I studied her. “Why’d you flinch?”
“We should go. It’s already five! Faith’s going to kill us.” She grabbed her things and bolted out of the room with me rushing behind her to catch up.
Gerald was a piece of shit. My whole family knew it, and all our friends knew it. It was why I tried to convince Eve not to go on a date with him in the first place. Every time I was around them I had a sinking feeling in my gut.
A few minutes later, Eve and I made it downstairs to the entrance of the dining room. She’d dodged all of my questions on the way. I grabbed her arm before we went in.
“He hasn’t hurt you has he?” The words tumbled out of my mouth.
Her lips parted and smacked closed. “Of course not. Listen, I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t stay with him if he laid his hands on me.”
I knew I was digging myself in the ground, but I had to ask. I’d been silent for over a year. I couldn’t stay silent any longer. “What about emotionally? Does he… yell?”
She huffed and bit her lip. “Sometimes. We’re working on it, okay?” She pulled away from me and went inside.
I took a deep breath before I went in behind her. When we got to the table, Faith shot us a concerned look. “You two okay?”
“Yes. I was helping Mags cover the wound on her face with makeup.” She hesitated before taking the seat next to Gerald who sat next to Declan.
“She’s a lifesaver.” I smiled before taking the seat in between Declan and Luca.
“How’re you feeling?” Luca asked, staring at the bandage.
I waved a hand back and forth in the air. “I’m fine. It’s sore, but I’ll live.”
“You look beautiful, Mags.” Declan put his arm around the back of my seat.
I swallowed hard before mumbling, “Thank you.”
Faith perked up in her seat. “So, have you all checked the itinerary for tomorrow?”
Asher chuckled. “I did what I could, guys. Tomorrow is your free day.”
“You call tomorrow a free day?” Luca rolled his eyes. “We eat together, play volleyball, and swim.”
Faith shot him daggers. “We’re going to bond whether you like it or not.”
He put his arms in the air as a sign of defeat and caught me staring at him. He sent me a sly wink, and I could feel the heat rising from the base of my neck to my cheeks.
I grabbed the glass of wine in front of me and took a few sips.
“Be careful, you don’t want to drink too much,” Declan whispered.
I snorted. “I can handle my alcohol.”
“It’s true, she can,” Luca interjected. “I’ve seen it myself.”
Declan grunted in reply before turning to Gerald and struck up a conversation about sailboats.
Luca leaned in close, his lips brushed against my ear. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare your date off.”
Heat pooled between my legs. “I—uh, it’s fine.”
He pulled away with a satisfied smirk. I caught Faith’s eyes on us, and she looked away when I met her gaze.
I shook my head and listened in on the conversation about sailboats for the rest of dinner. It unnerved me how well Declan and Gerald seemed to get along.
I grabbed my glass and downed the rest of the wine before requesting a refill. The conversation was stale, and I needed a pick-me-up. Declan was beginning to repulse me, and Luca fucking enraptured me. My body was turning against me.
