‘So, what do you say?’
Her eyes waver over my face and she pinches her bottom lip with her teeth.
‘Your place?’
‘Or a bar, if you prefer?’
I see her hesitate, and then she kicks back a gulp of champagne.
‘Your place is fine.’
I let go of a breath. ‘Great, let’s go.’
Her eyes widen. ‘Now? But we have all these people. We have—’
‘You’ve done enough. I promise.’
‘You mean, we have.’
‘No, you have. Now, come on—before Ethan insists on joining us.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Don’t mention his name. I’ve not forgiven him yet.’
I take her gently by the arm and start to manoeuvre us towards the door, nodding respectful goodbyes as we pass people.
‘You may want to go easy on him, you know,’ I say between my teeth.
She glances at me sharply. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘It means things aren’t always what they seem.’
‘You’re going to need to do better than that.’
‘I will,’ I say. ‘Later.’
‘When, later?’
‘Do you always have to question everything?’
‘Do you always have to act so mysterious?’
I laugh and shake my head. ‘You are a pain in my arse. You know that, right?’
‘Takes one to know one.’
But she’s laughing now, and the sound is so easy, so happy, so very different from how things have been between us. I know what I’m risking, I’ve been there and done that, but there’s no putting the brakes on, not now.
‘Cain?’
My name is a soft request from her lips and I pause to look down at her. She’s so close I can smell her perfume, see the tiny flecks of black in the blue of her eyes.
‘Thank you for tonight.’
I want to kiss her. I want to so badly my lips thrum with it.
‘The night isn’t over yet, Lexi.’
CHAPTER EIGHT