Page 44 of Isolated
At that, Eleni and I sat back in our seats and let go of the mounting tension between us. It was only a matter of time before it’d return anyway. We did our best to enjoy the rest of dinner. Flora insisted on dessert. I was convinced she believed everything could be solved with a sweet treat. And for someone who was generally the quietest of the bunch, she took charge and kept the conversation lighthearted for the remainder of dinner.
Before I knew it, I’d arrived at The Steel Pub with my sisters. If I was honest with myself, I would have preferred to just go home. Because I knew that I was going to have to do something I never would have done in a million years simply because I wanted to put a stop to the smugness from Eleni.
We’d barely made it inside and ordered a round of drinks when the look on her face indicated she was more than prepared to gloat when I didn’t follow through on my promise.
“So, who’s it going to be?” she asked. "There’re a lot of guys here tonight.”
My eyes scanned the space as I attempted to come up with a way to delay having to do this. But then, my body froze with shock. It took a few seconds, but a slow smile eventually spread across my face.
“Is that… is that guy smiling at you?” Flora asked.
He was.
And I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect situation.
Tearing my attention away from him, I pinned my stare on my sisters. “Looks like I found the guy I want tonight.”
Eleni’s jaw fell open, and I swore I could see the hearts in Flora’s eyes.
Then I stood, returned my attention to him, and steeled my features. A moment later, I was crossing the room toward Landen, my heart hammering with every step I took.
FOURTEEN
Landen
This was going to go one of two ways.
And judging by the look on Iris’s face, it was a toss-up which way that would be.
But even if I knew there was the potential for this not to end well, I couldn’t bring myself to feel any regret just yet.
Not when she was standing there, looking utterly stunning. Not when I was seeing, for the first time, Iris wearing a dress that hugged her body and heels that made her legs look impossibly long. Not when those soft mounds of hair were cascading down her back and over her shoulders. Not when those vibrant green eyes were locked on mine the way they were.
No.
No, this wasn’t the time for regret.
This was a moment to take it in, to savor it.
I’d spent far too much time ignoring my attraction toher and fighting against the urge to ask her out. And just when the opportunity presented itself for me to do something about the fondness I felt for her, she’d already had plans with her sisters.
I wasn’t the kind of guy who’d just barge in on something like this. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the conversation we’d had at her place earlier in the week out of my head. There was a motive for this outing with her sisters, and I feared it could be successful if I didn’t do something to stop that from happening.
So, unless she strode over here and proved I’d made a mistake by revealing her anger with me, I wasn’t going to allow myself to feel an ounce of remorse for taking the steps during our gym session yesterday morning to figure out what her plans were with her sisters for this weekend.
I remained put, keeping my gaze on her while becoming acutely aware of my rapidly increasing pulse. Every time I was around Iris, my body reacted. But tonight felt different. Maybe it was the change in scenery or the fact that she looked spectacular in that dress, but Iris took my breath away.
That feeling didn’t ease in the slightest when she briefly tore her gaze from mine, glanced over her shoulder at the two women with her, and one corner of her mouth quirked up with something that looked a lot like determination.
Iris returned her attention to me, the smile slowly creeping onto her face as she took purposeful strides in my direction. She had to know precisely the effect she was having on me. It would have been impossible for her not to be aware of just how sexy she was.
Each step she took caused a ripple of excitement toflood my body, and I balled my hands into fists at my sides to contain it. For a moment, I imagined what it’d be like to have her walking toward me with that look on her face while she was wearing not a stitch of clothing.
I swallowed down the groan that threatened to escape at the thought, but there was no way to prevent my pants from growing just a touch tighter around the groin.
By the time Iris came to a stop in front of me, my body was aching with the need to hold her close again, just like I’d done before I left her place earlier in the week.
Without an ounce of hesitation, Iris asked, “What are you doing here?”
