I eyeball my mate, needing to get her the fuck out of here.
Erica bumps my side with her shoulder. “I’m giving you a compliment, Jase. And I guess you can take it as a hint, too. You handled this well. Pay attention and it’ll all become crystal clear.”
“What’ll be clear?”
“What you need to do.”
“Or, you could just make this shit stop, Erica. You know we’re fated to be together. So, why are you and your sisters interfering with the way it should go like this? I thought you helped Fate rather than worked against it?”
She smiles and says, “Aw phooey. I guess this isn’t your eureka moment after all.”
The door opens and Riley comes in.
“Snookums!” she exclaims.
He flashes her a dark look. “What’re you doin’ at Roxy’s on a Saturday night without me, little witch?”
He’s smelling what I’m smelling and mated or not, doesn’t want his woman near a bunch of amped males without him. This means I’ve got this to look forward to always, not just because I haven’t claimed Bailey yet.
Fanfuckingtastic.
“I’m ready to go home. Vivi and Ronnie are gonna stay over.”
“Why don’t they go to the apartment? It’s a ten-minute drive.”
“They’ve been…” she mimes a drinking gesture with her eyes crossed. “They’ve had a lot more than I have.”
He surveys the space. “Dani can’t come back for them?”
“She’s jetlagged. Probably asleep.”
“I’ll drive ‘em,” he offers.
“Or they can stay over.”
“We’ll drop them off, Rik,” he asserts, grabbing her hips and pulling her close, asking, “Okay?” against her mate mark.
“Okey dokey,” she whispers, melting into him.
He’s shooting me a look. “All good?”
I scoff.
He slaps my back. “It will be.”
I say, “I see you haven’t been able to talk some sense into your mate and your in-laws. Do that when you drive ‘em to The Hollow, will ya?”
Riley is about to speak when Bailey walks past me, calling out, “Night all! Until the next dance party.” She blows a kiss and opens the door, heading through it.
“Later,” I mutter to Rye who replies with,
“Good luck.”
I follow her.
***
We’re on the bridge that crosses the river when the rain starts. And it starts at full blast, like it has a point to prove.