Page 37 of Wild Tonic
Anastasia shuffled closer to him, her thigh pressed close against his. He could smell her perfume; a heady, cloying scent mixed with the joints they’d been smoking earlier. It made him feel slightly nauseous. He blinked, his eyes heavy, suddenly finding it difficult to keep them open.
“I saw you play earlier, you’re very talented,” she purred.
Nate stiffened, he knew a come on when he saw it. If Anastasia claimed to be Clem’s friend, she must have seen how happy the two of them had been. And if she had, why would she want to damage that?
Her thumb caressed his knuckles.
Nate turned to look at her. “Anastasia, what are you…”
The remainder of his sentence was cut off as Anastasia leaned over and tried to kiss him, her lips narrowly missing his and landing on his cheek as he recoiled.
“Come on, Nate, you know you want to…”
Anastasia’s burr was making him sleepy. Why was he so tired?
He found himself unable to resist as her mouth sought his.
The sound of birds twittering cut through Nate’s skull. He rolled over and nearly fell off the edge of the sofa. He winced as he screwed up his eyes, scrunching up his face in revolt. There was a sour taste in his mouth and the stale aroma of alcohol invaded his nostrils. How much had he drunk last night? His gaze went to the decanter on the dresser, which appeared to be at the same level as when he’d had his final drink before Anastasia…
He shivered.
Memories of her perfume, her breath on his face as she tried to make a move on him, filtered into his head.
A shower would make him feel better, and maybe some breakfast. Then he and Clem could go and check out some of the bands playing that afternoon, perhaps find somewhere special to take her for dinner.
Buoyed by his plans, he bounded up the stairs to their room and opened the door.
The bed was neatly made, his clothes strewn over one of the chairs, his bag open on the floor exactly where he’d left it.
There was no sign of Clem.
The bathroom door was open and he headed towards it, hoping to surprise her. It was empty. It was also devoid of all Clem’s beauty products, shampoo and shower gel.
Nate frowned. He went back into the main bedroom and opened up the wardrobe. Again, empty. He did the same with drawers and found nothing.
Clem had disappeared.
He plugged in his phone and waited for the screen to light up. No messages, no missed calls. Nothing.
Where the hell was she?
The sounds of voices came from the kitchen as he headed back downstairs. By the smell of cooking bacon, he guessed the others were there. And, he hoped, Clem too. As he entered, he saw Leona, Alfie and Liam. There was no sign of Clem or Anastasia.
“Jesus, Nate,” said Liam. “You look like you’ve been awake all night. Good one, was it?” He winked.
“I ended up falling asleep in the study.” Nate rubbed his eyes. He felt anything other than awake right now.
“Ha! That’s bullshit. I hope you’re happy with yourself. Clem’s in bits and it’s all your fault.” Leona glared at him.
“What are you talking about? You know she went to bed before any of us last night.”
“How convenient for you.” Leona’s arms were folded across her chest. “So easy for you to get rid of her and then make a move on Anastasia. Honestly, Nate, you know how she feels about her. You’re a dick.”
Liam stifled a laugh. “All the time she was telling me how different you were, and you ended up doing exactly the same thing. With Anastasia as well.”
Confusion flooded through Nate. “I have no idea what you’re going on about? Anastasia came into the study after Clem had gone to bed. She tried to make a move on me, and I pushed her away. I wouldn’t do that to Clem.”
“Really?” Liam held his phone up to Nate.
