Page 88 of Tangled Up In You

“Mate, I’ve been around long enough to know what I’m talking about. You’re going to need something to keep you grounded. And from what I can see, Sophie is it for you.”

Pulling his eyes off Sophie, Gavin finally turned to Christian. “Don’t think for a minute that I don’t know that about her. As much as everyone thinks that last song on the album is romantic bullshit, what she and I have is real.”

“Good,” Christian replied. “And look, no one thinks it’s romantic bullshit, okay?”

Gavin laughed and lifted his pint glass to his friend. “Listen, what do you want to bet Con ends up with not only the blonde there, but her friend as well?” he asked with a sly grin, and nodded to where Conor stood in a corner chatting up two women.

“As long as he takes it to their place and not mine, he can have at it.”

As the song ended, Sophie and Patsy bowed in response to the raucous applause and whistles they received. Sophie then hugged Patsy before begging off.

Gavin watched as she walked away, and soon noticed that she turned quite a few heads along the way. He had always known she was a beautiful girl, but he was now realizing she was truly exceptional and would naturally get the attention that went along with that. Understanding this, however, did not make it any easier to accept. As a man, his pride told him not to share her in any way, shape, or form. And so it was an increasing battle between that instinct and his rational intellect over how possessive he could truly be.

51

SOPHIE

Sophie frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Out there with the karaoke machine, she had felt free and sexy. But now, under the fluorescent lighting in the restroom, she just felt drunk.

The chilled Cosmopolitans were so refreshing in the heat of the late afternoon. But now that she thought about it, she realized her cocktail had been replenished the moment she’d drained it by some enterprising waitstaff who was catering to their local celebrity, Christian. And so it was far too easy to just keep drinking.

She was well past buzzed and teetering on her feet. Patting her cheeks to try to snap out of it, she then ran her hand through her hair, and bumped right into Conor as soon as she stepped out of the restroom. He appeared to have been deep into putting the moves on a blonde, having backed her up against the wall in the dimly lit hallway.

“Sorry,” Sophie told him with an amused smile. Of course, Conor would be with some random girl. It was entirely typical.

He pulled away from the girl. “You all right?”

“Yep,” she said and laughed. “I’m just a little, little, little drunk.”

“Come here, let me get you some water,” he said, and took her arm to steady her.

“Um, hello?” Conor’s new friend protested.

“Oh, listen, eh …”

“Natalie,” she replied with a forced smile.

“Just give me a minute, Natalie. My friend needs some attention.”

Sophie slung her arm around Conor’s neck and leaned heavily on him. He wrapped his arm around her waist in return, holding her up more than she liked to admit. Holding her up effortlessly with a strength she couldn’t ignore. That, combined with the trace scent of his intoxicating aftershave made her realize why it was so easy for him to hook up with any woman he wanted.

But that wasn’t something she should be dwelling on. Instead, she said, “Don’t worry, Natalie. Conor is guaranteed to give you a good time—he’s a sure thing!”

“All right, chatty,” he said, fighting a smile as he pulled her toward the far end of the bar.

In no time, he got the bartender’s attention and was handed a bottle of cold water. He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her outside of the bar and down onto the cool sand.

“Drink up, honey. You’ve done a number on yourself.”

She took the water and drank half the bottle greedily.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said with awe, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I only had a few drinks.”

“A few being how many?” he asked.

“Um, four, no, five? Maybe?”

“Sophie Kavanaugh, what were you thinking?”

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