Page 18 of Next Time I Fall (Excess All Areas 2)

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean, it’s ten o’clock on a Saturday on your birthday. So, you can’t go home. It’s against the rules.”

Cerys looked up at him. “Whose rules?”

Even as her eyes narrowed in his direction, there was a playfulness to them. “Everybody’s rules. Unless you’re a sad sack who likes hanging out alone at home on their birthday.”

“But I didn’t. I just shared cake with an up-and-coming rock star. Not many girls can say they did that on their birthday.”

Jase’s lips twitched into the making of a smile. “This is true. But now you can join me and Ben and Alex. That’s three rock stars. And we’ll get you blind drunk and make sure that no one spikes your drinks and that you get home okay.”

“Fine. But I’m not getting blind drunk. I’ve already had three glasses of wine, which was one more than I was planning.”

Jase took her hand and tucked it around his elbow. “Well, we’ll see about that. If you went to Uni in Manchester for a few years, you must remember how much we Northerners like to drink.”

“I think as a Welsh woman, we might have you beat.”

“That sounds like a dare.”

Cerys laughed; the sound literally tinkled like a glass chime. Or perhaps he was just getting poetic because he was already four pints in. “No, not a dare. Where are Ben and Alex?”

Jase grabbed his phone and dialled Alex’s number.

“That was a long fuck,” Alex said.

Jase laughed. “Yeah. Something like that. Listen. Where are you?”

Once he had the details, Cerys checked her phone for its location and directed him to the bar.

“You know I’m completely overdressed for this place,” she said, taking in the grungy bar with more taps than she could count.

“Don’t worry, your boots offset your dress.”

“Will you shut up about my boots? I should put my heels back on.”

Jase shook his head. “I’m just teasing. You look fine. And who gives a shit. You’re just going to sit in a booth and drink beer.” Plus, he’d seen her in those heels. Worse, he’d seen her walk ahead of him in those heels, with legs that went on forever, right up to an arse as ripe as summer peaches.

His dick stirred at the memory. To stop it developing into a full-blown hard on, he looked around the bar and spotted Ben and Alex in a booth.

When Alex saw them, his eyes went wide.

“Look who was out all alone on her birthday,” he said as he helped Cerys settle in next to Ben, and then slid in next to Alex.

“Please tell me she was not the bathroom birthday fuck,” Alex hissed quietly.

“Best fucking hour of my life, mate.”

“Don’t you realise what will happen when—”

“Relax. I’m just messing with you. I was a perfect gentleman. Right, Cerys?”

Cerys grinned. “Well, if you exclude the fact that you sat down at my table uninvited, then ate half of my birthday cake, then yes, you were.”

Ben frowned. “Why were you out on your birthday alone?”

“Wait, this needs drinks. What do you want, Cerys?” Jase asked, noting that Ben and Alex had full glasses.

“Wine, preferably white, preferably dry. If no wine, a beer, a pilsner of some sort.”

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