Page 26 of Once Upon A Player
“Hey, birthday boys,” says a feminine voice, and Lucas straightens so fast it’s like our near-miss moment never happened at all. I hitch in a ragged breath and don’t know where to look.
I hope Harry and Alice didn’t see anything.
A kiss is one thing, but anon-kiss is a little mortifying.
“Hey, Mac.”
I turn to greet the new arrivals. Lucas is hugging a tall, dark-haired girl wearing frayed shorts and a multi-colored, loose cardigan that comes to her knees, who must be his sister, Mac. A couple of guys saunter over to Harry, and there are high fives all around.
The three of them greet Alice, and then all turn their attention to me as though I’m a new exhibit in a bug museum.
“Violet,” Lucas says to me, ignoring the open speculation on his sister’s face, “this is my little sister, Mackenzie, and our best mates, Will and Caleb.”
The two guys make typical guy-like noises before sitting at either end of the table, while Mackenzie offers me a beaming smile. “Hey, Violet. Nice to meet you. Where’d you meet my brother?”
“Mac.” There’s a warning note in Lucas’s voice, and she flaps her hand at him.
“Fine, keep your secrets. Where’s the food, then? I’m starving.”
Chapter Nine
Lucas
Where the hell am I going with Violet?
It’s almost eleven, and we moved inside the pub about an hour ago when the temperature dropped and Violet shivered. We didn’t get a table, but we carved out a spot beside the fireplace. I kept my back to the room, and so far, no one’s recognized me. Or, if they have, they’ve kept their distance.
Nice change from my usual nights out, where the press invariably finds me, and I’m constantly on show. The way it’ll be tomorrow night at Hydra.
It’s hard not to keep glancing at Violet, but it’s even harder not holding her hand, the way Harry does with Alice.
“Lucas tells me you’re at university,” Violet says to Mac.
“Yeah.” For some reason, my sister’s smile slides off her face. It’s nothing to do with Violet. They’ve got on well all night.
“Art, isn’t it?”
Art? Where did she get that idea from?
Mac gives a weird little laugh. “No, I’m studying medicine.”
“Oh.” Violet sounds amazed. “Sorry. He said you were a great artist, so I just assumed.”
Mac gives me an evil grin. “A great artist, huh?”
“You’re not bad,” I concede. She’s bloody good, as it happens, but it’s only a hobby. She’s set to follow our mum’s path into medical research.
“We’re off,” Harry announces, his arm wrapped around Alice’s shoulders.
“See you tomorrow?” Will downs the last of his beer.
“In your dreams,” Harry says, which is such an unlike-Harry thing to say that I snort into my lemonade.
“Man, if you were in my dreams it’d be a fucking nightmare,” my best friend responds, which makes even Caleb laugh.
As my brother and Alice leave the pub, I lean closer to Violet and try not to let her elusive scent of roses dive straight to my dick. That’s already a lost battle. I’ve been at half-mast for most of the night.
“Are you ready to go?” Not that I want the night to end, but there’s still an hour’s drive back home, and, sod it, I might ask if she wants to come up for a coffee.
