Page 80 of The Lair

With me.

I wasn’t going to go, so what does it say about me that it suddenly sounds like the best plan in the world?

“You can say no if you have other plans,” he says, voice all husky.

If he’s dying to get an answer from me—which I doubt is the case—I decide to cut his suffering short.

“It sounds fun,” I say with a smile. “I’d love to go with you.”

He tips his chin once. “All right. Night, Allie.”

I wave at him over my shoulder as I resume the walk back to my bedroom. “’Night, boss man.”

When I hear him grunt in annoyance behind me, I don’t hold in the laughter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Wear somethingwarm or you’ll freeze to death,” Travis tells me the morning of the New Year’s Eve party.

I should’ve listened.

It’s not that I’m wearing a tiny dress and showing my bare skin, but I underestimated how cold it was going to be. My puffer jacket, wool hat, and thick scarf are barely keeping me warm as I try my hardest not to chatter my teeth.

“It’s cold as balls, isn’t it?” Charlie comments before taking a sip of his mulled wine. He points at the makeshift tent whoever organized the party put over this area in case it rained. “It’s not doing shit.”

“It’s really not,” Lola agrees, puffing hot air into her gloved hands. I curse myself for forgetting my own gloves at home.

“Just one more hour until midnight.” Charlie finishes his drink. “You’d be warmer if you drank something hot. Want me to get you something, Allie Cat? Maybe some mulled wine?”

I’m tempted, but I tell him, “No, thanks. I’ll be fine.”

If I got drunk and Travis had to drag me to his house, I would never recover. And I’ve already embarrassed myself in front of that man enough to last several lifetimes, thank you very much.

Speaking of my boss, I have no idea where he is. We left his farmhouse together, and I saw Uncle Neil and Barbara when we got here, but after Charlie and Lola spotted me and brought me into their friend group, I lost sight of Travis.

“Hey, guys.” One of Charlie’s friends—Tom—returns with a beer in hand and a mildly drunk smile on his face. I met him an hour ago, and he seems harmless enough despite the wink he throws my way. “Are you having a good time?”

He’s a little older than us, said he works in the entertainment industry, and is visiting his family for Christmas. I tell myself there’s no harm in talking to this guy even if he’s a little flirty. Didn’t I want to become more social? It could be my New Year’s resolution.

“I can’t feel my hands or my nose, but yeah. How about you?”

He smiles. “More than great.”

“Leave my Allie Cat alone,” Charlie says, but there’s no heat in his voice. I think he’s too drunk for that.

A slight breeze hits my face, and I give up on my fight to stop my teeth from chattering. I should’ve brought a freaking quilt. Or better yet, I should’ve stayed under the very warm roof of Travis’s house.

“I’m just playing around,” Tom says, sliding an arm around Charlie’s shoulders as he chugs down his beer, his eyes on me. “You know that, right?”

I try my hardest not to wince. “Totally.”

Tom opens his mouth to say something else, but he doesn’t get the chance.

Something heavy and warm settles over my shoulders then, its weight so sudden that my heart leaps with panic. But Charlie is glancing over my shoulder and isn’t exactly hiding his smile, so it must not be a serial killer.

“I told you to wear warm clothes.”

I don’t need to look behind me to know who that deep voice belongs to.

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