EMMIE
“EMMIE,” Calli screams when she sees me walk into the bar with Theo on my arm. There are people everywhere. Some look our way as we enter, but most are too lost in their own lives to pay any attention to us.
Calli doesn’t so much as look at her cousin as she all but runs in our direction and throws herself around me.
“I’ve missed you.”
Raising a brow at Theo over her shoulder, I hold her back.
“It’s only been a few days, Cal.”
“Too many. Come on, we need to catch up.” She takes my hand and tugs me toward the bar she was standing at when we walked in. “And talk about him.” She levels Theo with a look, but his attention is firmly on me.
Stepping up to him, I reach up and whisper in his ear.
“It’s okay. Trust me,” I beg.
His burning hot hand wraps around the side of my neck.
“I do,” he assures me. “Go have fun with Calli.” But I’ll be watching. He doesn’t say those final words, but I hear them loud and clear.
Taking my hand, he lifts my knuckles to his lips and presses a kiss to my ring.
My stomach flutters at the move.
“Be good, Hellcat.”
“I’ll try,” I say, but instead of sounding cheeky like I intend, it comes out all breathy and needy.
“Later,” he says, rubbing the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip.
“Jesus, you two are almost as sickening as Stella and Seb. Come on.” Calli tugs on my arm, and I have no choice but to step away from Theo.
His brows are pinched as he watches me go. He’s clearly not happy about this, but what did he really expect? He can hardly pin me to his hip the entire night.
Calli comes to a stop by two bar stools and hops up onto one. She looks stunning in a royal blue floor-length gown. It’s a little more revealing than I’m sure she’d have chosen prior to us entering her life—I’ve seen her old wardrobe, it’s something most grandmothers would have been proud of—with a high slit up the side revealing her calf. All she’s missing is the knife from Stella. That would just finish off her mafia princess look.
“So… tell me everything,” she demands after I get the attention of the waiter and order us two cocktails—alcoholic, much to my surprise. “Well, not everything. He is my cousin, after all. But seriously, how did you go from that…” she says, waving her arm around to indicate the past, “to this? You look incredible, by the way.”
“Thanks,” I say, reaching for the fancy cocktail that’s placed before me. “We’re allowed to drink?” I ask, putting off the inevitable a little while longer.
“Private party. But one wrong move and we’ll be cut off. Someone is always watching.”
I don’t need to be told that. I feel it.
My skin tingles with his eyes on me, and the ache between my legs from when he kissed my hand is still as strong.
“Good to know,” I mutter, shooting my eyes to the other side of the room and finding exactly what I was expecting, Theo’s eyes on me.
He’s standing with a couple of men I don’t recognise. They’re talking to him, but Theo isn’t paying any attention to them. His focus is solely on me.
“So… I’m waiting for all the good stuff.”
“I’m not even sure where to…” Calli’s brow lifts, telling me that she’s not buying any of my bullshit. “Fine, okay. He looked after me after Sloane spiked my drink at her stupid party and things just kinda… yeah.”
“But you hate him,” she says, her brows pulling together in confusion.
“Yeah, see… turns out I hate him less when he’s delivering orgasms.”