Page 122 of When The Night Falls

‘Cara, not in front of me. Please.’

Andy sighed and shook his head while William clenched his teeth. Was he suppressing his anger? It looked like it.

My heart throbbed upon hearing his fears. Was that why he had been unsure about whether to show up tonight? Had he been afraid that he might witness me go home with a stranger?

‘What? I wasn’t even thinking of it. I was only trying to help Ellie out.’

Andy summoned the bartender’s attention and asked, ‘Sorry, could I have a bottle of still water, please?’

William kept staring at me. Why wasn’t he taking his eyes off me? It unsettled me. Folding my arms, I leaned against the counter and turned my side to him.

‘Thank you,’ Andy said and walked to stand between William and me. After unscrewing the cap, he handed me the bottle. ‘Drink. You’ve had more than a barrel of gin by now. It’s going to hit you any moment.’

I scoffed. ‘Christ, Andy, I’m not a child. I can manage my intake. But thanks, anyway.’

As I raised the bottle to my mouth, he gave me an affectionate smile and then turned to William.

‘Calm down, Will. She’s fine,’ he said, patting his shoulder.

William shot him a glare, his Adam’s apple ascending and falling. It dawned on me then that I had read him wrong. He wasn’t angry. He was anxious, maybe even worried – about me. But why? Because I was intoxicated?

‘Cara!’ Ellie called then. I looked over. She had left the table and was beckoning to me.

Right. The club.

I had barely moved a pace when William clasped my arm.

‘Where are you going?’

I gazed up at him. ‘Ellie and I are meeting Brian at a club.’

His eyes flickered in Ellie’s direction. Then they landed on mine again. ‘There’s not even a slim chance I’ll let you go to a club right now. When the drinks kick in, you’ll be up for grabs.’

‘Excuse me? You are not my boss,’ I said. ‘Fuck,’ I mumbled as soon as I heard what I had said.

His eyebrows arched, his head tilting as some amusement twinkled in his eyes. ‘Actually, Cara, I am.’

‘That’s not what I meant. I meant you don’t get to decide that.’

His chest expanded with his deep inhalation. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘But then I’m coming with you. Andy?’

Andy shrugged and tucked his hands in his pockets. ‘Sure. But we aren’t appropriately dressed for that.’

‘I’m sure they’ve got a cloakroom,’ William said and started toward Ellie, his hand on my back.

She blinked confusedly once we reached her, and it made me sigh. She wasn’t an idiot. If William kept acting this way, it was only a matter of time before she would realise the true nature of our relationship.

‘Mind if we join you, Ellie?’ Andy asked.

A grin took over her mouth. ‘Of course not!’

Always so cheerful. I wished she had said No. Then again, I doubted that William would have listened.

20 | catch me if you can

The pulsating music pounded against my eardrums – the kind of music that would transform even the most sensible person into a lustful animal. The club resembled a strobe light illuminated jungle, where the wild creatures unleashed their primal core. Still, there was a level of class to it. Spread over three floors, the whole area was quite impressive. The guests weren’t casually dressed, but they weren’t wearing much to cover their glistening skin either.

William and Andy had left their waistcoats and ties with the cloakroom staff. They still looked somewhat out of place, but they weren’t a lost cause. Looking at William, I saw that he had already rolled up his sleeves, which was a nice touch of casualness. All that was required was a little tweak. I intended to put theory into practice when I raised my hands toward his collar, but when my fingers gripped it, he clasped my wrists. My breath hitched upon the contact of our skin and the ensuing current that charged through my bloodstream. Had he felt it too?

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