Sassy was in a dark green halter top and a black pleated mini skirt, looking powerful and seductive. Her dark choppy bob and intelligent almond shaped eyes had silenced more than a few men, and I always found it funny to see how they fumbled their words around her. She had absolutely no idea of the power she had over men. As far as I knew, she'd never had a real boyfriend. It was a strange thing really, as one of her best friends I should have been able to answer that question with absolute certainty. But I knew better than anyone the secrets that could develop when it came to members of the opposite sex. I took a deep sip of the champagne, feeling the warmth of the alcohol travelling through my veins, numbing the wave of guilt that washed over me. There was no time for thinking about the past. Tonight we were going to celebrate, and there was no room for regret and sadness.
Mulligan's was buzzing, even before we got through the door. The queue snaked right round the block but we'd been let in through red rope barrier as soon as we'd arrived. There were benefits to being best friends with the wife of the owner. I just wished Olivia could be here with us tonight, it felt so strange to be out without her. There was a constant feeling that someone was missing. I was sure she was having the time of her life on her honeymoon though. “I'm going to get a drink!” I called over the booming bass of the music. “You coming?” Saskia shook her head pointing to the dance-floor, where Liliana was already disappearing into the crowd. “I'll come and find you in a little while!” I called and she nodded, smiling and shouting something I couldn't make out.
I turned, pushing through the mass of bodies, feeling limbs brush against me as I passed. The club was busier tonight than I'd ever seen it. I stifled a grin, wondering how Kai would feel about it thriving so well without him. Ryan was obviously doing a good job. I ordered a vodka lime soda and turned back to the crowd, taking a sip. All at once, the music cut out and the club was plunged into darkness. People squealed and cheered, and I squinted, seeing nothing, wondering if there had been a power-cut. A hand snaked around my waist and I jumped as the unmistakable, deep gravel of Liam's voice spoke into my ear. “You've been avoiding me.”
My breath caught in my chest, my senses hyper aware in the darkness. The heat of his palm burned through the sheer silk, his hand trailing a slow path down to my hip. I wanted to break away, but I couldn't see a thing, and the chances of me tripping and falling head over heels were pretty high. There were unseen obstacles everywhere and I wasn't the best at walking in stilettos. Instead, I stood rooted to the spot, my heart thumping hard as his chest pressed firmly into my back. “What's going on?” I asked, ignoring his accusation. “Why have the lights gone out?”
He gave a low laugh that shot right to my crotch and I squirmed uncomfortably, feeling the heat spreading through my abdomen. “I believe this is what they call, dramatic effect, sweetheart.” His breath hitched suddenly, his hand gripping my hip firmly. When he spoke again, his voice was thick. “You might want to keep still. Unless giving me a raging hard on was your intention?”
“What?” I froze instantly. “Oh god! Do you ever stop?” My face was flaming at the realisation of what exactly was pressing between my bum cheeks. I was grateful for the darkness, but now I didn't know how to respond.
He laughed again. “I'm just saying.” His hand slid further down the dress, finding the short hem, his fingertips grazing the bare skin of my thigh. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look tonight?”
“How would you know how I look?”
“I saw you. I was just coming over when the lights cut. What? Did you think I used my wolf senses to sniff you out in the dark? Although...” his head lowered to the side of my throat and I felt the lightest brush of his lips on my skin. “You do smell good.”
