A shiver rolled down my back. “Can’t we just leave now?”
“We could, but I’d rather tease you for the next couple of hours first.”
I laughed as his hand slipped down to my ass and gave it a squeeze. “Ugh, I hate waiting.”
“I know. That’s why I love to make you wait.”
Within a few minutes, everyone had moved around and mixed up, talking with each other, and I smiled to myself as I floated from group to group, happy that the odd collection of friends jelled. Joel and Phil were deep in a conversation about sci-fi that I understood zero of. Angie, who was the sweetest little bookish thing with big brown eyes and a giggle that instinctively made everyone in her radius giggle with her, had been talking with Ramona and Veronica about baking. Shep and Jude laughed together, swapping stories with Bodie, who smiled at me when I walked up.
Everything felt so good. All of us hanging out and talking and laughing. Bodie hanging his arm on my shoulder and kissing my temple and touching my hand, reminding me over and over again how much I enjoyed being around him. He made me feel good, and I wanted to make him feel good too.
The group shuffled around a few times, and a little while later, I found myself watching them all from the outside with Ramona, who bumped my arm.
“Have I told you that you’ve ruined my life?”
I frowned. “What? Why?”
“I went to the grocery store yesterday, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the little old checkout lady’s nipples when I noticed how pale her lips were.”
I burst out laughing. Ramona looked pleased.
“Bodie’s great, Pen.”
I smiled. “He is, isn’t he?”
She nodded, smirking. “I never thought I’d live to see you on a real date.”
I frowned. “This isn’t a date. This is a preamble to naked cartwheels and an attempt to get Ronnie laid.”
That earned a laugh. “First, this is totally a date. And you guys have been all over each other in the cutest way.”
My frowned deepened. “Yeah, because we’re hot for each other.”
“Oh my God, Penny. It’s a date. Open your eyes.”
I blinked, watching Bodie from across the room. “I mean, I guess technically it is, but that’s not what we’re doing. I’m not his girlfriend.” I said it like it was a filthy word.
Ramona laughed, shaking her head at me. “You know that being a girlfriend doesn’t mean you’re chained up in somebody’s basement, right?”
“If you say so.” I took a sip of my tequila.
She let it go, thankfully. I was starting to feel itchy.
Ramona nodded to the group. “So Jude and Veronica went over about as well as lead frisbee.”
I sighed. “Man, I’m so disappointed. They had to go and open their mouths and ruin my plans.”
She chuckled. “They didn’t even make it two sentences into a conversation. But look at them eyeballing each other.”
“I think they’re trying to explode each other.”
They really were — the two of them were staring across the room with narrowed eyes, and I wondered what else had been said. It must have been seriously infuriating, and I wished I’d heard every word.
“Well,” Ramona started, “even if the Ronnie trap failed, the Bodie trap is still fully in place and ready to blow.”
I snickered. “Yeah, it is.”
She smiled at me. “I’m happy for you, Penny. I really like him.”
I sighed wistfully. “He’s perfect for me right now. I had no idea that guys like him existed in the dating wild.”
She opened her mouth like she had something to say but stopped herself, smiling instead. “Speak of the devil.”
When I followed her eyeline, I found Bodie walking over, his eyes on mine in a way that made my knees go weak, though there was nothing lewd or suggestive about it. It was just pervasive, slipping into me, through me, spreading all over me in a way that set me on fire.
“Hey,” he said with a smile.
“Hi.” I smiled back like the fool that I was.
Ramona touched my arm. “I’m gonna go make sure Shep’s not telling any stories he shouldn’t. You know how chatty he gets.”
I laughed. “Oh, man. Hopefully not the dick sock story again.”
“Oh, he’s well past that. We’re into koala bear territory.”
I waved her away. “Go. Run.”
And with that, she headed back to the group, leaving me and Bodie alone.
“Having fun?” I asked.
“I am. I like your friends.”
“I like yours too.”
“Too bad about Veronica and Jude though.”
I pouted. “I know. We were just talking about that. Honestly, I’ve met your brother, and I can’t believe I thought it was a good idea. Pretty much the only thing they have in common is that they’re single.”
“Not true. They’re both artists, and they have smart-ass mouths.”
I laughed and stepped into him, resting my hand on his chest. “So, I was thinking about you surfing the other day.”