9
DORNAN
Travis collects Elias first and then me before heading to Celine's building. The atmosphere in the car is strangely charged, and I'm grateful to be in the back seat where I feel less pressured to make conversation. This whole situation is weird. Not so much the three men to one woman ratio. That part has become almost ordinary in our small circle of friends. No, it's the fact that we're nearly strangers to each other, and there is this buzz of competitiveness rolling off the car's other occupants, which I don't appreciate.
Celine is my friend first and foremost, although, after our last date, I'm less sure about the simplicity of that statement. I know what happened between her and Elias, which makes my skin prickle. Her date with Travis was after mine, so I have no knowledge of what went on between them. I guess it must have gone okay because Travis is here for round two. I mean, date two.
I sigh because who the fuck knows what any of us are doing right now?
Playing stupid games, and to what end?
Elias is here for the sex. That's for sure. Travis is an unknown quantity. And me. Well, I don't know what the fuck I want. To help my friend. A repeat of the other night. More.
Admitting that I have feelings for Celine that don't fit into the friendship mold is tough, especially under the circumstances. Jealousy isn't an emotion that sits well with me. Celine isn't serious about any of this, so jealousy is the least of my worries. Having feelings for a friend who's on the rebound is a recipe for disaster.
Elias clears his throat as though the silence in the car has become overwhelmingly uncomfortable for him. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" He twists to assess my expression and then stares at Travis's shadowy profile.
"Wine and dine Celine," Travis says. "Show Eddie she's a desirable girl so that he'll hopefully kick himself for being such a douche. And then watch Celine walk off into the sunset as a changed woman."
"That sounds like a lot to achieve on one fake date," I say.
"Did you fuck her?" Elias asks, and I almost choke on my own tongue.
"No." Travis's answer is quick and firm. "That's not my style."
"Did she want to fuck you?" Elias isn't dissuaded from asking what's on his mind by Travis's tight jaw.
"She did…"
He doesn't elaborate on why he didn't go through with it, but I make my own assumptions. He's a better man than both me and Elias.
"And what about tonight? What do you think she'll want to do after this four-way date?"
Travis's jaw ticks, and when he doesn't reply, Elias turns to me. "Did you fuck her?"
I nod solemnly because I'm not a kiss-and-tell kind of guy, and answering this question is awkward.
Elias's eyes flash, but he doesn't ask about the specifics, which is a relief.
"What do you think, Dornan, about tonight?"
"I think we need to play everything by ear. Celine's on a revenge mission. Who knows where her head is."
"We should be on the same page." Elias stares at Travis's profile as though his comment is aimed solely at him.
"And what page is that?" Travis glances at Elias before refocusing on the road again. "The page where we don't make Celine feel worse than she does already. She's failing classes, and this thing with Eddie is affecting her way more than it should."
I don't have a chance to give my opinion because Celine is waiting outside her dorm, looking like a million dollars. I mean, she always looks good, but tonight she could rival any celebrity on a red carpet. When I glance at Elias, his tongue is practically hanging out of his mouth. Travis's eyes widened at the sight of her. He might not have been on Elias's page before, but he's halfway there now.
Celine tugs open the door and slides into the seat next to me.
"Hey, boys." Her voice is bright and upbeat, but there's something a little artificial behind it that I'm not used to hearing. A tremble of nerves, maybe.
"There's our girl." Elias puts his hand behind Travis's headrest to turn himself. He shakes his head and then folds his lips as though she looks good enough to taste. I can't disagree with him there.
"Has anyone been to this restaurant before?" she asks.
"Nope," we all say in unison.
"It's supposed to be good. And tonight is on me, by the way. Please don't make any kind of deal about that. I asked you all out. I'm flexing my dad's credit card tonight."
I can't be the only one who doesn't feel great about going on a date and letting the woman pay. I was raised to be a gentleman, and I don't even want to think about how my dad would view this whole setup.
Travis fiddles with the radio, putting on an old tune that my dad used to play in his car when I was growing up. "Are you seriously listening to this? This is old man music."
"Errr…" Celine puts her hand up. "Don't even think about criticizing, Dornan Walsh. Music from this era is the best. Nothing new comes close."
Travis chuckles. "She's got good taste. I'll give her that."
Their back-and-forth breaks the ice and we spend the rest of the car journey joking about how Travis listens to dad-music and how Celine is deluded not to appreciate newer bands. Even Elias joins in the jokes, shrugging off his usual surly attitude. I start to dread tonight a little less.
We find a parking spot near Eclet and gather around Celine like she's a celebrity client, and we're her security detail.