“Liam, stop!” I whispered primly. I was supposed to be putting an end to this silly flirtation. I'd meant to shove him back in the friend box and lock that lid well and truly shut. But there was something about being in total darkness that made the rules blur. Even as I said the words, I couldn't help but push back against him. My thoughts went to that kiss at the wedding reception. The way his dark eyes had met mine, fierce and intent before his full lips had crashed down on mine, kissing me breathless, making my legs shake with desperate need. I could feel the light stubble on his cheek as his lips brushed my neck now and despite myself, I felt the liquid heat between my legs, the pulsing ache as his hand skimmed my thigh, so close to where the pressure was building almost painfully. I arched back, my head tilting, my mouth opening. Would it really be so bad if I let him kiss me, just one more time? He smelled like peppermint and lager and lust and I couldn't help myself imagining what he would taste like as his tongue slipped inside my mouth. I gave a small wriggle, waiting for his reaction, and felt his hand grip my thigh as he pushed hard against me. A strain of music cut through the echoing club, something Indian, reminding me of Bollywood movies, and then a spotlight hit the central podium and the light filtered out, providing a dim glow over the crowd. Liam's eyes were locked on mine and for a moment, neither of us moved. “What's happening?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“Burlesque. Look.”
I managed to tear my eyes away from his and turned my head to see the dancer being lowered from the ceiling on invisible ropes. Two other podiums were lit, one after the other, and the three dancers began their routines, their bodies shimmering and sliding sensually, every eye in the room fixed on them. They were mesmerising. Every eye, except Liam's, I noted. I could feel his penetrating stare on my face. The light was bright enough to see my way through the club now, but still I remained standing in the loop of his arms, his breath falling lightly against my skin, the heat of his hands on my body consuming my every thought. The central dancer leaned backwards, arching herself into a crab, her pelvis thrust high in the air. “Can you do that?” Liam asked softly. “I bet we could have some fun exploring your flexibility.”
He never failed to shock me, the way he just came out with stuff like that. He was so explicit, so constantly focused on sex. No man had ever said anything so lewd to me before. Was it really any wonder my self protective instincts flared every time he was near? He was a player, through and through and nothing would ever change that. “You're disgusting,” I said, pushing out of his hold. “I have to get back to my friends. I'll see you around.” I walked away before he had chance to respond, gripping my drink with shaking hands.
I stormed across the club, elbowing through the tightly packed bodies dancing as they gawped up at the burlesque dancers on their podiums. A hand grabbed my forearm and I swung around, ready to rip someone's face off. “Hey, there you are!” Sassy said, still gripping my arm. “Where did you disappear off to?”
“I got stuck in the dark... with Liam.” I felt my pulse raging as I replayed the cockiness in his voice. “I don't think I've ever met a more arrogant, self obsessed man in my whole life.”
Saskia raised an eyebrow. “What did he say to make you so angry?”
“I'm not angry. I'm...” I shook my head. “Irritated.”
Saskia took me by the elbow, leading me over to a table and pushing me down on the sofa. “What?” I asked, as she stared down at me with piercing eyes.
“Something's going on with you and Liam. Am I right?”
I coughed, shocked at her accusation. “Are you joking? Absolutely not. I can barely stand to be in the same room as him.”
“You're sure? You'd tell me?”
“Of course,” I said, taking a deep swig of my drink to avoid her penetrating stare. “Why?”
She gave a sigh. “Because if this isn't some sort of strange flirting, love hate thing, that means you genuinely don't like him. And that might be an issue.”
“If you mean because Olivia married his brother, it's fine – ”
“I don't mean that at all.” She sat down next to me. “He's coming to Croatia. With us. For Lil's birthday holiday.”
“He's what! Who invited him?”
“Lil did. At the wedding. She was worr
ied he'd be down without Kai around, and she... we both thought that, seeing as you two were getting along so well...”
“Oh for gods sake. It's not like that. Not in the slightest! Talk about crossed wires. Can't she uninvite him?”
Saskia shook her head. “That would be mean. And you know it would upset Lil to do it.”
“Well, you do it then. You'll be able to scare him off easily. Fix this Sas. Please.”
“You're getting worked up over nothing. I doubt he'll even turn up, he probably just said he'd think about it to be kind to Lil.”
“You're giving him way too much credit.”
She pursed her lips. “You're being really hard on him. What's he actually done?”
“I – he...” I shook my head, my thoughts fuzzy with alcohol and anger. “Oh, I don't even want to talk about it.” I took another sip of my drink and looked towards the dance-floor, edgy that he might appear at any minute. I had much preferred him when he was just funny and charming and a little flirtatious, not so obviously intent on getting me into his bed. I was seeing a whole new side to him now and it made me nervous. I sighed. “So you won't uninvite him then?”
