! I hadn’t even gotten to taste that yet!”

Brandon leaned over and put his head on Allie’s shoulder, giving her puppy dog eyes and sticking his bottom lip out exaggeratedly. “Forgive me, Allie…please?”

I snorted, trying to hold back my laughter, but couldn’t. I glanced at Luke and found him grinning at Brandon and Allie, and it made me feel warm inside. Which kinda scared me.

Luke caught my eyes with his and the smiles faded from both of our faces. Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed his lips softly before quickly pulling back. He blinked at me in astonishment and I heard twin gasps come from the other side of the table. I turned my head and found Allie and Brandon both staring at me, Allie’s jaw hanging open and Brandon grinning widely.

I closed my eyes and dropped my head to the table. I couldn’t believe I had just done that.

I felt a heavy arm drape itself around my shoulders, pulling me in close to a hard, warm body. I raised my eyes and found Luke’s face close to mine. He smiled at me, pulled me back from the table, and tucked me into his side.

Allie’s shrill voice turned my attention back across the table and I watched as Brandon slid his hand over to my drink and smoothly pulled it back before draining it, Allie shrieking in indignation and slapping at him.

“Brandon, you dickhead, that’s two drinks you owe us. Get your ass up to the bar!” Allie was yelling at him, all the while shoving him off the edge of the booth. She managed to push him out completely and followed him towards the bar, presumably to make sure he actually replaced our drinks.

“Miss me?” Luke’s voice rasped in my ear.

I quirked my eyebrow at him, refusing to answer. He smiled a slow, secretive smile.

“Okay, then, who’s Bushzilla?”

Oh, hell no! Not touching that one with a twenty foot pole!

I shrugged, then asked, “What about the shop? Aren’t you busy on Saturday nights?”

“Yeah, usually. I got a couple other people that work part time sometimes. Brandon and I decided to grab some dinner real quick and saw you. Couldn’t resist a chance to do this-” and he kissed me. Hard, deep, lots of tongue.

I was lost in a daze when he finally pulled back from my lips but the catcalls and whistles rippling through the bar around us broke through, causing my cheeks to heat.

Allie and Brandon returned from the bar, each carrying two drinks. Allie had the replacement margaritas for us, and the guys had beers. I snagged mine from Allie, gulping it down quickly, which earned me another quizzical look from Luke, a grin and high-five from Brandon, and a kick under the table from Allie.

While we, well, they, were finishing their drinks, Luke and Brandon grabbed menus to look over. The waitress came over (she must have been new, because I didn’t know her) to take their orders, and they both looked over to each of us and asked if we wanted anything.

Glancing at my watch, I realized it was heading towards eight o’clock and I hadn’t had anything since this morning at Jenna’s.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll just take an order of the pizza rolls. Thanks!”

I loved the pizza rolls at Griff’s. They weren’t like the pizza rolls you buy at the store or anything. These were wonton wrappers filled with pizza sauce, spicy pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese all wrapped up and deep fried to ooey-gooey /crispy crunchy perfection! I always had a hard time deciding between those and the tater poppers, which are these little shredded potato bundles that are filled with a mixture of cream cheese and jalapenos and then deep fried. Yum…

I had intended for the waitress to hear my order, but apparently she was too caught up in undressing Brandon with her eyes. Wait…ohmigod! She was staring at Allie! Whoa!

I heard Luke clear his throat beside me, and when the waitress blushed and tore her eyes from Allie, he ordered my pizza rolls for me and a bacon cheeseburger for himself. Brandon ordered the same, and then Allie ordered an order of tater poppers (Yes! I get to steal some!). The waitress stuttered through repeating our orders back to make sure she had them right before she took off towards the kitchen door behind the bar.