Page 9 of Payback
He touches his lips to my earlobe and whispers, “In more places than one.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’m not joking! Where did you learn to dance like this?”
He gives me a sheepish smile. “My mom runs a ballroom dance clinic in Cape Town. I grew up in the studio.”
My eyes fly wide with interest. “How fun! And you made the jump from dance to soccer because—”
A tap on Roan’s shoulder has us both looking sideways at my tall, dark, and scary eldest cousin, Gareth, who’s standing over us in all his brooding, narrow-eyed glory. “Mind if I cut in?”
Roan looks to me for an answer, clearly not easily intimidated.
I sigh and nod as Gareth swiftly takes Roan’s place.
I watch Roan retreat with patient understanding and turn to find my cousin’s eyes glaring down on me in judgement. “You okay, Allie?”
I nod and wink playfully. “Of course I am, cuz. Why do you ask?”
He huffs, “Because last I heard, you were on your way to getting engaged, and now I see you with Tanner’s new teammate looking a bit cosier than I’d prefer.”
I tense in Gareth’s arms and divert my gaze toward Roan as he finds a seat and ignores the glowers from Tanner, Booker, and Camden. They aren’t even being discreet.
“I need to know the truth, Allie-Cat. Are you really okay?” Gareth’s voice is soft now, warming me up in a place that I’m not ready to defrost yet.
I steel myself and reply, “I’m not, but I will be.” I meet his dark hazel eyes that are watching me anxiously, like I’m a time bomb about to blast. “Look, Gareth, I’m going to come back to London when I have more time so we can all have a laugh like the old days. Get some good quality bonding in…I mean it. But right now, things for me are just—”
“Too fresh?” he finishes my sentence.
I close my eyes. “Like a gaping wound.”
“And you think Roan DeWalt will make better company than us? We’re your family, Allie. You should let us be here for you.”
I smile, but it hurts. These over-protective cousins are the closest thing to brothers I’ll ever have. I don’t want to trample that, especially since my idea of family has already been crushed and I need some sign that not all families are bad.
“I love that you want to be there for me, Gareth. But with where my head is tonight, a stranger is the only company I can handle. Roan is being really sweet. I promise.”
He cuts a glare in Roan’s direction and murmurs, “I just hope you know what you’re getting into with him.”
I exhale heavily because if Gareth knew what I have planned for tonight, he wouldn’t be shooting daggers at Roan. He’d be shooting them at me. I pull him down for a hug because, damnit, these Harris Brothers really are pretty awesome. And at this point, they are the closest thing to siblings I have. “It was great to see you again. I promise I’ll call when I come back to London.”
Gareth kisses me on the top of my head and says, “You’re always welcome with us.”
With a resigned smile, I turn on my heel and stride toward my date, who’s standing by the bar and watching me with great fascination. I grab his hand with determination because I’m not going to let the emotions my cousin stoked interfere with my plans for tonight. “Where was it you wanted to take me?”
A smirk plays on his lips as he leans in and whispers, “Somewhere that will make you verywet.”
My insides convulse at the words that run off his tongue like liquid heat. I push my hair back in a vain attempt to come off cool and collected and reply, “If it’s away from the Harris Shakedown, let’s dive in.”