“Like I said. I doubt he'll even turn up.”
“I bloody hope you're right about that,” I said darkly. The alternative was too awful to consider.
Chapter Five
Mia
“This place is gorgeous!” I said, bounding down the stairs, having just seen my room in the villa. “There's like twelve bedrooms! Who else did you say was coming?”
Liliana walked through to the kitchen, already dressed in her bikini, and I followed behind her. “Uh, you, me and Sassy, of course. Then there's just a few friends from Chelsea and some from uni. Ben, Amy, Lisa, Jeremy and a couple of others. I think you know them all. They'll arrive tonight, but I thought it would be fun for us to see the place and have it to ourselves for a little while first.” She pulled a jug of orange juice from the fridge, pouring a generous glass. “You want some?”
I nodded. She hadn't mentioned Liam, and I really didn't want to be the first to bring him up, but I had to know. I took the glass she passed me, bringing it slowly to my lips. “And, uh, Liam? Did he let you know if he was going to come?”
Lil looked up, her eyes narrowing. “Uh, I'm not sure actually. He said he was planning to, but I haven't heard from him in a little while. Maybe he'll be too busy with work.”
I nodded. I didn't want to bring any negativity to Lil's birthday holiday. I'd already made up my mind to be civil – cool yet polite, if he did have the cheek to turn up. I wouldn't create a horrible atmosphere for everyone, but I really hoped he would stay home. It would be so much simpler. “Sassy's already by the pool. Why don't you get changed and come and join us?” Lil said, already heading for the massive glass doors that spanned the entire back wall of the kitchen.
“Actually, I'm just going to go for a walk down to the beach,” I smiled. “My head's still fuzzy after the flight.”
“You know it's weird that travel sickness gives you a headache, rather than making you puke, right?”
“Yeah, I know. But I've always had it... something about the pressure and the turbulence. It makes my head spin. I'll be fine soon.”
“Okay, sweetie. The beach is private – just for the five villas here, so I think it will be pretty safe.”
“I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll catch up with you soon, okay?” I downed my glass of juice and headed outside, not bothering to put anything on my feet. The beach was so close that the sand stretched up the path, almost to the villa. I made my way along a narrow path bordered by shrubs, dunes and bushes either side and after only a minute, the path opened up and I found myself on a wide, deserted beach, clean yellow sand stretching down to a calm blue sea. It was absolutely beautiful and I was suddenly glad I'd come down alone.
I'd been looking forward to getting away for so long, needing a break from the daily stresses of my life in London and this holiday had been perfect timing for me. I'd just come to the end of an entire house renovation in Mayfair, and I had a potential new client wanting me for an even bigger project lined up to meet when we arrived back in England. But for now, I was completely and utterly free. It was a good feeling.
With nobody to watch me I took advantage of having my own private beach, running down to the waters edge, feeling the hot sand as it pushed between my toes. I splashed into the water, discovering it to be far warmer than I'd expected. Without thinking, I stripped off my loose sundress, throwing it on the dry sand behind me. Wearing nothing but my underwear, I dived beneath the surface of the waves. I came up with a whoop of joy, my headache a distant memory as I floated on my back, letting the waves carry me gently as I looked up at the cloudless blue sky. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so relaxed and at peace.