"Ready?" Travis holds out the crook of his arm, and Celine eyes it for a couple of seconds before sliding her hand through. We're greeted inside by an impeccably dressed server who escorts us to a table in the middle of the restaurant. I take a furtive look around for Eddie but don't see him. Travis drags Celine's chair out from under the table and helps her to take a seat. He's really pulling out all the stops tonight.
Elias and I take seats on either side of her, and Travis opposite. We each take the menu offered and begin to work our way down the long list of food with difficult-to-pronounce names. "What is this stuff?" Elias fixes me with a panicked look over the top of the menu he's clutching tightly with both hands. I'm glad I'm not the only one out of my depth.
"Mostly French food." Travis runs his finger down the menu and nods. "If you don't know what something is, I can try to work it out."
"Not just a pretty face," Elias says sarcastically.
Celine doesn't seem overwhelmed by the menu. She's already folded it neatly and is arranging a crisp white serviette in her lap.
"What are you getting?"
She smiles at me sweetly. "The duck."
"Duck?" Elias gasps.
"It's delicious. The lamb also looks good."
"There's lamb?" He looks down to search, then puts the menu down in frustration. "Travis, can you order me the lamb?"
"Sure."
"I'll take that too."
"All right. And drinks?"
"Beer." Elias blurts the word as though he's parched.
"We should have red wine."
"We should?"
"We should," Travis agrees. He opens the drinks menu and looks down at the list. "Here's a good one."
I swear the guy is only a few years older than us, but he's making me feel like a preteen. When my eyes meet Elias's, I can sense he has the same feelings.
Before we have a chance to order, Celine stiffens in her chair. I turn to find Eddie sauntering into the restaurant, holding the hand of a girl I assume is his date, Abbey. Beneath the table, I rest my hand on Celine's thigh. "Take it easy."
Her leg is rigid, and her jaw is tight, precisely the kind of expression Eddie would love to gloat over. I lean over, sliding my hand into her nape, and pull her face to mine so I can kiss her. She seems surprised at first but then softens into the kiss. I don't let her go until I hear the server asking Eddie and Abbey if they would like to order drinks immediately or take a look at the menu first.
Celine's eyes are dazed when she lifts her lids, and they brush over each of us. When they reach Elias, he wastes no time in doing the same as me. Watching him kiss Celine when my mouth still tastes of her is strange. A pang of jealousy is immediately swamped by heat that swells my cock. Jesus. The way Elias grips Celine's hair and controls her kiss is hot.
Across the restaurant, my eyes meet Eddie's, and the fury in his expression is like iced water down the back of my neck.
I don't fear the guy. Not at all. He's all talk and minimal action. We play on the same team but manage to avoid ever having to speak to each other except when Coach demands it.
Celine and Elias separate, and I mutter, "Eddie's not looking happy."
For the first time since we saw them arrive, Celine smiles.
"Well, this is just going perfectly."
The server returns to take our order, which Travis relays perfectly in a French accent that sounds native. I thought he worked in Germany, but maybe I'm mistaken, and it was actually France.
Eddie's concentration is focused on Abbey, but his shoulders are tense, and he's angled himself, so I can only glimpse his side profile.
"I feel sorry for the girl," Travis says, sipping the wine poured into our tall bell-shaped glasses.
"I do, too." Celine licks the blood-red stain from her lips, stirring my cock again. "She doesn't know what she's letting herself in for."
"Maybe you should talk to her?"
Celine shrugs. "I wouldn't have listened. When he smiled at me, every reservation I ever had about him melted away. If I can be a fool, she probably will be, too."
"You're not a fool," Travis interjects abruptly. "He is."
"And he's looking over here again," I whisper.
Travis reaches across the table and takes Celine's hand. I don't know if it's for effect or because he genuinely feels she needs reassurance. Either way, it makes Eddie's cheeks heat and his eyes narrow.
"Keep doing that," I say. "It's working."
Elias takes Celine's other hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips, and I try to stifle a smile. This shouldn't be fun, but it is. If Eddie was less of a douche, then maybe I'd feel bad, but he deserves everything he gets.
The servers bring our meals, and everything looks delicious. At the same time, Eddie and Abbey are also served their food. I cut into my lamb and take a bite, savoring the deliciously soft, salty meat covered in a slightly sweet, wine-flavored gravy. I cut another piece and extend my fork to Celine. "You have to try this."
She opens her mouth, and I gently ease the meat between her lips. The moan she makes as she chews reminds me of the way she sounded during sex. "Mmmm…that is sooooo goooooood." She rolls her eyes the same way she did when I made her come.
"This is fucking delicious," Elias says, shoving a huge mouthful of lamb and potatoes into his mouth. The portions might be smaller than I'd like, but the flavors are all there.
"In Europe, these kinds of restaurants are everywhere. Apart from fast-food joints, the standard of food is way higher." Travis is scooping mussels from their shells as he speaks, grossing me out.
