“Maybe put some antiseptic cream on first,” Jack says quietly, and I look at him, finding intense gray eyes nailed to me.
Stephanie laughs and places a dainty hand on Jack’s exposed forearm. His whole body locks, going visibly tense. “Always so wise,” she says dreamily as my eyes fall to where her hand is resting on his flesh.
Solid arms, braced on either side of my head as he pounded into me.
No!
I shake the flashbacks away and pluck some stability from nowhere. “What a great start to the night.” I laugh, watching as Jack pulls his arm away from his wife’s touch, flicking nervous eyes at her.
Her eyes aren’t nervous. They’re narrowed. More tension.
“Let’s get back to the party.” I gesture toward the door, relieved when Stephanie slaps a smile on her face and leads on, Jack behind her.
I follow them out. Them. Stephanie and Jack. A married couple.
His shoulders are stiff, his profile appearing every few seconds when he looks back at me. Each time, I glance away, dying on the inside, bombarded by so many feelings. I don’t know what to do with any of it. The guilt: that’s the most potent feeling of all. And then more panic when I see Lizzy coming in from the garden.
Oh Jesus, I’ve been so caught up in my state of shock I forgot my friends here tonight were also in the bar that night. I watch in horror as she pulls to a slow stop, looking straight past Stephanie to Jack, her smile falling away. I fly past Jack, knocking his arm, and reach Lizzy, forcing her to retreat back.
“You don’t know him,” I whisper in her ear as I whirl around, slapping a smile on my face. “This is Lizzy!” I declare, making introductions. “Lizzy, this is Jack, my client’s contractor, and his wife, Stephanie.” I don’t mean to emphasize that word with spite, but just in case Lizzy is slow on the uptake, I need to spell out, loud and clear, my fucked-up situation.
Lizzy presents her hand to each of them in turn, smiling brightly. She has the casual, blasé mask far more nailed than I do. “How lovely to meet you,” she gushes, turning to me once she’s said her hellos. Her dark eyes are wide. So fucking wide. They should be. “I’ll go change the music.”
Her head tilts to the side a little in silent signal. I read her mind like I could be reading from a script. She’s going to make sure that Nat and Micky don’t drop me in the shit. Fuck, I hope they don’t recognize Jack; they were all pretty pissed, but I can’t risk it. “I think only Micky will recognize him,” Lizzy whispers as she passes me.
God, I hope so. Colin appears in the doorway. “Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing,” I assure him. “Did you get a drink?”
“Yes.” He holds up a glass of red. “I was just seeing to Jack and Stephanie’s but I got distracted by your friend Micky. He’s a personal trainer, and I need one of those!” Colin flexes his nonexistent biceps and makes his way back into the garden. “Get those drinks and come join us.”
“What would you like?” I ask Stephanie, pulling the cupboard open and retrieving the small first aid box.
“Wine would be lovely, thank you. White, please.”
“Jack?” I ask, hating how his name sounds on my lips. I definitely hear a deep inhale of breath from behind me.
“Beer, please,” he says, as I make quick work of slapping a small bandage over my tiny cut. “Budweiser, if you have it.”
My fumbling fingers falter. Budweiser. I see him tipping a bottle to his lips and I see me, rapt by his taut throat. And the bottle top. Something to remember him by. “I have it.” I shove the first aid box back in the cupboard and turn, catching his eye.
“Thank you.” He glances away, kicking me into action.
I make fast work of getting their drinks, but not so fast that Lizzy doesn’t have time to suss out the rest of my friends. When she appears in the doorway again, mildly nodding, I very nearly puddle on the floor.
“The garden?” I lead the way and introduce Jack and his wife to a few people, feeling him staring at me the whole time.
Nat is oblivious to Jack and who he is, but Micky’s stance definitely alters the moment he claps eyes on him. I stare at my oldest friend until he looks at me, then give him begging eyes, hoping he sees and absorbs my silent plea. He shakes his head, looking as disturbed by the situation as I’m feeling, before returning his attention to Colin.
You’d have to be dead not to feel the tension bouncing around my courtyard garden. I’m certain everyone must feel it, yet as I glance around, everyone is chatting normally, unaware. I leave Stephanie and Jack with Nat and rush to the kitchen to find more wine, knowing I’ll have company in—
“What the fuck?” Lizzy hisses, joining me by the worktop as I pour with shaking hands.
I nod my agreement and bring the glass to my lips, swigging back half of the wine.
“Tell me you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know,” I say calmly, not insulted by Lizzy’s demand as I swallow my wine and turn, resting my arse against the counter.
Micky falls into the kitchen with wide, worried eyes. “Annie, you okay?”
I nod and sip more wine. “He’s married,” I mumble mindlessly, staring into my wineglass. “My amazing one-night stand is married, in my house with his fucking wife, and he’s my client’s contractor.” I look up to my friends. “I have to work with him.” I laugh. “You couldn’t fucking write it!”
“The wanker,” Micky spits, slamming his glass down on the counter.
“Nat was too busy dancing and throwing back shots to take any notice of him in the bar,” Lizzy says, looking outside, no doubt checking the coast is clear.
“I can’t believe this,” I splutter. “All that time I wasted thinking about him.”
“Here.” Lizzy pours more wine into my glass and Micky comes over, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“I’m such an idiot.”
“No,” they snap in unison.
“I am. I fell right into his hands, and now I have to look his wife in the eye knowing I fucked her husband.” The thought sets my panic off again and I begin to tremble, my wine splashing up the side of my glass.
“This isn’t your fault.” Lizzy grinds the words out, annoyed. “Look at me,” she demands, and I do. “Calm down. Get through tonight and then we’ll reconvene in the morning.”
“What am I going to do?” I ask. “I can’t work with him!” I’ll have to quit Colin’s project. It’s my dream design coming to life, and I’ll have to abandon it!
“For now, you’re not going to let him ruin your night. Tomorrow we’ll…”
The room falls silent when another presence is noted by all three of us, and we all look toward the door. Jack’s standing in the doorway, absorbing the fire glares pointed at him. “I need to talk to Annie,” he states confidently.
“What?” Micky pipes up, almost laughing at the cheek of his declaration. “You turn up here large as life, with your fucking wife?”