Free Slider by Stacy Borel Page B

next dance?”
    Spinning around, Turner was a little too close for comfort. His electric blue eyes were level with mine and my heart galloped in my chest. The scent of his cologne and mint on his breath blew across my face as he gave me the most glorious smile I’d ever seen. Turner had one of his arms leaning against the bar, and it trapped me where I stood. Never mind the draw, that line that pulled me in would have kept my feet planted in their spot.
    “Uh, what?” Genius response.
    Why was he piercing me with those damn eyes? “I said, may I have the next dance?”
    Heat crept up my cheeks and I was tempted to look down. Instead I held his eyes and said, “I don’t really dance.”
    “Oh now, Annabelle, we both know that’s a lie. I’ve seen you dance.”
    Okay yeah, definitely blushing now. “That was a rare occasion.”
    He bent down and spoke into my ear, “Make it another one.”
    I swallowed hard. Feeling tingly all over, I shook my head. He was crazy if he thought I was going to dance with him. If I was reacting to him like this and he wasn’t even touching me, I could only imagine how I would be if he were.
    “Oh come on, Belle, give my big brother a chance.” Wrigley sidled up to Turner, with an identical smirk.
    “You heard the kid.”
    My eyes bounced back and forth between them. “Why do I feel like I’m being ganged up on?”
    “‘Cause you are,” Turner replied.
    “I don’t dance.”
    “How about a date?”
    “Yeah, how about a date?” Wrigley repeated as if he were asking for himself.
    I giggled. This conversation was ridiculous. “Who’s asking?”
    “Me.”
    “Me.” Turner chimed in right after Wrigley. He glared at his brother and elbowed him in the ribs. Wrigley exhaled loudly with an “ooof.”
    “Didn’t you ask me out on a date just a couple months ago?” I taunted for fun.
    “Yes, ma’am. But I’m fairly certain you hit your head, not twisted your ankle.”
    I bit the inside of my lip to hide my smile. Why was he so charming? “Definitely didn’t bump my head. My poor ankle took weeks to heal.”
    Shiny white teeth glistened in the lights as he flashed me a brilliant grin. “What do you say, Annabelle?”
    Just before I was going to answer, Camden and Keegan strolled up hand in hand. They were glowing from happiness. Camden was laughing hard at something Keegan had told him.
    “Hey you two, what’s the happy couple going on about?” Wrigley asked.
    Turner was drilling a whole in the side of my face with his stare. I was going to make him stew a bit longer. Plus I was interested in what these two love birds were about to say.
    “Did you see who snuck into the pool house, drunk as a bunch of skunks?” Keegan asked.
    “Nope.”
    “Dodger and Macie. Those two better put away some of Mom’s breakables. I have a feeling between how drunk they are, and all that aggression those two have been taking out on each other, some things may get broken.” Camden laughed.
    “Oh geez,” Turner said.
    “He loves her,” I announced out of the blue.
    They all turned in my direction. My eyes got big and I raised my hands in the air. “What? I’m just saying.”
    Keegan stepped beside me, unable to remove her permanent smile. “Oh that boy has loved her since the day we walked into Camden’s apartment. But both have a stubborn streak a mile long. They will fight their feelings ‘til one of them breaks. That much we all know. Maybe the alcohol, just for tonight, is what they need.”
    “Or a good orgasm or two.” Wrigley twitched his eyebrows.
    Camden slapped the back of his head. “Do girls actually like you?”
    “They flock to me,” he said, fixing his hair.
    “Right,” Camden retorted.
    Stepping back into my little bubble, Turner asked me again, “So about that date.”
    I gulped and glanced around. All eyes were on me. Keegan and Camden appeared curious as to what they missed. “Can we talk about this privately, please?” I tried to say under my