I didn't know how much time had passed, but after a while, I decided the time had probably come for me to head back to the villa and shower before the other guests arrived. I swam back to the shore, standing under the hot sun to dry off for a minute before pulling my dress on over still damp skin. Still buzzing from the whole experience, I ran up the beach towards the bushes and was halfway back along the narrow, winding path when a sudden, blinding pain shot through my foot. I bit my lip hard, waiting for it to pass, but it only intensified. “Shit, shit shit!” I was starting to sweat, tears springing to my eyes and I lowered myself to the ground to inspect the sole of my foot. The skin was an angry red, stretched tight and shiny over my swollen arch and getting steadily worse. I couldn't think what I'd stepped on to create such a reaction. There didn't seem to be anything obvious on the ground. I needed to cool it off. Urgently. I looked over my shoulder. The sea would have been a good option, but I was closer to the villa now. There was nothing for it but to struggle on. I pulled myself up, grimacing and took a tentative step forward, letting out a cry of pain. A fire was spreading across my flesh, the skin so tight now I thought it may actually split open. The moment I put even the slightest pressure on it, it felt like it would burst, the pressure was too intense. It was no good. I lowered myself back down, gritting my teeth as I held my foot a few inches off the ground.
“Uh, hello... what are you doing down there?” I didn't need to look up to know who the voice belonged to. Liam. Of course. Of all the situations to find me in, one where he got to tower over me and put on his best display of cocky, power hungry dominance was quite possibly the worst.
I looked up, finding his eyes fixed on me. “I'm hurt.”
“Clearly.” He stepped forward, lowering himself to his haunches. He reached forward his hand going to my ankle and I jerked away.
“What are you doing?”
“Inspecting the damage. Do you mind?”
“You can't do anything. It's all swollen up. I stepped on something, but I don't know what.”
“Why aren't you wearing anything on your feet?”
“I didn't think the sand was going to be full of hidden dangers, did I?” I said crossly. Liam reached out again, this time gripping my ankle in gentle hands before I had chance to move away. He handled me carefully, leaning forward. “Hmm.”
“Hmm what?” I demanded.
“Hold on.” He stood up and scrutinised the path for a moment, turning on the spot. “There.”
“What?”
“Don't you see? Look,” he pointed. “You stepped on a hornet. Killed the poor bugger.”
“Not before he left me with a parting gift. What was he doing on the bloody path anyway?”
“A mystery. Safe to say, it was a bad place to stop to rest.” He sat back down, lifting my foot into his lap. “It looks pretty sore.”
“You don't say.”
“Can you walk?”
“If I could, do you think I would be sat here?” He raised an eyebrow, his mouth twitching as if he were trying not to smile. I sighed. I was being mean, and I'd promised myself I would try to keep the peace. For Lil's sake. “Sorry,” I said, looking down at my lap. “It really
hurts. It's making me irritable, but I didn't mean to be rude.” He shrugged and stood up, and for a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to leave me. It would have served me right. Instead of continuing up the path though, he bent down and before I knew what was happening, he had scooped me into his arms as if I weighed no more than a doll. “What are you – ”
“I'm carrying you back to the villa. Unless you have a better plan?”
“I... well...” I was distracted by the sensation of being held firmly against his chest, the smell of his skin, clean and hot filling my senses. I could feel my heart pounding hard against my ribcage as his hands slid further around me, getting a better hold. He looked down at me, his eyes soft, like he really cared. God he was good at these games. Nothing like me. I could see how easily women fell for his charm. He was an expert. “Fine,” I conceded. “Take me back.”
He carried me easily, though I found myself gripping the back of his neck, fearful of being dropped. As I settled into the short journey, my discomfort at being so close to Liam was dulled by the ever increasing pain in my foot. It was spreading further up my ankle now, making me dizzy with pain, nausea rippling through me. I closed my eyes, biting down on my bottom lip to stop myself from giving into the tears that were threatening to come. I was aware of a door opening and closing and the cool blast of air as we entered the villa, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. I concentrated on the sound of Liam's footsteps, steady and even, the rhythm helping me keep focused on something besides the pain. He shifted me in his arms and I felt myself being lowered, my eyes opening to find we were in my bedroom and he had put me down on my bed.
“Oh,” I said, looking around, disorientated. “You didn't have to bring me all the way upstairs.”
He ignored me, lifting my foot to look at it again. “Do you have an allergy to bees? Wasps?”
Damaged: Dare to Decide, Book 2 Page 3