They started walking down the street. “And that’s you?”
“Well … yes,” she conceded. “Though by the way he was looking you over, it could possibly be you. Don’t be greedy. You have Ryan and he’s the hottest of the hot.”
“I don’t have Ryan,” she pointed out.
Rachael stopped them both and looked at her. “What are you talking about? You’ve always had Ryan.”
“I haven’t. The Army has.”
“Fin.” Exhaling irritably, Rachael looked away for a moment before meeting her eyes. “You’re his heart. You. That’s his sacrifice for whatever demons he’s carrying around inside him. But he needs to wake up and realise that it doesn’t matter where he is, or what he does, you’ll still make being together work, because both of you share something that is so far beyond love it won’t ever die.”
“What about in here?” Kyle said.
Ryan stopped in front of the open deck nightclub he was walking past with Kyle, Tex, and Galloway. He was already unsteady on his feet. Alcohol had done its promised job tonight, and he was almost numb. He just needed one night without having to feel anything.
Putting his hands in his pockets to keep himself balanced, he looked at Kyle. “This place?” he shouted over the loud music. From the street outside, the beat was already thumping through his system. “Are you high?”
Kyle gave the club a once over. “If I was, I wouldn’t be here with you girls.”
“Yeah? Where would you be?” Galloway asked.
Kyle paused and looked at him. “Fucking of course. That’s my high.”
“Fucking anything that moves,” Tex muttered.
Kyle raised a brow, insulted. “Just women, asshole. Tall ones, short ones, slim ones, curvy ones.” He licked his lips and grinned.
A group of girls sat on the deck talking and laughing. One of them broke the huddle and glanced their way. She winked as she brought a glass to her mouth.
“Jesus,” Kyle muttered. “Yep. This is the place.” He nodded towards the entrance. “Time’s wasting.”
Galloway followed Kyle’s line of sight and frowned. “Hey, isn’t that Laura?”
“Laura?”
“Yeah, you know … Jake’s cousin.”
Goddammit. The numb haze floated away at the mention of Jake’s name, ruining all the effort he’d put into drinking so he could forget. Laura’s eyes widened when he looked her way. She glanced quickly towards the bar and following her movement, he froze.
Fin stood there looking like nothing he’d ever seen before. His breath lodged in his throat as his eyes wandered over her. She was wearing a skirt that shimmered under the bright lights of the bar. Her beautiful long legs—the ones that felt like heaven when they wrapped around him and squeezed—were on display to the world, and her top? Fuck. Was it a top? Whatever the fuck it was, it exposed a long V of her chest that made him hard instantly. He wanted to drag her away, lick his way down that tantalising display, and then rip that thing in two.
Tex said something that had Kyle and Galloway laughing, but he couldn’t drag his eyes away.
“… right, Kendall?”
Kyle elbowed him.
“Huh?” he muttered.
“Nothing,” Kyle said with a roll of his eyes.
When the guy standing next to Fin at the bar leaned in and trailed his finger seductively over the line of her collarbone, blood roared in his ears. He was saying something to Fin that had her leaning close to hear.
“Fuck,” he growled.
His face grim, Ryan ignored his friends and started for the door.
“Looks like we’re going in!” Kyle shouted.
“Good one, dick. Look at the bar. Fin’s here,” Tex told him.
“I know,” Kyle replied, smug. “I had it on good authority she would be.”
“So look at the guy she’s standing next to. Don’t you recognise him?”
His brows flew up. “Should I?”
“He’s in all the photos we saw of Fin.”
“Christ, Galloway. I’m busy looking at her in the photos, not raking my eyes over whatever asshole is standing next to her.”
“That’s Ian,” Galloway growled.
Kyle’s eyes flew to the bar. “Oh fuck,” he breathed.
Ryan winced as the lights strobed painfully, but he kept his eyes on Fin as he pushed through the crowd of people.
Ian noticed him first. Glancing over Fin’s shoulder, he gave Ryan the once over and his jaw ticked. Ignoring him, Ian smiled down at Fin and Ryan wanted to punch it off his face.
“Fin.”
She turned slightly and her eyes, having done something that made them smoky and sexy, widened when she saw him standing there.
“Can we talk?”
Fin blinked. “Now? Now you want to talk?”
He nodded at the clarification. Yes, he wanted to talk.
Ian took hold of her bicep, the gesture a possessive one, and smirked at Ryan. “Not really the best time for talking, is it, Kendall?”