I shake my head knowingly and gesture that he’s inside. “He’s here just for you, Lez.”
“Fuck!” she screeches. “I’m super glad I wore panties tonight!” I blanch as she stops suddenly and twirls around, halting Frank and Finley in their tracks. “Hands off bitches…His thigh is mine,” she cackles and drags a crying with laughter Finley and Frank toward the entrance.
I shake my head in utter confusion and see Rey step out of a second cab. “Hey, Hay,” she says nudging me with her shoulder.
“Hey, Rey,” I chuckle. “How are you doing?”
“Good. Not as good as Leslie, but good. You clean up well.” She wiggles her eyebrows playfully at me, attempting to be matey. Matey and Rey just don’t quite mix for me yet.
“They’re all inside,” I offer, trying not to roll my eyes.
She nods sheepishly and makes her way toward the door. Once upon a time, there was a day when I was completely sickened by jealousy over what Liam was able to get from Rey that I never could. And it’s still not the most comfortable thing in the world being around him. But I’m glad Rey has someone looking out for her. He’s also Theo’s best mate. I owe a lot to Theo and Leslie, so I’ll be the bigger person and look past everything. And truthfully, I have evolved enough now in my recovery to know that I was being a complete twat and deserved the knock to my face. Still though, I can only stomach so much grinning and bearing.
“Vi?” I say in surprise as my eyes catch sight of her walking arm in arm from the other side of the cab with Frank’s roommate, Julie.
“Hi to you too, wanker” a sullen Julie says, stomping past me in a huff. My brows lift at her chilly demeanour. I’ve only met her once I think.
“I didn’t realise you’d be here,” I say, turning back to Vi and looking her up and down. A heaviness bears down on my shoulders that wasn’t there before. Fuck me, she looks stunning. The flesh revealed on her abdomen and the curve of her slim hips beneath the stretching red fabric causes my dick to stir.
“I didn’t know this was a combined party.” She looks around awkwardly, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact. “I thought it was just a hen night.”
Is she disappointed? “Uh, yeah…it was Liam’s idea. This is where Theo and Leslie met, so…” I can barely finish my sentence as anxiety prickles all my senses.
She nods stiffly. “You look nice.” She shoots me a cool, polite smile and tucks a nonexistent loose hair behind her ear.
I look down haphazardly at my clothes. I’m dressed in black jeans and a tight, fitted, blue button-down with my sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I’ve carelessly left a couple of buttons popped around my neck. My brown cuffs and watch are in place as usual. I look like a prat compared to how stunning she looks.
I swallow hard trying to determine how to warm up her ice-cold demeanour toward me. I know we didn’t leave things on the best terms last time we saw each other but…fuck, I’m not just some random bloke. “You look…shocking.”
Her face screws up. “Shocking?”
“Um…red. It’s…your colour.” My voice falters like a moron as I try to stifle the impending urge I have to toss her back into the cab and hide her from the rest of the world. Honestly, the possessiveness I feel combined with not knowing exactly what she’s thinking right now is driving me mad.
“You okay?” She looks at me with confusion over my nervousness.
Fuck, Hayden, get your shite together.
I nod stiffly and gesture toward the door for her to lead the way. I place my hand on the small of her back out of morbid curiosity if that spark we had is still there. She shivers beneath my touch and it takes the strength of a saint not to curve my hand around her small waist, pull her back against me, and allow my eager fingers to grope until their desires are satisfied. I know she doesn’t need my hand on her bare back to be guided to the VIP section right now. And that’s not why I’m touching her. I’m touching her to send a message out to all the fucking tossers in this club that she is spoken for.
Is she?
Christ, Hayden. She’s not bloody spoken for. You’d do well to get that out of your head right now if you want to do what’s best for everyone involved.
I rip my hand from her as we reach the corner of the club where everyone is sitting on black leather couches. There’s a glass coffee table with bottles and mixers in the centre.