Until Harry(40)

Thank God.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Daven quickly pleaded to Lavender. “I just meant she looks different from what she usually looks like, that’s all . . . You’re so gorgeous tonight, babygirl.”

Oh, please.

“You can’t really be falling for this crap, Lav,” I grumbled to Lavender, who stiffened.

Daven heard me and narrowed his eyes at me while he reached out and took Lavender’s hands in his. He refocused on her and smiled his breathtaking smile, which always captivated my poor lovesick friend. I couldn’t argue that it wasn’t distracting because it was. He had a smile that made you stop and stare, and he knew it.

Daven Eanes was a bastard who used his incredibly good looks to fuck over my friend time and time again. We were constantly arguing over his lack of respect for her, and it drove Lavender insane to listen to the pair of us.

“Just give me five minutes, babygirl,” he pleaded. “I need to speak to you.”

I shook my head when I heard Lavender sigh, indicating she was already giving in to him before verbally saying so. She turned to face me, her eyes begging for me not to cause a scene. I ignored Daven staring at her arse, and focused on my best friend.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re going to be crying over him tomorrow, but if you want to talk to him, go ahead. I’ll wait for you.”

Relief flooded Lavender, and a bright smile took charge of her face. “I owe you one, Bookworm.”

“If my brothers catch me, you owe me more than one,” I grumbled as Daven took hold of Lavender’s hand and led her away from me.

One second Lavender was right in front of me, and the next she was replaced by some tall, drunk lad who was blatantly staring at my breasts while swaying on his unsteady feet.

“Can I help you?” I asked angrily.

The lad’s hooded, bloodshot eyes flicked to mine, and he nodded as a sick-looking grin curved his mouth.

I backed up away from him and said, “Not in this lifetime, buddy.”

I intended to give him the finger, but my back hit something hard, and hands grabbed hold of my waist, bringing me to a halt.

“Easy, darling,” his gruff voice said.

Life could not be this cruel to me.

“Sorry,” I said in a voice that was not my own, hoping Kale wouldn’t notice that it was me who’d just backed my arse into his body.

“Don’t worry about it – hey, are you okay?”

Why the hell did he have to care about everyone? Why couldn’t he be like a regular lad and just mind his own business? I knew the answer to my questions before I thought of them. Because Kale was caring and an all-round perfect human being – that was why.

In a last feeble attempt to hide my identity, I covered my face with my hands when Kale rounded on me. “Are you sure you’re – wait a second. Drop your hands.”

He knew. I heard his voice change when something familiar about me registered in his mind. “Why?” I grumbled into my hands.

“I better be seeing things,” he growled. “You better not be who I think you are.”

I groaned and dropped my hands from my face down to my sides.

“Lane?”

Oh, bugger.

I should have kept my face covered; it would have saved me the torture of looking at him while he looked like a bloody Greek god. He had on dark jeans and a buttoned-up, collared blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I never thought rolled-up sleeves could be so attractive on a man, but damn it, they were. He had on a beanie hat matching the dark colour of his jeans too. I swear to God that the sight of him did unholy things to my lady parts.

He. Looked. Fucking. Hot.

I stared up at him with wide eyes and found I couldn’t respond to him because my throat was clogged up with naughty proposals. I quickly cleared the sin from my throat, and lifting my hand to my neck, awkwardly scratched it.

“Hey, Kale.”

He drilled his bloodshot eyes into mine.

“Hey, Lane,” he growled.

I innocently smiled. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Yeah,” he replied, his voice dangerously low. “Fancy that.”

I lowered my hand to my side and frowned. “You won’t tell my brothers that I’m here, right?”

He didn’t respond, and it made me nervous as I glanced around, making sure they weren’t in close proximity. “Kale, you’re my best friend; you can’t throw me under the bus here,” I pleaded. “You know Lochlan will go crazy and embarrass me.”

Layton would just be disappointed and give me a lecture about the dangers of partying, alcohol and boys. Lochlan, on the other hand, would go insane, and if I didn’t have Layton on my side to defuse the situation, I would be toast.

Kale grunted to himself, then said, “You shouldn’t be here.” He lowered his eyes to my body and swallowed. “Especially dressed like that.”

I felt a little giddy when his eyes lingered on my midriff and legs a little longer than necessary. “Please, it’s just a skirt and crop top,” I said, waving his worries off.

He licked his lips. “Have your legs always been this long?”

I looked down at my legs, then back up to Kale, my eyebrow raised. “I’ve been five foot nothing since I was twelve. They’re still short and stumpy.”