That One Moment (Lost in London #2)(45)
“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…f*ck, 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 f*cking 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.
Leslie is perched on Theo’s lap and is giggling happily at something he’s whispering in her ear. Finley and her husband Brody are seated next to them. The others who came out tonight for Theo’s stag party consist of Liam and Theo’s other two mates, James and Ethan.
Reyna’s eyes find mine. I could feel her penetrative gaze as soon as I entered the VIP section. Liam has a lazy arm draped over her shoulders as he talks to Ethan. I can read her expression like a f*cking book and right now she’s wondering how hard all of this is for me to be around. She raises her eyebrows at me in silent question. I frown and shake my head, telling her I’m fine. I look away, trying to conceal my annoyance. For starters, I’m not her concern anymore. Secondly, the alcohol is child’s play compared to Vi in that red f*cking dress.
Vi bends over to grab a bottle of water off the table and Ethan’s eyes zero in on her. In seconds, he’s detaching himself from Liam and approaching her slowly in a way that makes everything in me want to turn into a caveman. Ethan has definite sleazebag qualities. Of all Theo’s mates, he’s the worst. He’s tall with caramel-chocolate skin and blue eyes that he thinks make him f*cking Zeus, king of the bloody Greek gods. The way he expects women to fawn all over him gets right up my nose.
I turn away just as he slithers up to Vi. I lean on the metal rail that’s positioned above the dance floor, watching the swarms of people drinking themselves into oblivion. There was a time when I’d be right there with them, drinking so I wouldn’t have to feel. But all that did was delay my feelings until they crashed in a mighty wreck all over my life. Now, I’m content to be sober and deal with things as they come…one by one.
The night carries on and all I can do is watch Vi laugh and have a great time while I sit and stew over how I feel about her. She doesn’t drink alcohol like everyone else. She’s had the same cocktail since she’s arrived, and she’s gone through two whole bottles of water since they arrived nearly two hours ago. I f*cking love that about her.
“You’re not fooling me, you know,” Leslie’s voice chirps quietly in my ear.
“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning at the fact that Vi has barely looked at me since we came inside. I’m sitting on the couch directly across from her as she’s sandwiched right between Ethan and James, the only other single blokes here tonight.
Leslie sits on the edge of the coffee table, blocking my view. “You’re trying to act all strong and confident. But I see right through you, baby brother.”
I roll my eyes. “Stop calling me baby brother. You’re only one year older than me.”
She giggles dopily, her green eyes drooping in her happy, drunken state. Taking her hand, she reaches out and pushes my sullen pout into a grin and I can’t help but laugh in response.
Shaking my head, I say, “The alcohol isn’t bothering me. I actually quite enjoy being sober. All you sods are going to wake up with crippling headaches tomorrow and I’m going to hit the gym feeling great.”