Page 33 of Perfect

His eyes skimmed over my body and I could see he was trying to control his temper. The guy lived in a constant state of moodiness.

All sets of eyes then darted between us and there was a definite tension in the air.

“What are you doing here? I said I’d meet you guys later,” he shot at the boys, his brow knotted in disapproval. He obviously didn’t like the fact that I was speaking to his friends. I felt like a third wheel and suddenly disregarded.

As Nathan spoke, he turned away but I saw Connor’s jaw tic, the way it did when he was annoyed about something.

“Mike said you needed a hand attaching the press?” Nathan fired back, blatantly reacting to the definite tone in Connor’s voice.

Connor shook his head, his brow creasing before pointing out. “No, it’s sorted. Clive was here.”

Kyle and Max exchanged semi-amused looks, probably due to the change in atmosphere. It was almost like one of those ‘elephant in the room’ scenarios and yes, I was the fucking elephant it appeared!

Nathan raised his eyebrows and swayed back a step which put more of a gap in between the huddle.

“OK, cool, at least I don’t have to get these jeans dirty. We were just catching up with your new sister here,” he said jokingly and looked at me with a mock brother fondness like we’d known each other longer than those few minutes. If he ruffled my hair, I’d smack him one.

There was a moment’s pause before Connor replied.

“As I said the other night shithead. She’s not my sister.” His tone was flat withoutanytrace of humour and Nathan’s entire face dropped. The shit-eating grin he had been fashioning, falling away.

He recovered slightly by rolling his eyes.

“It was a joke man. Who the fuck killed your hard-on,” he bit back, half under his breath; his expression now saying ‘here we go again’ as if he was used to this guy being difficult.

“What the fuck did you say?” Connor shot back. His head dipped aggressively. There was a steely element to his tone.

Nathan had the sense to look worried and he backtracked. There was definitely something missing in the equation.

“I said I was joking, there’s no need to lose your shit man. Why so pissed today bruv?” Nathan’s thick brows were joined as he rammed his hands into the pockets of his designer jeans. I recognised the brand well and they were not cheap.

The atmosphere changed to one of those uncomfortable silences and I was about to break it when Connor beat me to it.

Shaking his head, possibly at himself and his overreaction, he apologised. “Sorry man. Bad day.”

He exhaled, his nostrils flaring and dashed a hand across his jaw.

Connor just apologised. Wow, that was a first. I almost swallowed my tongue. He actually knew the word existed! I almost had a stroke on the spot. Suddenly, that bark was aimed at me.

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be Harlow?” he bit out moodily, now addressing me directly. His brisk tone made me flinch and I hated the thought of him putting me down in front of his friends.

I worried my lip, threading a chunk of hair behind my ear as I met his stare.

“No, not really. I was just talking to the guys.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to defend myself, but his expression made me feel guilty.

“Yeah, I can see that, and now you’re done. I suggest you go and put on a suitable top, one that isn’t see-through. Mike’s looking for you anyway.”

I folded my arms across my chest, mortified at what he’d just said. I was being dismissed and I just didn’t have the energy to fight it, especially in front of his friends and his comment about my clothing.

The added annoying thing was that Iknewhe was lying. There was no way dad could have been looking for me as Nigel had already told me he was in town. His car wasn’t there either. He may have had a point with my top as I wasn’t wearing a bra. Not that it was any of his business. Heat tinged my skin at the thought of him looking at me there.

The next thing that came to mind was… absolute zero comeback. I suddenly lost the power to speak.

A strange tense silence shadowed the group and they all shared a knowing look before turning back to Connor. Like waiting for his signal. If the guy instructed them to sit, they’d probably all do so and right there on the fricking ground. I must admit, I lost a bit of respect for the Nate guy, who I was sure at least possessed part of a backbone.

“Fine, whatever,” I eventually replied, focusing on the floor by his feet. “I’ll see you guys later.”

I flicked the group a shy smile, trying to hide my humiliation. They said their goodbyes all over each other, it was all very odd and I could feel their eyes onmy back as I headed for the house. It felt like the walk of shame and the branding on my skin would be Connor shaped. I was so pissed off and wished I had the courage to stand up to him in front of them. They probably thought me severely pathetic, although none of them had gone against him either or stuck up for me. Even Tom seemed to have swallowed his tongue. Connor Barratt appeared to be some type of country messiah.

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