‘Yeah,’ she agrees, laughing. ‘You’re probably right, but don’t stay here alone. Come with us. I promise he won’t puke on your shoes.’
‘Can you guarantee it?’ I glance down at my new, favourite heels.
‘Totally. I’ve never seen him part with his booze yet.
As is often the way with the intoxicated, Matt is obstreperously loud and refuses to leave... until he realises I’m coming along, too. And that’s how I find myself outside, with a beer-fumed Matt draped around my shoulder while we wait for a taxi willing to accept our fare. As Matt’s hand inches its way down my back for the third time in as many minutes and I yank it away by his wrist.
‘I swear, if you touch my arse once more, I’m going to snap it off!’
I don’t want to go home with a man now. I just want to get rid of this one.
Unfolding his arm from my shoulder, I push him hard—harder than I’d intended but,Christ,he’s heavy! He does a sort of exaggerated wheeling motion with his arms, teetering on his heels before landing slumped against the wall of a low garden bed. He grumbles incoherently, as is the prerogative of a drunk.
Hot, bothered and breathing like a rodeo bull, I grab the waist of my dress, twisting it straight with a savage tug.
‘Kate?’
My heart stalls. I turn with the waist of my dress still in my hands, his voice stirring my insides and shimmering across my skin. Sure enough, Kai stands behind me looking like he’s just stepped from the pages of a glossy magazine: a midnight coloured suit, white shirt—sans tie—oxfords, and does he have... wet hair? My mind flickers unnecessarily with the possibilities of this man and a shower.
Studiously halting that line of thought, my voice raises several octaves above its normal register as I exclaim, ‘What are you doing here?’ Oddly, my hands also seem to take on a life of their own, making an involuntary jazz-hands sort of welcome before I even realise they’re in the air.
‘The same thing as you, I should imagine.’ He leans in for what I think is my European hello, when simultaneously, we speak.
‘Avoiding grabby drunks?’
‘Waiting for a car.’
His body freezes, arm falling away from my shoulder as he slowly pulls back. My eyes follow his to the now muttering form of Matt.
‘A friend of yours?’ His words are clipped and cold as he eyes Matt like he’s something he’d actively avoid having on the sole of his shoe.
‘Nooo.Nope. No. Nothing like that. We’re on our way home.’ I recognise immediately how that sounds, never mind that we might look like some kind of couple, but Kai’s stony expression is a frighteningly good indicator, too. ‘I’m justdrunk sitting. For a friend.’ I point my thumb in Rob and Niamh’s direction and their version ofLove’s Young Dreamas they wait for a cab.
Kai’s expression relaxes, his gaze distracted by the path of a huge SUV as it draws to a stop in front. The heap of drunk on the ground behind me stops muttering, instead beginning a loud and tuneless rendition ofAll My Exes live in Texas. I’m not sure this moment could get any more surreal.
Stopping mid-chorus, Matt slurs, ‘Katie, you wanna be one of my exes? You’re real cute.’
I smile weakly and shrug. ‘What an offer. And they say chivalry is dead.’
‘Is that where I’m going wrong? You want coats over puddles and gents making a leg?’ To finish, he flourishes a small bow, albeit mockingly.
‘Who doesn’t like a bit of man-leg?’ I retort, managing to fill my mouth with dumb again as he glances down at his pant covered limbs.Is there some kind of exponential relationship between this man and my IQ?
‘So that’s it?’ His expression is stern but for the twinkle in his eyes. ‘I prevent you from falling, save life and limb, yet I can’t even convince you to have a coffee with me? What must I do?’
‘Offer to sleep in the wet-spot,’ comes Niamh’s amused response.
‘Niamh!’ I almost swallow my tongue, shock quickly giving way to laughter at her loudly whispered interjection.
‘What? That’s a bit of gallantry right there, if you ask me. Did you say you were taking Kate for coffee? Might be an idea to sober her up.’
‘I’ll have you drunk I’m not, I mean—’
With a raised brow, Kai folds his arms across his broad chest. ‘I don’t think I’ll have much luck with either.’ He sighs for further effect. ‘I’m beginning to think she doesn’t like me.’
‘Nah, she’s just a scaredy cat.’ Niamh turns her attention to a now groaning Matt. ‘Muntered,’ she mutters, walking away. ‘He’ll have a savage bad head tomorrow.’
‘That’s not true,’ I say quietly. ‘And I’m not drunk.’