"I can believe that. What's Germany like?" Celine asks.
"Interesting. The culture is very different. The people are more reserved in some ways and freer in others, and the humor is drier."
Celine takes another sip of her wine. "Did you get to see a lot while you were there?"
"I did. The German people are proud of their culture and history. I enjoyed sightseeing. The beer and bratwurst were the best, though."
"That's a sausage, right?" Elias glugs down half his red wine without savoring the expensive flavor at all.
"Yep. A big sausage."
"I've got one of those." He laughs. "You don't need to go to Germany for that."
Celine snickers at his ridiculous attempt at a joke. She holds out both hands with her palms up. "Elias's dick, or German food, culture and history." The hand she metaphorically placed Elias's dick in moves up and up.
With an accompanying grin, Elias says, "Nothing beats my dick."
Celine reaches out to touch his thigh. "You're right, baby. Your dick is the best."
"Can we not talk about dick right now?" Travis wrinkles his nose, holding a quivery mussel on the end of his fork and eyeing it with an air of disgust.
Celine laughs loudly, attracting the attention of a couple of the other diners.
And Eddie.
He’s staring over with blazing eyes.
"Yeah. Maybe the dick talk is better reserved for a less expensive restaurant," I say. A prickle of weird energy runs over my forearms, like the moments before a storm when the air starts to feel charged.
"Well, I recommend you guys all travel when you're done with your studies. The world is a big and fascinating place."
"I don't even have a passport," Elias admits.
"My dad is in Canada right now," Celine says.
"Have you been to visit?"
She shakes her head and presses her lips together into a grim line. I don't know much about her family other than her parents are divorced, and she's already an aunt.
"You should go." Travis spoons up some of the broth around the mussels. "Beautiful country."
"I haven't been invited."
Elias glances in my direction, silently asking if I know about this. I shrug back that I don't.
"Where would you like to go if money was no object?" Travis tips his glass to Elias.
"Romania."
We all stare at Elias in shock. "Romania. As in Dracula country?"
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes at me. "My country. Well, my mom's at least. I still have family there…distant family."
"So that's where Mazur comes from?"
Elias shakes his head. "It's Polish."
"Same as Gabriella's boyfriends," Travis says.
"Lauder is Scottish," Celine offers.
"Walsh is Irish," I add.
"Cross is English. We don't know much about our family history, though." Travis looks over at Eddie. "What about Eddie? Where's his family from?"
"The depths of hell." Celine scowls. "The flaming center of the Earth. I met his mom once. I swear that woman has an unhealthy obsession with her son. That's probably why he's so toxic. She hated me."
"She must be an idiot," Travis says.
"Definitely an idiot," I agree.
"Awww…thanks guys!" She reaches out to touch our arms again and I decide that it's time for another kiss. Celine acquiesces, and it's sweet and tantalizing. I'm so lost in the feel of her lips against mine that I miss Eddie rising from his seat and approaching our table. I only know he's getting close when Elias and Travis stand abruptly, their chairs skittering backward with a terrible grating sound.
"What the fuck?" Eddie yells. "You're getting passed around this lot like a fucking whore?"
"Back the fuck up." Elias looms over Eddie like a dark knight, ready to slay whatever’s in his way. "What she does is none of your fucking business anymore, so get your cheating ass out of my face."
I'm up and making my way around the table to join Elias and Travis, keeping Celine behind me so she's out of sight. With the three of us standing shoulder to shoulder, Eddie seems to wilt. His eyes flick between us, narrowed and filled with hatred, but his face is twisted with a smirk. "Are you enjoying the pussy I rejected? It's already ruined enough for you guys to fit right in."
Celine begins to get to her feet behind me, but I grasp her arm and hold her tightly away from Eddie. There's no way she's going to face him when the three of us are here to protect her from his vicious words and who knows what else.
"Talk like that again about Celine, and you'll be swallowing your own teeth," Travis growls.
"Back up, Eddie. You're not going to win here." I jerk forward, and Eddie responds by stumbling back. Elias laughs, and Eddie's face flushes bright red with embarrassment.
"Three small men," he says. "For one stretched-out woman. You're perfect for each other." Big words, but he's returning to a shocked and horrified-looking Abbey. The manager of the restaurant stands close by. A small man, he seems to realize that intervening in an argument between four huge men isn't a sensible idea. I hold up my hand and apologize before retaking my seat. We eat in silence as people around us return to their meals and whisper hushed criticisms of our behavior. Celine is quiet, but as she eats a slice of duck, she smiles at me with a genuine spark I haven't seen for a while.
"That was frickin' awesome," she says after a while, and I have to admit that it felt damned good.