Page 20 of L.O.V.E

And fuck me, there she was, four feet away but under my skin, scorching my veins, wearing a clingy dress the color of sangria, her hair twisted on top of her head, her eyes made all the more enticing painted in shades of gray. No glasses, and though I had no right, I was mesmerized by the smokey hue of her irises.

Martin released Natalie’s hand and pulled Victoria in for a cheek kiss, then gave me a hard clap on the shoulder before checking their coats.

Natalie offered a sweet smile and soft hello to me, then shot Victoria a nervous glance. “Hi, Victoria.” She didn’t wait for an answer before moving past and heading to the host station.

A tall man wearing a tailored suit stepped out of the shadows, his piercing gaze aimed at Natalie. He pulled her into an intimate embrace, his large dark hands resting against her pale skin. She leaned back to look into his face, her smile endearing, his dark eyes far too focused on Martin’s date.

I yanked at the knot on my tie. Why the hell had I let Martin talk me into this get together?

Victoria whispered, “Shit. Not him,” before pressing herself into my side.

They exchanged private words before Natalie turned, the man’s arm still wrapped protectively around her waist.

“Guys.” Natalie beamed. “This is my cousin Finn.”

Cousin? Interesting.

Martin released a heated breath and then moved forward to shake Finn’s hand.

Natalie made introductions. When it came Victoria’s turn, Finn’s chest puffed, eyes narrowed, his long arm cinched Natalie.

“Victoria Ford.” He forced a smile. “Thought you moved to the East Coast.”

The man had to be six-four. Wore it well. Dark skin. Dark eyes. Solid underneath his expensive duds. Shaved head that added to his intimidation factor.

“Hi, Finn.” Victoria stuck to my side. “Moved home a bit ago. This your place?”

Finn nodded.

Natalie patted Finn’s chest. “He reserved us a table close to the stage, but it’ll be a tight squeeze. You guys okay with that?”

Nobody said a word, tension stifling the air.

A nervous laugh escaped her full, pink lips. “Trust me, drinks here are the bomb, and we won’t find better entertainment. The tight quarters’ll be worth it.”

Martin moved again to Natalie’s side. “Sounds perfect.” Only when he grabbed her hand did Finn release Natalie.

We followed him through an already crowded lounge toward a small stage, its floor lit with dim red bulbs, a spotlight aimed at a worn wooden stool. Red velvet curtains hung in the background, black and gold damask wallpaper covered the walls on either side of the room that reminded me of on old theatre turned speakeasy.

An unseen artist stroked a haunting melody on a piano tucked in a dark corner, some old tune I recognized but couldn’t place.

Our table was round, made for two, but we settled in, Victoria to my right, Natalie to my left, Martin directly across from me, the stage at my back. My knee bumped Natalie’s thigh but she didn’t seem to notice, and I made no move to adjust, mostly for lack of room but partly because there was something enchanting about the connection.

Wrong. True. But like a magnet, I was drawn to her.

I needed a drink.

Finn disappeared. Two minutes later, a woman floated our way. She had a face like Zoe Kravitz and a body like Adele, and damn she was breathtaking. Her red gown shimmered under the dim lights and hugged every beautiful curve.

“Doll. You came,” she said to Natalie, her voice smooth like a single malt whiskey.

“Finn told me you were back. I couldn’t wait to see you.” Natalie wrapped her arm around the woman’s waist and gestured around our table. “Everyone, this is Finn’s wife, Mona. She’s our entertainment tonight.”

“Pleasure to meet you all.” Mona offered her hand to Martin first, then Victoria, then me.

“Cole Adams.” I gripped her soft palm. “Pleasure.”

“Cole?” Mona laughed, a seductive grit to her tone, then shot Natalie a wink.

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