“Yeah, just coming,” I mange, but it comes out all high pitched and squeaky. I take a deep breath and square my shoulders before unlocking the door and walking out with as much confidence as I can muster.
Luckily, Connie is still talking to her nan when I re-enter the function room. Both of them have another empty glass in front of them. Connie wasn’t joking when she said her nan would drink us under the table. She looks like she’s been sipping on water all night, not wine.
“Hey, could I have the room key, please?” I ask Connie when I get to them. I didn’t have a bag to match my outfit, so she has control of the key and my money tonight.
“Uh yeah,” she says, opening her clutch and pulling it out. As she hands it to me, she looks up. “Are you okay?”
I swallow down my emotions, “yeah, I’m just a little hot. I’d like to freshen up a little.”
“Okaaaay, do you want me to come with you?” she asks, clearly seeing that I’m anything but okay.
I eventually manage to convince Connie that I can go alone. She doesn’t look happy about it, but the barman putting another drink in front of her swayed her, thankfully.
I must spend way too long upstairs because, when I reappear, Ruben practically pounces on me. He wraps his arms around me from behind and whispers, “Where have you been? I was worried about you.”
Thankfully, he can’t see my face, because I don’t think I’m a very good liar. “Sorry, I wasn’t feeling great. I just needed a quiet few minutes.” I try desperately hard to act normal, and not like he’s just ripped my heart out and is stomping on it in front of all these guests.
“You’re okay now though, right?”
“Uh huh,” I mumble as I walk us towards Maggie. Connie is now on the dance floor, prancing around with a number of people, including Fin and her dad.
“Ruben, come on, I want to dance with my baby boy,” Elizabeth says as she comes over.
I sit on the bar stool opposite Maggie as Ruben gets dragged off by his mother. He doesn’t look very impressed to say the least.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Maggie says, taking another sip. I dread to think how many glasses she’s had now; there are two more empties since I left sat on the bar.
“What’s that?”
“The way Ruben looks at you, my dear. It’s just like the way my Jimmy looked at me, God rest his soul. When Foster men are in love, it’s written all over their faces.”
I just stare at her with what I can only imagine is a blank expression on my face. After what I’ve heard tonight, she couldn’t be further from the truth. I blink back the tears and order myself a double vodka and cranberry when the barman walks towards us.
Maggie continues to tell me all about her late husband, Jimmy, as we sit and drink. Luckily, someone comes over and places a few bowls of crisps and nuts in front of us, which helps to soak up the stupid amount of vodka I’ve now consumed. I love the way Maggie still talks about her husband with as much love as passion as I’m sure she did when he was alive. I feel gutted for her that she has had to live for so many years without the love of her life after he died so young. She is right, though: she has three amazing sons and now daughter-in-laws to look after her, and her grandkids to keep her on her toes. I can’t help my eyes flicking over to the dance floor to make sure Ruben is still over there and being kept entertained by his family. It’s easier to pretend everything is okay when he isn’t next to me. He causes such a reaction in my body when he is close that it’s hard to concentrate.
I watch as Connie goes up to the DJ. She must be fed up of the old-school classics her parents requested for the night. It’s not long before the familiar beat of her favourite Taylor Swift song starts to fill the room. Looking at Connie, I would never have thought she was a huge pop music fan, but it just goes to prove you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I continue watching as she grabs on to Fin and starts dancing to Shake it Off.
My eyes lock with Ruben’s just as Taylor starts singing the chorus, and I can’t help but think how fitting it is.
He smiles and blows a kiss at me before a woman I don’t recognise pulls him back towards her and starts dancing with him. I’d like to think she was a cousin, but something in the back of my mind screams that she is probably another in his long line of scorned women trying to have another shot with him. The way she is moving with him definitely doesn’t scream cousin to me, anyway.
I try to do as Taylor says and shake it all off. Well, shake it off until I’m alone and can deal with this all my own way, at least.
A couple more songs play that don’t register, but I continue to watch the dancing along with Maggie. I notice Connie and Fin move themselves so they are at the back of the group. I can only presume that is so they are away from Ruben, because their dancing isn’t looking particularly innocent at this point. I wish she would tell me the history there; I’m dying to know.
I move my eyes briefly back to Ruben to see him heading towards the DJ with the woman still clinging to him. I watch as he says something to the DJ before the woman gets all excited and looks at him all doe eyed. What the fuck has he done now?
She excitedly drags him back, and I wait patiently to see what is going to happen next. When the song ends, Ruben looks up and locks eyes with me. He tries to gesture for me to join him, but I shake my head and refuse. I am not going anywhere near him. As I said, it’s hard enough trying to pretend everything is okay from a distance. I can’t promise I wouldn’t cause him some bodily harm if I were that close to him.
The sound of One Direction comes out of the speakers, and I groan at the same time that the woman beams from ear to ear at Ruben. I can only presume that she thinks his song choice, What Makes You Beautiful, was chosen for her. Without sounding big headed though, I’m pretty sure it was chosen for me, if his eye contact is anything to go by.
“Aw, that is so romantic,” Maggie comments from where I forgot she was sat next to me. “Go dance with him, Emma.”
