I stop and wonder what he’s looking at. “Need a place to crash, that’s all.”
“Your eye’s bloodshot and red like you’ve been in a fight.” He steps closer to get a better look.
I rub my finger and thumb along my nose, numb from the cold, but check it isn’t broken. “Yeah, something like that. Is Draven around?”
Dom rounds the pool table. “I thought you were staying in Colin’s cabin.”
Shane pushes the bar door open with his back, carrying a tray of drinks, his neck draped with party streamers and a red lipstick stain at the side of his mouth. His smile falters when he sees my apparent shiner. “Mate. Do I need to have a word with someone?”
That’s Shane, never off duty. “Just another shitty Christmas. Is Draven in the bar?” I say, peering through the door, the room full of people.
“Here. Looks like you need this more than I do.” Shane lifts a pint from the tray and hands it to me. “Don’t let Lilly see you with that shiner or she’ll have you in the restroom, applying all her lotions and shit. I swear she carries a first aid kit around with her.
“Is it that bad?” I press my finger against my eye socket, the flesh tender now I’m out of the cold. I lift the cool pint to my lips, wishing it was a whisky, but beggars can’t be choosers. The froth coats the hairs on my top lip while I gulp down the malty flavour, needing to catch up with the lads if I’m to be in any sort of jovial mood tonight.
“Wow, you really needed that.” Shane pats me on the back as I take a breath after drinking most of the pint in one go.
“You don’t know the half of it.” I place the pint on the ledge that runs along the wall.
“Didn’t Brenda give you a shiner like that a few years back?” Kane chuckles to himself as he leans over the pool table to pot a ball, clearly revelling because someone else’s Christmas is gonna be as miserable as his.
Shane laughs along with him. “Don’t tell me it was a woman.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Worse. Her dad.”
Dom pushes past Dan and squeezes my shoulder as if he’s pieced it all together. “We’re gonna need a stronger drink.” He pulls out a bar stool from under the ledge and waves his hand as Poppy collects a few empty glasses.
The curvy redhead saunters over in a red Mrs. Christmas outfit. “Dom, I’m busy. I can’t keep taking time out just so you can kiss me.”
He quirks a grin. “I can’t resist you in this. You know red’s my favourite colour.” His hand smoothes over the velvet dress around her generous hip and squeezes her arse.
She rises onto her toes and kisses him.
I look away from the sickly sweet scene. Acid coating my tongue, wondering if I’ll ever be able to have a proper relationship with Angelica. Dom’s one of the lucky ones. He had the balls to keep hold of the woman he wanted, even if he locked her away in the cabin.
Shane’s another lucky bastard who’s been secretly dating his ex-wife’s sister for weeks. But as I look around the room, Kane’s pained expression resembles my own. He hasn’t been so lucky. While completely different circumstances, he’s still pining after a girl he can’t have. I know little about the lass, only that she’s half his age and he was in love with her mother before she passed almost twenty years ago now. Another tragedy in this town.
Dom comes up for air after having his tongue down Poppy’s throat. “Do us a favour, Red, and get us a round of shots.” He points a thumb in my direction. “Bulldozer here needs a strong one.”
She strokes the scruff on his jaw. “I think you’ve had enough to drink, don’t you?”
A smile quirks my lips as all the lads chide about him being under the thumb.
He smiles with a dopey grin and whispers to her, loud enough for me to hear as I sit on the bar stool next to him, “Don’t you worry about me, little fox, I can still fuck you into Christmas, even if I am a little merry.”
Her cheeks flush, matching the colour of her dress. She spins around, counting the guys with her finger. “Back in a minute.”
“If you see Draven, tell him I need a place to crash, would you?”
“He’s behind the bar. I’ll let him know you’re here.” She takes a tray of empty glasses and whisks out the door.
I lift the rest of my pint and down it in one go, slamming the glass back onto the wooden ledge. “I heard what you said, you jammy fucker.”
Dom laughs and places an arm around my shoulder. “You can talk. I knew there was something going on with you and Colin’s lass when I saw you looking for her.”
Dan straightens his spine. “You’re with Colin’s daughter?”
I don’t answer. Silence speaks louder than words and with the pained look on my face, along with the bruiser Colin gave me, I think my predicament is self-explanatory.
