Page 82 of The Secret

Cooper pulled the stopper from the bottle with a loud squeak and poured it out, each of us taking one. We’d arrived here not long ago, following dinner at a local fish bar which sold the best lobster rolls on the north-east coast. The girls had also gone for dinner, and the rest of the day followed much the same route as after lunch had done, where they’d all but deserted us for their gossiping and girl chat.

Not that I minded them having their time together.

What I did mind however, was the fact I’d barely laid eyes on Kit since we’d arrived at the house, let alone had the chance to kiss her again, or even talk to her. I’d been tempted to bang down her door for a quick brush of her lips, but she hadn’t been in there when I’d tried. Instead, I went for a nap, the midnight swim and three hours sleep finally catching up with me.

“Does anyone know where the girls went this evening?” Jamie peered around at us all.

Jasper put his glass down. “Somewhere in town, but I’m not sure what Wolf said it was called. I don’t think they’re having a late night though.”

“What makes you think that?” I laughed.

He rolled his lips. “Wolf said she didn’t think it would be late.”

Jamie scoffed. “I saw Alex just before we left, and she wasn’t dressed like they were planning an early or demure evening.”

“You, my friend, have been played.” I raised my glass to Jasper.

“Nah, your sister can do whatever she wants. But I might lay off too much of this stuff,” he tipped his glass. “A hungover Wolf is not something anyone needs. I learned that lesson a long time ago.”

All of us started laughing, hard. It was widely known that neither of my sisters was great with a hangover. I mean, who was? But those two really set the bar low for levels of tolerance.

“At least Fred won’t be hungover.”

Cooper grinned into his glass. “Nope, she’ll just be tired.”

“Who’ll be tired?”

We all spun at the same time to see Wolf, Freddie, Alex, and fuck me… if I’d seen Kit before I’d left, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I wouldn’t have come out at all. I’d have locked her in her room, or my room, or any room, because she wasn’t just breathtaking, she was absolutely blinding. And I thanked all the stars, lucky or not, that she’d had the foresight to pack it.

I’d assumed the dress she’d had on yesterday was the epitome of sexiness, but this outfit blew it out of the water. The tightest leather pants hugged her lean legs, sitting snug over her hips in a way that only accentuated her perfect hourglass figure. A cropped black strapless top stretched across her torso, making her boobs look so fucking cuppable that I gripped my glass harder just to stop myself from reaching out. As it was, my dick was wildly uncomfortable, doing a good job of reminding us both that it was a fucking inconvenience we were trying to keep things a secret. Pouring my gaze over every inch of her, my memory jogged to something Rafe had said a while ago about teachers not being innocent, and I had to agree with him, because right this second, she looked like she wanted to be dirtied all night long, making me think this whole ensemble was for my benefit entirely.

I knew I was right when I saw a dark, sly curl on her lips, just as I met her own stare. Her long, thick black lashes and kohl rimmed eyes only framed the heat flaring in them as she held mine. I would be looking at nothing else all night long, my attention focused solely on her, but given we were now a party of eight, I was in for a painful time until I could get her alone.

We all shifted around, making room for the girls to plonk themselves down next to us, Kit next to me. My arm found its way along the back of the couch, and just as subconsciously as my fingers slipped through the ends of her silky waves and twisted them round, she leaned into it.

“You, Francesca,” Cooper patted his lap and Freddie slipped onto it.

“I’m not tired.”

“You will be in the morning, baby.” His arms snaked around her as she leaned back onto him.

I snagged the server as she strode past. “Could we get four more glasses, a couple of bottles of sparkling water and a non-alcoholic cocktail please?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll bring them shortly.”

Wolfie picked up Jasper’s glass, knocked back the contents without a single wince at the strength, and then refilled with it along with everyone else’s. Jasper chuckled quietly from beside her, catching my eye.

“Come on girls, drink up before she comes back and let’s get a dance in,” she ordered the group, and they all followed both her instruction then her, and we lost them to the crowd on the dance floor.

“Dude, they’re fine.”

“Huh?” I shifted around to where the voice had come from, until I recognized it as Jasper’s.

“You’ve been staring at the dance floor.” He pointed to the girls, where I’d not been able to find them. “They’re right there. I can see them, and they’re fine.”

I frowned, and he dropped his head with a shake, but I didn’t care because yes, I was trying to find Kit.

“You need to chill out.” Cooper casually leaned back into his seat opposite me. He was looking straight at me but not for a second did I think he also wasn’t aware of exactly where Freddie was, his killer instinct from years of playing in the NHL kicking in. “You’re supposed to be sneaking around, but the drool hanging down like shoelaces says otherwise, and everyone can see it.”

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