“No, I don’t think so,” I say, much to Maggie’s disappointment.
I see him go to move the woman away from him and he takes one step in my direction, but he is stopped by his mum and a couple of his aunties, who put him in the middle of them all and start dancing around him.
If I wasn’t so heartbroken and angry, I would laugh at the look on his face at being trapped by a circle of middle aged women.
The room had started spinning for me a while ago, and I know I need to stop drinking before I do something I’m going to regret, but my main goal is numbing the pain he’s caused. I just finish my latest double vodka and cranberry when the beginning of a song starts that I could happily never hear again.
Couples start pairing off on the dance floor almost as fast as I scramble, in my highly intoxicated state, off the bar stool, ready to run.
“Emma?” I hear Maggie question over the buzzing that is filling my ears, but I pay no attention. My only thought is to get out of here before the pain engulfs me.
I can’t take more than three steps before Adele’s voice booms out the first line of Make You Feel My Love. I feel my knees go weak as I’m instantly transported back in time to Hannah’s funeral and the image of her coffin disappearing for the last time.
I must make it another two steps before I feel my legs completely give way. I brace myself for the impact that is to come.
Seconds or minutes go by. I have no idea, really, before I realise that the pain never came. I crack my eye open to see that I am moving up a set of stairs in someone’s arms. Adele’s voice is getting quieter the more we move, and I’ve never been more grateful for the person that is taking me away from it in that moment. The memory of Hannah’s funeral and having to say goodbye to her is still imprinted on my eyelids just from hearing that woman’s beautiful voice. I never would have agreed to play such a popular song, even though it was one of Hannah’s favourites, if I knew it would affect me like this every time I heard it.
Going through a door cuts out
the last of the sound and my brain can almost function again on what is going on around me. I open my eyes properly and look up to see who saved me. It should come as no surprise really that the person carrying away from my worst nightmare is Ruben.
He looks down at me and must see that sheer panic in my eyes. “It’s okay, babe, I’ve got you. You’re okay,” he repeats, and places a kiss to my forehead as his long legs eat up the remaining length of the corridor before he stops in front of a door.
I place my head down on his shoulder and shut my eyes while he tries to figure out how to keep hold of me, get his key out of his pocket and unlock the door at the same time.
Chapter Fourteen
Ruben
Something’s been off with Emma since she disappeared to her room earlier. Before, that she was enjoying herself and having a laugh, but since she got back, the sparkle has gone from her eyes and she won’t move from her spot at the bar with my nan. I’m dying to go over and be with her, but people keep pulling me back on to the dance floor. If it’s not Connie or my mum, then it’s this random woman that I’ve never met before. My mum has acknowledged her, so she is obviously meant to be at this party. She seems to have taken a bit of a liking to me, though, and won’t leave my side. I, on the other hand, have no interest in her whatsoever. What I want is sitting at the bar getting plied with drinks by my nan. I really should warn Emma that she has no chance in hell of keeping up with her. My nan can drink any man under the table, let alone a woman that hardly drinks. God knows where she puts it all; she’s a tiny woman.
Connie must get fed up of the music, because I see her go over to the DJ to make a request. When I hear Taylor Swift come over the speakers, I shouldn’t really be surprised. After all, it is usually being blasted throughout our house. What does surprise me, though, is the look I receive off Emma during the chorus of the song. I’m hoping it’s just the effect the alcohol is having on her, but I can’t help the nagging feeling that she’s trying to tell me something.
I have no idea where it comes from, but the thought hits me to say something back to her. To tell her how I feel. I heard this song on the radio earlier today, and I couldn’t help but think of her. Unfortunately, the woman currently attached to my hip seems to think I requested One Direction’s What Makes You Beautiful for her, and she’s all smiles at me. I try getting away from her so I can make it very clear that the person it’s for is Emma, but I don’t manage it and instead get accosted by my mother and aunts.
I keep one eye on Emma as the songs go on. I also keep count of the drinks she’s having. For someone who doesn’t drink much, she is doing a good job of holding her own with my nan. Well, that is until she decides to get off the stool. The song has just changed, so I use it as my escape from all the women and head towards where she seems to be trying to run from the room like she’s seen a ghost.
I catch up to her just as her knees give way and she starts going down. I quickly reach out to grab her and lift her up into my arms while continuing out of the room.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I whisper to her once we are out of the function room, but I get no response. It’s obvious why when I look down, because it looks like she’s passed out. I hold her a little tighter as we head up the stairs towards my room. Fin will have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight. I’m sure that won’t be a challenge for him with all the women down there; maybe he can have the woman that was after me - she’ll be lonely now, after all. Just his type!
I feel the weight of her head lift when we are almost at the top of the stairs, and when I look down at her all I can see is sheer panic on her face. What the hell just happened?
I reassure her that she is okay, and as I start trying to figure out how to unlock my hotel door with her in my arms, I feel her head rest back down and her breathing get instantly heavier.
When I eventually get us inside, I kick the door closed and lock it before walking over to the bed and laying her down.
“Emma, babe?” I question to see if she’ll wake at all. “Can you wake up to help me get your dress off?”
