Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Kyle the prick didn’t say much, but I could feel his eyes on me.
Finally, he blurted, “I’m sorry, but I thought you and I were on a date.”
Lily gaped at him. “That was the intention.”
I smirked at her smart response.
“But you’re with this guy?” He pointed to me.
“We’re just friends.” I took a casual sip of my pint, but I couldn’t resist the challenge in my expression. And I didn’t remove my arm.
Kyle the prick shook his head in aggravation. “I knew I shouldn’t have swiped right on a student. Sorry, you’re gorgeous, but this is not my scene, and I can’t deal with the drama.” He slammed his half-drunk pint on the bar and abruptly pushed through the crowds to leave.
“Good riddance.” I raised my glass to his departure.
“Drama?” Lily gestured after him. “He turned up late. He barely talked to me. What an absolute turd!”
“Aw, sorry about the bad date, Lil.” Zac gave her a sympathetic nudge. “Let us buy you another drink to cheer you up.”
“Are you two not dating, then?” the girl Harry had spoken of before—Elaine or Illan or something—asked. Her eyes were fixed on my arm around Lily’s shoulders.
“Sawyer and I are just good friends.” I pulled her closer so her warm, curvy body pressed to mine. “Aren’t we, darling?”
She clinked her pint against mine. “That we are.”
We chatted among ourselves, about classes, music, plans for the future. We laughed and joked and took the piss and Lily seemed to fall in with my friends as easily as she had with me. I could tell Harry and Zac really liked her, which pleased me.
Then the band started to warm up, so we edged closer to the stage.
“Who are these guys again?” Lily asked.
“Local band. I think you’ll like them. Here.” I pushed closer to the stage so we had a good view and positioned Lily in front of me. “Lean on me. Get comfy,” I urged, sliding my arms around her waist to draw her back against my chest.
After a second or two, she relaxed. I gave her a squeeze and leaned down to murmur in her ear, “You’re not upset about that prick earlier?”
She shook her head slightly and I thought I heard her breath hitch.
Awareness flooded through me.
Just friends, I reminded myself.
Just bloody good friends.
I liked this woman too damn much to mess it up with sex.
“He wasn’t my type,” she replied so quietly I almost didn’t hear her.
“Hi, folks.” The lead singer’s voice crackled into the mic, halting my follow-up questions. “Thanks for coming out tonight. We’re the Steel Pennies.” They launched immediately into their first track, a fast rock song that had everyone around us bopping their heads and shifting their feet. The rhythm caught Lily, her body moving to the beat without thought. Her curvy arse moved against me, and I sucked in a breath, taking a step back with what I hoped was casualness. I rested my hands loosely on her warm hips instead so I could feel the movements without her undulating against me in a way that made me hard.
Feeling like someone was watching me, I glanced left and found Zac. His frown turned to a knowing smirk.
I ignored him and focused on the band because if I focused on the woman in front of me, I’d be unable to hide the physical representation of my appreciation for her.
“They were fantastic!” Lily cried happily as we all tumbled out of Whistlebinkies and into the much cooler night air. For the bar being deep in the Vaults with its stone walls and floors, it got bloody hot.
I smiled, happy she’d enjoyed herself, and watched as she pulled out her phone. “I’m going to follow them on socials.”
I peered down at her phone as our group walked toward the Royal Mile. Lily quickly tapped on the app, searched the band, and followed them. “Are you following me?”
She looked up at me in surprise. “No. Do you want me to?”
“Of course.” I pulled my mobile out of my pocket. “I’ll follow you. Follow me back.”
“I’m warning you now, my feed isn’t exactly exciting.” She proceeded to give me her handle.
Finding her, I clicked follow and then scrolled through her photos. I paused on one of her with a good-looking blond bloke with whom she appeared very cozy.
“Who’s this?” I asked, as the notification popped up on my screen to tell me she’d followed me back.
“Who?” Lily leaned in to see what I was looking at.
Her face glistened with sweat and her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the bar. I looked away quickly before I let very dirty thoughts take over my mind.
“Oh, that’s my cousin Luke. Well, he’s not technically blood related. But I think of him as my cousin.”
“But you’re not related? You look close.”
Lily laughed. “As close as cousins. Even if we didn’t think of each other like family, Luke would never be attracted to me.”