Page 67 of Prove You Wrong

Before I know it, Dee has linked arms with me and I’m being marched out of the loos.

Nate’s leaning against the wall, staring at his bottle.

Dee gives me a tap on the bum as she growls, ‘Go get ‘em, tiger.’ She waggles her finger again and teeters across the club towards the bar.

I cross into his line of sight and do a strange salute. ‘Hey.’ Totally awkward. My greeting is so lame.

Nate’s eyes whip to mine and I feel his gaze heavy on me. His scrutiny is complex, as if he was worried, but with a tinge of something else. Is it annoyance? Could I have blown this by overreacting? We’d been having a particularly wonderful time up until I jumped to conclusions.

He straightens immediately, hand reaching out for my shoulder. ‘Hey. Everything okay?’

‘Yeah … I … Sorry I took so long. I was chatting with your friend, Dee.’ The music is super loud out of the ladies room and I have to shout to be heard.

‘She’s more of an acquaintance,’ Nate hollers back.

‘Shall we — ’

‘You want to — ’ We start to speak at the same time and nerves make me giggle like a schoolgirl. Or Dee.

Hand on my back, leaving a scorch mark under the pressure of his skin, he guides me to a quieter spot.

‘What just happened?’ His tone is confused rather than angry. ‘You ran off.’

‘I … I … just needed a minute.’ I stare at his broad chest, his stubbled chin, anywhere but at those baby-blues that get me all worked up.

His hand tips my chin up so I can’t not look him in the eye. ‘There was never anything between me and Dee.’

‘I know.’ I bite my lip feeling totally foolish.

His eyes flick between mine, scrutinising. The same expression crosses his face as did at the bar: discomfited. Conflicted. ‘I’ve got a lot of work to do, still. To prove you wrong.’

‘Prove me wrong?’ My voice goes up a notch.

‘You still seem dead set on me being this bad guy,’ he rumbles softly.

I stutter and try to argue but he kind of has me bang to rights.

‘I have trust issues.’ I force a small smile. ‘My problem, not yours.’

His large hand slips from my chin to the back of my head, curling into my hair. His fingers press in as he tugs me towards him, nuzzling me in close. Pleasure mixing with a slight sting at my scalp.

I gasp as I feel his lips hot on my ear as he says, ‘Good job I kind of love proving you wrong.’

Every nerve ending zings.

‘But’ he exhales heavily then shifts away a little, casting his gaze across the crowded venue before settling back on me. ‘I think you should know I … ’

This is it. This is where he tells me I’m notch ninety-two on his bedpost.

‘Hooked up with Angel before?’ I offer, trying to help rip the plaster off.

‘What?’ he exclaims, rearing back.

I bite my lip. ‘Liam implied … ’

Nate barks out an irritated laugh and shakes his head.

‘It’s okay.’ I put my hand on his chest. ‘Everyone has a past.’

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