I wait a few seconds, but soon realise she is completely out of it and I’m on my own.
“Right, well this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for the end of our night, Em. Although getting you out of your dress was part of it.” I say to myself as I slip her shoes off her feet.
The sight of her newly pained toenails makes me smile for some reason. They are bright red to match her fingers. Not a colour I would’ve thought she would have gone for, but it looks unbelievably sexy on her. Next, I carefully sit her up and unzip the back of her dress. I slip the tiny straps down her shoulders and reveal my favourite assets covered in a black lace strapless bra. When Connie told me about Emma’s love of lingerie a few weeks ago, I don’t think I really appreciated how much she loved it. She always has the most stunning underwear on. I stand her up and gently tug the dress until it slips down her legs. Her knickers, of course, match her bra and are black lace shorts that are cut high across her arse. My dick is throbbing against the fabric of my boxers from just looking at her. She has the most amazing, curvy, sexy body that I think I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to do as I wish with it.
I lower her down to sit on the bed so I can pull the pins out of her hair, and as it tumbles around her shoulders, I can’t help but run it through my fingers. Fuck, I’m completely lost to this woman already.
I pull the covers back and manage to get her underneath. She still shows no signs of waking up. I make quick work of undressing down to my boxers and slide into bed beside her. She has another think coming if she thinks I’m sleeping in the other single bed. I pull her body back so she is tucked nicely against the front of me. My dick lines itself up nicely against her arse, and I have to really try to ignore its position and shut my mind off to fall asleep with her. It must work eventually, because the next thing I know, the door is being hammered on and I hear Fin shout when he realises I’ve locked it from the inside.
I gently remove myself from Emma and go over to pull it open a few inches. “You’re gonna have to find somewhere else to sleep, Fin. Emma’s passed out.”
“Oh yeah!” he says with raised eyebrows.
“She’s had way too much to drink. She was asleep before I even got her to the room.”
“I seeeeeee,” he slurs, obviously not being too sober himself. “It’s fine; I’ve already got plans, I just need my stuff.”
I leave the door ajar as I head into the room and grab his bag for him before handing it over. “Have fun,” I say with a laugh, before I go to shut the door.
“Oh, I intend to, don’t worry. My dick’s gonna see more action that yours tonight.”
“Fuck off,” I shout as he heads off down the corridor, thrusting his hips.
I squeeze myself back into bed. Emma seems to have moved since I’ve been gone, not leaving me much space. I manage to move her over so my arse isn’t hanging over the edge of the mattress, and fall asleep soon after with the sounds of her soft snores filling my ears.
Emma
I wake up covered in sweat. I don’t think I’ve ever been so hot. I go to throw off the covers and I can’t work out why they won’t move. I go to lift my head to see what the issue is, but as soon as I move, the rooms spins and it feels like my brain bangs against my skull. I take a deep breath in the hope it eases the pain and the rolling of my stomach. It takes a few more seconds of lying still to for my brain to realise that the reason I’m so hot is that I’m not alone in bed, and that I’m currently wrapped not only in the sheets but also a body, that I’m hoping and praying is Ruben’s. Because as bad as this could potentially be, it would be marginally better if it were him.
I go to move again so I can see what the hell I’ve done, when I feel a squeeze of my boob. My eyes pop open at the fact the hand that just did that is skin on skin. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I turn my head and look behind me slowly. I’m relieved to see that it is Ruben lying there. I can’t help but sto
p for a second and take in his face in his sleep. He looks so peaceful and sexy. I feel the rest of my body wake up as I look at him, and I curse it to hell as the memory of what happened last night hits me.
I quickly jump out of bed. My intention was to get out of here without waking him up, but I think my movement was too fast for that. It’s also not helped the turning over of my stomach.
I put one hand over my stomach while I lean against the wall with the other to try to let the dizzy, sick feeling subside.
“Emma, are you okay?” comes a sleepy, sexy, gravelly voice from behind me.
I look up at him to see his eyes zeroed in on my boobs. I slowly move my eyes to look at why, to see that my strapless bra has twisted around and one of the cups is completely lowered to expose my bare nipple. As relieved as I am to realise I’m wearing something, I quickly move my hands up so I can cover myself up before running to the bathroom to empty my stomach after it turns over again.
I sit back on my heels and wipe my mouth with some toilet roll when I think I’m done.
“Are you okay?”
I look up to see Ruben leaning against the doorframe.
“Please leave me alone,” I ask, but he doesn’t move so I reach out and shut the door on him. I feel like a bitch for doing it for all of two seconds before the memory of last night returns. He had a fucking bet to sleep with me by last night. Anger instantly surges through me.
I sit back against the wall trying to contain my tears. Tears of disbelief, hurt, embarrassment, and of knowing I was right. I should have listened to myself in the first place and stayed well away from the hot, sexy man outside the door. The last thing I want is for him to hear me crying.
Once I’m confident I’m not going to puke again, I get up, turn the shower on and strip off what little I have on before stepping under the hot spray, hoping it will make me feel a little better. Plus, I feel like I can probably get away with letting a few tears escape without Ruben knowing while I’m in the shower.
Angel Series Books #1-2.5 Page 83