Page 1 of Wild Tonic
Chapter One
Nate McKenna didn’t know what possessed him to gate-crash the wedding party in the hotel bar.
Actually, he did.
Three coupled up bandmates and an ex-wife who was blissfully loved-up with her new partner. Add in an awkward rebound break-up to top it all off, and he was feeling lonely, isolated and, quite frankly, in need of something different.
He had travelled to Leeds to Do The Right Thing.
Hooking up with Rach on tour had provided the perfect distraction from everything else going on with his ex, Poppy, and Parker, his manager. Nate had only seen Rach a handful of times since and knew it wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how much she might want otherwise. He’d survived the stinging slap around his cheek and accusations of leading her on. He stood and took it all, knowing every word she said was true. There was no point in denying any of it. He’d used her. Although, now as he nursed his bruised jaw, he regretted deciding to tell her face-to-face.
Once the deed was done, he wandered aimlessly around the town centre trying to find something to take his mind off things. He ended up in the bar at The Met Hotel, a grand Grade II listed building just minutes from the train station. It was a whole lot grander than the cheap B&B he was actually staying in, with a far more welcoming vibe.
The barman poured him a Guinness as a crowd of girls came in. They were all smart and made up. At least two of them identically in yellow dresses. Nate frowned as he took a first sip of his pint. God, it was what he needed.
“Wedding party,” said the barman as he handed him his change. “They’re in one of the event rooms, although they keep coming in here for other drinks. Clearly the house wine isn’t to their taste.” He rolled his eyes.
A blonde, who was stunning, and without doubt several years younger than him, elbowed him out of the way. “Another bottle of champagne,” she snapped towards the barman.
“Please,” said Nate, automatically.
She turned and stared him directly in the eye. “Who made you head of manners?”
Nate glanced at the barman, his mouth twitching as he tried not to laugh. “I just think it’s polite, don’t you?”
She huffed and turned back to the bar. “Please may I have another bottle of champagne?”
“Is that going on the tab?”
“Please…” She elongated the word, deliberately dragging it out. “And whatever he wants, I suppose.”
The barman popped the cork and handed over the bottle in a fresh ice bucket before looking expectantly at Nate, waiting for his order.
“I believe the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you’.” The blonde met his gaze and her baby blues sparkled at him.
The corner of Nate’s mouth quirked. “Thank you.”
She flashed him a saccharine smile and headed off with her friends.
He watched her go, unsure whether to be flattered or deeply disturbed by her chutzpah. “I’ll have another one of these when I’ve finished this one,” he said to the barman who was still stood watching the altercation take place. “I’m not one to turn down free beer.”
Nate took the opportunity of some rare alone time, to sit and enjoy the peace and allow his mind to wander. The break up with Poppy had affected him more than he’d let on even though he knew it had been the right thing to do. He still loved Poppy, but he wasn’t in love with her and that was the difference. Although, of course, he loved their daughter India unconditionally.
Still, it had hit him hard. Even his best friend, Alik Thorne, didn’t know the extent of how he felt.
Being on his own, with nowhere to be and no-one to answer to was a blessed relief. He allowed himself to relax, chatting with the barman when it was quiet about news, sport, politics, music. Every so often he thought that the barman had clocked who he was and his cover would be blown but he didn’t say anything.
Nate was checking his phone during one of the busier spells when the girl from earlier returned. She went to the other end of the bar, a few people between them, which gave him the opportunity to check her out without her seeing. She was, he admitted to himself, absolutely gorgeous, if not his usual type. She was slim with pert breasts and a cute peach of an arse. Her blonde hair was artfully styled, pinned back at the sides creating waves that tumbled around her shoulders. She was dressed in an expensive-looking silk dress. The colour of lemons, it clung to her body in all the right places, with a skirt that flared around her knees in acres of material. That shade of yellow wasn’t always flattering, but the colour completed her complexion perfectly.
The few people between them at the bar melted away and it gave Nate an uninterrupted sight of her. He glanced down and was surprised to see she was barefoot.
“Can I return the favour?” He waved the almost empty pint glass at her to catch her attention.
She turned at the sound of his voice, those beautiful clear blue eyes on his once again. “Why don’t you come and join the party instead?” She held out her hand and treated him to an inviting smile.
A voice in Nate’s head told him not to be so stupid. It had only been a matter of hours since he’d broken things off with one woman. Surely he needed to be single for more than half a day? Another voice told him to go and have some fun. What harm would it do to go and have a drink or two? It wasn’t as if anything serious would come of it.
He slid off the stool and took her hand. “Sure, why not?”
