“That’s alright,” I say with a small smile.
When the two delinquents scurry off, Harry places a warm hand on the small of my back. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” My smile widens as I look up at him.
He steps up so we’re both on the same stair, now towering over me, tilting his head down to look me in the eye. His naked chest so very close and the smell of bergamot and black pepper swirling around me. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” His concern genuine and his jade eyes assessing.
“N-n-no,” I stutter, swallowing down the rambling words that want to come out just to distract me from an increasingly hard to temper arousal building in me.
His lips twitch up on one side, like he knows. Ah fuck, heknows. Taking my hand in his, he leads me up the stairs and across the landing to a closed door. I try not to focus on the feel of his strong fingers entwined with mine, how his hand feels so big, and the pad of his thumb is rough as he strokes it back and forth over my knuckle. I try not to focus on that, but I obviously fail because I’m so distracted that when he stops in front of the door, I walk straight into his back, my forehead slapping into the bare skin between his shoulder blades.
He turns to look at me over his shoulder with an amused look. “You okay back there?”
“Yeah, sorry,” I mumble.
He pulls a key from his pocket and opens the door before leading me through and locking us in. My heart thunders against my ribcage but not out of fear. I mean, I probably should be a little scared, it’s ingrained in young girls from birth not to trust strange men, let alone get yourself locked in a room with one. But somehow Harry doesn’t feel like a strange man, but more like someone I should have known all along.
I wander around the small but well organised, room in a circle until I’m facing him again. He’s leant back on the door, his hands shoved in the pockets of his tighter-than-they-should-be shorts and his eyes following me. He swallows hard enough that I hear it when we just stare at each other, and one hand goes to the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. Unfortunately for me, it makes his bicep flex with the movement and a subsequent tug in my lower abdomen.
“I, uh, I’m not locking you in,” he says with a self-deprecating frown and gesturing to the key still in the door. “I’m just locking everyone else out. You can leave if you want, you know that, right?”
I can’t help the smirk I give him, crossing my arms over my chest in a way I know pushes my boobs up and out. Henotices, of course, and my smile grows bigger. Now that there’s a good eight feet between us, my brain seems to be back to at least eighty percent functionality. “Are you trying to get rid of me already, Frosty? You’ve still got—” I check the non-existent watch on my wrist “—fifty-six minutes left.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “Definitelynottrying to get rid of you. I just don’t want you to run out of here screaming because you think I was trapping you in.”
“A deal’s a deal, you have me for an hour. Whatever are you going to do with me?” I ask, batting my lashes innocently. I haven’t really been all that adventurous since I left my parents’ house and came to university. I had plans to really let my hair down, to party and get into a bit of trouble, sleep around and laze about. I haven’t done any of that. I’ve gone to parties, but I stick to two drinks and usually leave before midnight. The only trouble I’ve been in was when my car broke down and I had to call the recovery service. I’ve slept with exactly two guys, which I don’t think counts as sleeping around, especially as I technically dated both of them for at least three months each and I’m just not built for lazing around. I get twitchy. But despite my failed attempts to let loose and basically have a complete personality change, I’m totally considering jumping this guy and ditching my three-date rule for the first time since losing my virginity.
“That’s up to you, Angel,” he says, his voice rasping over the words like it’s a struggle for him. “We can talk, we can sit in silence. I have my laptop and several episodes ofHow I met Your Motherdownloaded and I think I have a backgammon board around here somewhere…” he trails off, his eyes darting around the room like he’s looking for the phantom game.
“Backgammon?” I scoff. “You wanted me drunk and alone so we could play backgammon?”
His face snaps to mine again, eyes narrowed. “You’re not drunk, are you?”
I smile sweetly. “Definitely not.” I take several steps forward until I’m within a foot of that spicy citrus scent andlook into those endless forest eyes. “I’m not here because I’m drunk and not thinking clearly.”
“Then why are you here?” he asks, his voice low.
“Because I lost a bet that I’m increasingly glad I lost.” I’m impressed by my brazenness and that muscle in my lower belly tugs again when his eyes darken. I’m confident this attraction is mutual, so I take another half step and look up at him with my bottom lip pinched between my teeth. His breath puffs over my face in a wave of fiery whiskey. Emboldened by his heated gaze and maybe a little by the liquor in my system, I ask, “Can I touch you?”
CHAPTER SIX
“I mean, that’s what Mum and Dad would do.”
HARRY
“Did you even get anyone’s drink order?” Nel asks as the garage door closes behind her.
“No,” I chuckle. “Everyone’s still got wine.”
“Oh,” she says, clearly confused. “Then what do you need my help with?”
“I didn’t need your help, I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh,” she says again and then gives me a soft smile, like that pleases her. Because over the last year, my sister and I have actually made an effort to get to know each other and spend time together because we want to and not just out of familial obligation. Turns out we get on pretty well. “What’s up?”
I shuffle on my feet slightly and look at the floor. “Uh, you and Lisa…talk, right?”
She narrows her brown eyes at me suspiciously. “Yeah.”
