Page 16 of The Story of Us
A streak of possessiveness made Nate’s vision blurry, and he tore his gaze away from them before he did something he regretted.
“Jesus Christ,” Bianca muttered when he stepped on her toes again.
Nate dropped his arms and stepped away from her. Knowing he’d be attempting this in front of hundreds of people made him want to hurl. “Sorry.”
“Let’s take five,” the instructor called, pausing the music.
Nate breathed a sigh of relief and made his way over to where he’d left his drink bottle. Charlie was standing next to the small table.
“This wasn’t my idea,” was the first thing his best friend said. “I’ve been trying to convince Sera we should can it, but she’s obsessed withBridgerton.”
Nate screwed the lid of his bottle shut and was just about to reply when Ryan slapped him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry about this fucker. He’s only used to holding a football. Doesn’t know what to do with all those curves and soft skin.” Ryan lifted his left hand and exaggeratedly bit his knuckle when Bianca looked their way. “You call dibs or what? Because dibs. Dibs. Dibs. Diiiibs. Daddy likes it rough, and I bet she does too.”
Right there was why Nate had never liked Ryan. Not because of his penchant for popped collars and those stupid sneakers he insisted on calling loafers because he thought it sounded fancy. The way he spoke about women made Nate’s skin crawl.
“What?” Ryan smirked at Nate, his stupid white teeth gleaming under the lights. “Just making sure I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes, unlike you. Although”—he slid his smarmy gaze towards Eloise—“has your sister always been so hot, C-Dawg?”
Charlie snorted. “You’ve got no chance, mate. She’s too good for you. And even if she did decide to give one of my idiot mates the time of day, I’d make sure they knew there’d be hell to pay if she got hurt.” Charlie’s warning was for Ryan, but it just reinforced what Nate already knew: there could never be anything between him and Eloise. Nate swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and counted to five.
“Places, places,” the instructor called, and Nate shuffled over to his spot next to Bianca.
“Don’t worry, Mustang,” she whispered. “I’ll take care of you.”
“Just Nate. Not Mustang,” he replied.
The sooner this was over, the better.
6
“Is that a vibrator?” Alice hissed in Eloise’s ear as they stepped into the private dining room atAmore Giocattoli, the trendy Italian restaurant in the city Sybella and Bianca had chosen to host Sera’s bridal dinner. Not to be confused with a bridal shower or hen’s night. This was different, apparently.
The long table in front of them was covered in a deep red cloth with a winding vine of crimson roses trailing from one end to the other. Gold plates sat atop gauzy, glittery black placemats, with black cutlery wrapped in red serviettes. Fairy lights stretched across the ceiling, giving the room a soft glow, and instrumental music played quietly in the background.
Eloise had expected the elaborate floral centrepieces and bottles of fancy bubbly.
But not the bunnies sitting on top of each place setting.
And they weren’t the kind that frolicked in fields or handed out chocolates at Easter.
“Why’d you stop, sweetie?” Mary asked.
“Are there topless waiters?” Joanie pushed forward, a cloud of her gardenia-scented perfume surrounding Eloise. “Are we crafting? What’s in the boxes?”
Eloise sighed.
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” Alice chuckled, slipping her hand into Eloise’s and tugging her forward.
“Is it a money box?” Joanie asked as she and Mary sidestepped Eloise and Alice, walking along the table. Eloise watched the penny drop. Her mother stopped, her simple gold wedding band shining as her hand hovered in front of a box with a big red ribbon on the top.
Joanie’s hoot filled the room before she—mercifully—lowered her voice. “It’s not a money box, but it is for a box. That’s another word for vagina, Mary. Did you know that?”
Eloise took a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and downed it in a long swallow. Letting her grandmother read her collection of spicy romance novels had been a mistake.
“Atta girl.” Alice giggled. “Tonight’s going to be so fun.”
“Laugh it up,” Eloise mumbled. “Your future mother-in-law just walked in.”
