Page 55 of Just a Taste
‘We didn’t,’ I insist, my face warming with each passing second. ‘We just… well. We did kiss. A little bit.’
A whole lot.
Eve squeals. ‘I knew it! Iknewit.’
‘Technically, you didn’t,’ I point out at the exact same time Nathan does.
Eve scowls at the two of us in turn. ‘I knewsomethinghappened. I could tell.’
‘How?’ Nathan and I ask, again at the same time.
‘Twin telepathy,’ Eve says sagely. ‘I felt it. A disturbance in the air.’ She raises a brow, clearly impressed with her own drunken explanation.
I can’t help but laugh. ‘That’s insane.You’reinsane.’
‘And drunk,’ Nathan chimes in cheerfully.
‘And drunk,’ I agree.
Eve isn’t bothered by my dismissal. ‘Either way, you guys kissed and now you’re calling him Alex.’
She’s got a point there.
‘And now you say he’s avoiding you?’
My thoughts circle back to Hoxton. The memory of his lips on my mine, his hands leaving a scorching trail over every inch of skin he touched, makes my stomach twist in the most delicious kind of way.
How the hell has one kiss managed to turn my entire world upside down like this?
‘Right,’ I confirm for Eve before she gets irritated. ‘We kissed—’
‘Was it good?’
I don’t want to answer – I want to keep something for myself – but I suppose the look on my face gives me away because Eve cheers loudly.
I roll my eyes and continue, explaining, as briefly as I can, the odd situation I’ve found myself in. Hoxton is avoiding me, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s afraid of the repercussions that might come with us leaning into this sudden attraction we’ve found ourselves in, or if he’s dealing with his own world of chaos that he keeps hidden from me.
Maybe it’s a bit of both.
When I finish speaking, I let out a deep breath, feeling drained from spilling all the details to Eve – and Nathan,I suppose. She tightens her lips and swallows hard before taking another big gulp from her drink.
‘Okay,’ she starts slowly, sieving through her thoughts to gather the right words. ‘First things first, what doyouwant from this?’
I don’t even have to think about my answer. ‘I don’t want things to be awkward between us. We’re stuck together in this house for God knows how much longer, so it’d be nice if I didn’t feel like I was alone.’
Eve looks disappointed. ‘That’s it?’
I snort and roll my eyes because I know exactly what she’s getting at, but I’m under no delusion here. ‘There’s nothing between me and Ale— Hoxton,’ I correct myself quickly. ‘Nothing but a little bit of cabin fever.’
And I’ll keep telling myself that. Never mind that I can still feel Hoxton’s touch ghosting over me like a persistent shadow, or the fact that I’ve committed the taste of him to memory – one that I’ll no doubt replay on lonely nights if I ever get out of here.
Cabin fever. That’s all it is.
Eve purses her lips, looking like she wants to say something, but something seems to catch her eye outside of my line of vision. I watch, slightly amused, as Eve and Nathan engage in a silent conversation consisting of raised eyebrows and the puckering of lips.
‘Fine,’ Eve huffs after several seconds of wiggling herbrows at her fiancé. I have no idea what silent conclusion they’ve come to, but when Eve looks at me again, I’m sure I see a hint of something mischievous dancing in her eyes. ‘Let’s say itiscabin fever.’
‘Which it is.’
