Page 34 of Until We Meet Again

"I'll be honest, it was touch and go for a while," Jen says as Harry draws her back to his chest and encircles her with his arms. He places his head on her shoulder and kisses her skin tenderly.

Erik's arm drops suddenly, and he turns to look at me, taking in my whole appearance. "You look amazing," he says.

"Doesn't she? She's totally down to hook up with someone." Jen arches her eyebrows in my direction, and I respond with a death stare that could pierce through steel.

"Okay, just ignore my so-called best friend." I laugh and roll my eyes as she mouthsLove youat me.

"I thought you were dating someone?" Erik asks.

"Yeah, well, that's definitely over."

"It turns out he had a wife and kids, a white picket fence—the whole family life," Jen adds.

"Fuck him, whoever he is," Harry jumps in.

"Oh my god." A laugh escapes my lips as Erik looks down at me with the most serious expression I think I've ever seen.

"Do you need us to kick his ass?" Erik's tone matches the look on his face, and I reach forward, placing my hands on his solid arms.

"Since he's not married and doesn't have kids, I'm going to say no. Also, don't believe anything Jen says because she's full of shit." She laughs, and both Harry and Erik look back and forth between us. "It just didn't work out, and that's the end of it."

"My story was so much juicier and a lot more exciting than that."

"Your story was also false," I add.

"Well, it sounds like you need a drink, and I have a glass of wine with your non-boring name on it." Erik nudges me with a mischievous grin and a sparkle in his blue eyes.

"You got any beer?" I ask.

"Yeah, we have beer.Do you want one?" I nod, and his smile widens even further. "Jen?"

"Can I be super predictable and have a glass of wine?"

"You can have whatever you want, baby girl." Harry kisses her on the nose before the three of us follow Erik into the kitchen.

The shot girl is still going strong, but this time, she's joined by two extra blondes, creating a radiant halo of golden light encircled by the samegroup of desperate guys.

"Do you think I'd blend in if I joined them?"

Erik hands us our drinks with a smirk. "You'll need to show off a lot more skin first," he teases.

"I think I'll pass,"Iquickly say with a chuckle, nudging him and taking a sip of my drink.

As the music grows louder and the house becomes more crowded, I need an escape and excuse myself to use the bathroom, where I fight my way to the front of the line through a sea of people.

I step inside, close the door behind me, and lean against the sink. My hands grip the cold surface tightly as I concentrate onmy reflection in the mirror in front of me, hardly recognizing myself and the person I'm forcing myself to be tonight.

As much as I want to get Zane out of my head, being here and doing something I don't enjoy or feel comfortable with isn't the answer, and I knew I'd feel this way the minute I said yes to Erik.

I should be enjoying some hot Vikings while curled up on the couch with my best friend and a mug of coffee.

Zane behaved like a man possessed today. I don't think I've ever seen someone so worked up or frustrated before. The line between aggression and passion became blurred, and when I felt his hand wrap around my throat, I wasn't sure if he wanted to fight me or fuck me. Still, it gave me a feeling of power—the same power he's had over my emotions since the day I met him, and despite being under his grip, he came dangerously close to unraveling and losing all sense of control.

Now, here I am, getting wasted, just trying to forget about him.

Someone starts banging on the bathroom door and yelling at me to hurry up,snapping me out of my thoughts.

Before I leave, I take one last look at my reflection in the mirror, and when I open the door, I face an angry guy who looks like he's about to piss his pants.

---