Page 23 of Stick to the Plan
Like more and more often recently, I find myself with a raging hard-on. Lucky for me, I’m still holding the tray and can adjust myself without notice.
Going to be another long - and unsatisfying - night.
I watch as Nic brings the rowing team over to Brianna. She is the center of attention as they fight to wish her a happy birthday, their hungry gazes fixed upon her. Someone calls for a birthday photo with the team. Brianna laughs as the men grab her and pick her up. My stomach twists at the sight of them gripping her waist and legs. I clench my jaw to keep from glowering at them.
“Hot! I’m going to post this on insta!” someone yells.
I mutter to Anna that I’ll bring the trays back to the kitchen and quickly escape to get my shit together. And grab another beer.
After a few long pulls on the bottle, I head back to the party. Groups are forming around the living room and on the patio. Looking around, I don’t feel particularly drawn to any. Definitely don’t want to talk to the playboy jocks. Sofa seems a safe choice - surrounded by all groups but part of none.
I can’t stop myself from watching Brianna. Not that I try all that hard. She flirts with the athletes that swarm around her. Every inch a Celtic queen holding court.
They hang on her every word. Her cup never runs dry. As soon as one glass of champagne is empty, a full one magically appears in its place. I chug the rest of my beer, but it turns sour in my mouth. Why shouldn’t they fawn over her? Haven’t I? She deserves everything and more. She is truly exceptional.
The couch dips next to me as Riley jumps up and pads over to me. With a huff, he lays down with his head on my knee. It’s as if he can sense my change in mood, or wants to show support.
The dark pit in my stomach spreads as I watch her flirt. It’s not jealousy. What right do I have to be jealous? The one who should be upset is her boyfriend. Where is that bastard, anyway? Maybe he is one of the dozen eejits surrounding her. There are no pictures in the shared areas of the house, so he could be anyone and I wouldn’t know.
Another dip on the couch pulls my attention. Nic dramatically plops down and turns her body to me rather than the room. Her expression is intense. She stares at me as if she can see into me.
I simply turn my head to her and raise a single eyebrow in return. “Good evening.”
“So. You’re the Irishman.”
“Aye” I tip my head to her - not quite sure where this is going.
“What are your intentions towards our Bree?”
She is bold, blunt and protective - I like her immediately.
My shoulders relax into the sofa and my lips curve as I reassess the situation. “Expected her boyfriend or Da to be asking me that. Not a wee lass.”
Nic’s eyebrows raise into her hairline and her lips purse. “Oh, you are lucky that accent and smile are so damn sexy or I’d show you just howweeI am not. “She shoots me a devastating grin of her own and relaxes back into the pillows with a chuckle. “Unfortunately for you, Bree doesn’t have a boyfriend and her dad’s not around. So you’ll have to settle for me.”
My brows crease at my confusion. “I thought Brianna had a fella.”
Nic lets out a peal of laughter and gives me an incredulous look.
“You’ve been here, what? A month now? Don’t you think you’d have seen another man walking around by now? Honestly, I would have grilled you a hell of a lot sooner, but I’ve been in New York. Flew back last night. Now answer the damn question.”
She nudges me with her pointy shoe.
Wait — New York? It was Nic on the phone, not some guy named Nick. I try to sort through the flood of emotions I feel as I realize Brianna has been single this whole time. Confusion. Relief. Hope. Guilt. Taking a gamble, I decide to answer honestly.
“It is a professional relationship only, and that is the truth of it. Look, I know how it looks with me staying here. I should have left immediately and found a hotel on my own. I thought about it. It’s that wanker boss of hers. I don’t trust him. And I hate the way he talks to her.”
I lean closer and look Nic straight in the eyes. “I just wanna protect her, ya know?”
Nic’s eyes widen and her mouth opens slightly, shocked by my words.
Deciding to break the suddenly somber air between us, I crack a joking grin. “And you have to admit, you’d take her cooking over lousy room service any day.”
Tension successfully broken, Nic laughs until her eyes tear. After brushing her cheeks, she leans forward, pats my arm, and looks me in the eye. “Well, I’m satisfied, but if you hurt her or screw her on this promotion - I swear I will kick yourarseback to Dublin.”
After one last look in my eye, she nods once and gracefully stands. As she joins a group to flirt with some of the men, her demeanor transforms into one of playful charm. The woman goes from tiger to butterfly in a heartbeat. She is terrifying. And she gave me a lot to think about as the party rages on.
Chapter eighteen
