Page 35 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad

My gaze immediately went to Brett. God, he looked beyond handsome in his tux. My breath caught with a mixture of awe and yearning. That is until I saw the woman on the plush couch with him. She was the epitome of plastic, practically in his lap, with her breasts nearly in his face. He was enjoying it if his hand on her ass was any indication. Envy bloomed hot even though it was stupid.

He frowned for a moment and began to disentangle himself from the woman. "Lindsay. What are you doing here?" His gaze ran down the line from Lindsay to Liam to Oliver and then to me. For a moment, I thought I saw a reaction, but then he turned his attention back to Lindsay.

"Doing the same thing you're doing, Daddio. Ringing in the new year. This is Liam, and Oliver, and you remember Mira, right?"

He gave a curt nod. "You didn't tell me you'd be here."

Lindsay cocked her head as if she was only just now noting that her father wasn't pleased to see her. She put her hand on her hip and glared at him. "And you didn't tell me you were going to be here. Don't be a grump, Dad. We’re not going to party with you." She turned to Liam and Oliver and me. "Come on, guys, let's get some drinks and dance."

I was out the door as fast as my legs could move. We were nearly at the bar when somebody who worked there approached us. "Mr. McKinnon has arranged a special area for you all to enjoy the evening festivities."

"Hot damn," Liam said.

We followed the man to another section of the bar that appeared to be reserved for VIP guests. There were plush couches and chairs roped off from the rest of the crowd, but still in the mix of all the excitement. We took a seat, and the man who led us over waved down a server, who immediately took our drink orders.

"Come on, let's dance." Lindsay jumped up, grabbing Liam's hand to pull them out to the dance floor. "You too, Mira, Oliver. Come on."

I looked at Oliver, who shrugged. "If you're anything like I am, you're going to indulge them by going out on the dance floor."

I let out a laugh. "You're right. How is it that they have such an influence over us?"

He stood and reached out his hand toward me. I took it, and he helped me off the couch. "I suppose it's because they are endearing. Liam can be a bit self-centered, but he's a good kid. I just wish he'd grow up a little bit more."

I nodded, often feeling the same about Lindsay.

We headed out to the dance floor, and despite being self-conscious in my painted-on dress, I let the music move me. I enjoyed dancing, but a glance at Oliver told me he didn’t. Still, he made an effort as he bounced and stepped side to side. I was going to ask him something but noticed he had his attention on Liam. Was he worried about him? Then again, Oliver could be watching Lindsay. In fact, the way his eyes drifted down and then up as if he was taking her in suggested he was. Huh? Was he into her too?

The floor was crowded, making it impossible not to get jostled. Another dancer bumped Oliver, pushing him toward me.

His hands reached out, landing on my hips as he tried to avoid running into me. "I'm sorry. I probably should've warned you that I’m a klutz on the dance floor."

"That's okay. It's crowded."

I looked over to where Lindsay and Liam were dancing, curious again about their relationship and Oliver’s reaction. Motion behind them caught my eye. Looking beyond them, I saw Brett watching us, watching me. He had that same broody Mr. Hyde look on his face I’d come to know at the cabin. I could only imagine that he was pissed off at seeing me since we were never supposed to see each other again.

A dancer bumped me from behind, this time propelling me into Oliver.

"I'm sorry."

He laughed. "It's okay."

I stepped back, feeling a bit panicked. "Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

"Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at the table."

I gave a quick nod and hurried off toward the ladies’ room. The problem was, I'd never been in this club and I didn't know where it was. I headed down the hallway, but clearly, it was the wrong place. There were several doors, but none saidWomenon them.

I turned around, walking into a solid wall of man. His hand wrapped around my upper arm and he tugged me into a room, shutting the door. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I didn't know you were going to be here. I didn't even want to come. Lindsay talked me into it." Why was I babbling? I had every right to be here.

"Is that Oliver kid the guy from your class?"

I looked up at him, surprised by his question. "No."

"Are you going to let him fuck you?"

What?I shook my head, wondering if he'd been drinking. Well, of course he had. We were in a club, but had he drunk too much? "No. I've only just met him."

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