Page 10 of The Christmas Exchange

Regret flashed in his eyes. “I regret that more than you’ll ever understand.”

His words felt like a blow to my chest. I was fairly certain that I winced, or maybe I just imagined myself making the face. Julian’s eyebrows pulled together, like he wasn’t understanding the reasoning behind my reaction. I let out another sigh and leaned back against my seat in an effort to cover up the pain that was still piercing my heart.

“Do you think maybe you should go check on Miles?”

Julian’s face was unreadable and he glanced over to the bar. “He’s right over there.”

Turning sideways in my seat, I looked over to where Julian was staring. Miles was leaning against the bar, talking to some other girl with bright blonde hair. She was drop-dead gorgeous and Miles was sporting that charming grin he wore when he was working his magic on someone. A flame of jealousy sparked inside me.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them. The girl put her hand on Miles' forearm and her head tipped back as she let out a string of laughter. My eyebrows were scrunched in a scowl. He was supposed to be here with us. I knew my jealousy was a little unwarranted and a tad out of pocket, but I couldn’t help it. This was supposed to be our night here. Our night together, making new memories and rekindling our friendship.

There was a part of me that knew the alcohol in my system had nothing to do with these feelings. It had to do with the feelings I had for Miles that I kept buried deep inside. The alcohol was just drawing them out and making sure everyone else knew my secrets.

My nostrils flared and I pushed up from my seat at the booth. My body swayed slightly and the room shifted. Shit. I sat back down and chugged some of the water that had magically appeared on the table at some point during the night.

“Are you okay?” Julian questioned me, his voice soft and tender.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “He’s supposed to be with us, not with whoever the hell she is.”

Julian chuckled again as mischief danced in his irises. “Miles is a big boy. He’s free to do whatever he pleases.”

“Um, no, he isn’t. Remember, this was all his idea. He doesn’t get to just ditch us now.”

Julian studied me. “You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not,” I argued before slugging some more water. I needed to sober up. “Maybe I am.”

“Interesting,” Julian mused as he cocked his head to the side. There was a deep curiosity in his eyes and I wanted to reach out and wipe it away. He didn’t get to assess me on this. So what if I was attracted to both of my friends?

“Are you judging me?”

“Quite the contrary,” he retorted. “I had my suspicions…”

I scowled at him. “What suspicions?”

A wicked grin pulled on his lips. “That you had a thing for both of us.”

My eyes widened. There’s no way he could have known. His suspicions? Had I really been that obvious? Part of me cared, the other didn’t in the moment. I knew in the morning I would be regretting this conversation immensely. I’d probably want to go bury myself in the snow, but it would be okay. We’d gotten over awkward moments in the past, there was no reason why we couldn’t do that now.

“Go get your boy,” Julian said with a wink. “I think it’s been a long day and we could all use some sleep.”

My lips parted and I abruptly shut them as I remembered the predicament we were in with our sleeping situation. I looked back over at Miles and the girl. Her hand was still on his arm and they were standing relatively close. Gone were the thoughts of the one-bed ordeal. I rose to my feet, feeling a little less wobbly, and let them carry me straight in the direction of the bar.

“There you are,” I said sweetly as I stepped up to Miles and the blonde. Miles turned to look at me, his face lighting up as he drank me in with his gaze.

“Hey you,” he replied, his voice as smooth as honey. He threw his arm around the tops of my shoulders and pulled me against him, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Did you miss me?”

The butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “I did. Are you ready to head upstairs?”

“Absolutely,” he said with a smile before looking back at the girl. “Enjoy the rest of your trip.”

She looked between the two of us, her eyes slicing to mine with an icy glare. “Yeah, you too.”

I couldn’t help the boost of confidence I felt, along with the satisfaction that mixed with it. The look on that girl’s face was absolutely priceless. I was most definitely on her shit list for tearing him away from her, but he didn’t even hesitate when I stepped over to him.

His arm dropped down to wrap around my waist and we half stumbled out of the bar together. I didn’t see Julian anywhere, so I figured he had headed up to the room already. Miles and I walked over to the elevator and he pressed the up button.

He turned me in his arms, both of his hands resting on my hips. “Thank you for saving me. I couldn’t figure out a nice way to get away from her.”

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