Flirting With Forever (Dirty Martini Running Club, #4)

by Claire Kingsley

“The thing about friendships, and boys for that matter, is that you never want to settle. Having acquaintances or people you can have fun with is fine, but you want to be careful about who you let into your circle of trust.” “So, you mean it’s better to have no friends than bad friends?” I tilted my head, thinking about that for a moment. “Yes. Bad friends aren’t really friends, are they?” “No, I guess not.” “And you never want to compromise who you are so other people will like you.”

“How do you know she’s nice? You just said you didn’t talk to her.” “She waved and it was a very nice wave.”

I lifted my glass and they all followed. “A toast. To Dex St. James and the power of flirtation. May living next to me be sweet, sweet torture.”

Of course, once she turned, I couldn’t take my eyes off her ass. I’m only human. She paused, glancing over her shoulder, an amused smile crossing her lips. Busted. With an annoyed growl, I stomped my way back inside. That woman was going to be the death of me.

“Can I be honest about something?” he asked. “Of course.” He moved in closer. “You’re kind of killing me tonight.” “Am I?” I asked, my voice full of mock innocence. “I thought you weren’t interested.” “Yeah, we both know that’s not true.”

I was Nora Lakes. Men didn’t scare me. Except I might have found one who did.

I eyed them like they were all crazy. “You guys are kidding, right? This is a joke.” “Nope,” Corban said. “Don’t worry, I got the same speech. You’re doing great.” “Same, again,” Cox said, looking more amused than ever. He turned to Corban. “You’re right, it is fun being on the other end of it.” “I told you.”

Corban shook my hand. “If you need any reference material on avoidant attachment, let me know. It might help.”

I wasn’t mad that they’d come, not even that they’d threatened me. It made me feel good for Nora that she had good people in her life who cared about her enough to look out for her like brothers. Hell, I even puffed out my chest a bit that I was the first guy they’d bothered to threaten like that. Damn right.

Everly Calloway—pretty, blond, and all smiles. She had a lightness to her presence that was in stark contrast to her serious husband, Shepherd. I could see why Nora liked her. She was friendly and pleasant and her daughter was equally so. Little Ella Calloway made me miss Riley’s toddler years.

Then there was Hazel Nash. If there was anyone who was Nora’s opposite, it was Hazel. Whereas Nora was fluid and graceful, Hazel had a nerdy awkwardness to her. She fiddled with her glasses and quoted studies and statistics in the course of normal conversation. The other girls just went with it, clearly used to her quirks. And her husband, Corban, had a similar intellectual vibe. Smart guy, kinda weird. I liked him.

And Sophie Cox. That sweet thing was a hot mess on wheels. She had curly hair and a contagious laugh, and her husband, Cox, was clearly well-practiced at handling her missteps. Nora had said she was a little accident prone. I took issue with a little. In the first half hour, she knocked over two drinks, spilled another, and almost tripped over her...

He set the spatula down, then slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me to the side. His voice was low in my ear. “I’m going to marry you, Nora Lakes. That’s just what’s happening.” I will not swoon. I will not swoon. “Is that so?” His lips brushed my ear and his voice was a low growl. “You’re mine.”