9. Lizzie
9
LIZZIE
“Lizzie.”
Damn it. I know that voice.
I look over and at a table a few feet away from where Lia, Ellie, and myself are walking, to see three of the town’s hottest men. “Hey, Cameron. Liam. Reid.” I wave awkwardly in the general direction of the table, noticing Theo isn’t here to round out the group of Brantley Falls’ most eligible bachelors. Liam doesn’t acknowledge me at all, only stares at Ellie, but Reid stands up for a hug before he gestures to my foot.
“How’s the foot, Lizzie? All healed up?” he asks.
Reid stitched up the bottom of my foot a couple of months ago after I stepped on a broken piece of pottery in my studio. I was stupidly walking around barefoot before sweeping up and paid the price with five stitches just underneath my big toe. My attraction for mishap and mayhem never ceases to amaze me.
“Yep. All healed up now.” Cameron is watching our interaction with his jaw clenched, and I have an uneasy feeling that he’s mad for some reason.
“I didn’t realize you knew each other so well,” Cameron mutters, looking between me and Reid.
“I can’t really talk to you about the interactions I have with my patients, Cam.” Reid smirks at him like this is a private joke. “Violation of HIPAA laws and whatnot. I take my nephew to her pottery class, remember? Plus, everyone knows Lizzie.”
“Right,” Cameron relents. “Well, do you guys want to join us? It seems like everyone pretty much knows each other.”
There’s a bite to his tone now, and I’m considering it when Lia blurts out, “Sure. We’d love to.”
I am so going to get her for this.
The guys pull up some extra chairs, and the server comes by to make sure we’re all set. Lia and Ellie order martinis, and I decide to just get a beer. I suddenly feel like I need a clear head, and liquor will impede that real quick for me.
I watch as Reid’s eyes follow Lexi as she’s walking away, and I turn to Cam, expecting him to be doing the same.
But his eyes are on me instead, his stare intense. Regardless of the reason, my body clearly likes it, and I have to shift around in my seat a little to ease the tingling ache between my legs.
Needing to disengage from our staring contest, I turn to Ellie, who is sitting next to Liam, and realize there’s a lot of awkward tension surrounding them as well. “Do you guys know each other?” I ask, because I want to move Cameron’s attention away from me.
“Something like that,” Liam answers, not taking his eyes off Ellie. A long, silent pause washes over the table, and I’m almost regretting coming out tonight.
“Well, this is awkward,” Lia announces and then claps her hands.
We all laugh a little, and then silence descends on the table again. I’m just about to open my mouth and say I need to use the restroom just so I can escape when I notice Ellie take a deep breath, like she’s gathering up the courage to start talking.
“Liam and I met in Chicago over a year ago, right before I moved back home.” She turns to him and lowers her voice. “Do you live in Brantley Falls? Honestly, if you do, it’s kind of crazy we haven’t run into each other until now.”
We’re all just staring. Liam looks…dumbfounded. I’m beginning to wonder if this is a happy reunion or not.
“Oh, wow.” Lia reaches across to Ellie and squeezes her hand. “Good for you, Els,” she says quietly, alluding to what everyone at the table is thinking—they had sex.
“Yeah, I do live here. And it’s definitely crazy we haven’t run into each other,” Liam finally spits out.
Lexi returns with our drinks, which gives us a short reprieve from the awkwardness. As she’s setting our drinks down, I notice she’s lacking her usual politeness and wonder what the problem is. I follow her gaze to Cameron and notice that he’s watching me again, so I grab my drink and take a huge chug in hopes that it will calm the butterflies in my stomach.
It doesn’t.
“Alright. Who wants to dance? Reid?” I stand up and pull my dress down, hoping I didn’t flash the table behind me in my haste to escape. “Why don’t we give Ellie and Liam some privacy.”
Liam flashes a look of thanks while Ellie shoots daggers at me with her eyes.
Oh well. I’ll deal with whatever wrath she has for me later.
We all walk out to the dance floor as an upbeat song plays. I’m hoping to dance with Reid, but he and Lia pair off, both giving me weird smiles. Lia even follows hers with two thumbs up like a dork. I stare her down and silently tell her to knock it off, but she only laughs and starts dancing with Reid again.
Cameron and I stand there for a minute looking at each other, and I can tell that the dance floor is the last place he wants to be. I’m not sure if he doesn’t like to dance or if he just doesn’t want to dance with me. Maybe both?
The song switches to something slow, and I feel myself turning red with embarrassment and am about to attempt my bathroom excuse again when he moves toward me and puts a hand on my hip, luckily not my bruised one. I instantly feel how stiff his body is when he touches me and can’t help but feel like I’m torturing him by making us dance together.
“We don’t have to dance if you don’t want to. I can run to the bathroom and waste a few minutes in there, or we can dance with other people if you want. Actually, we can switch partners with Lia and Reid, or I’m sure any other woman here would be happy to take my spot.”
I take a step back so he doesn’t have to touch me anymore. Between all the intense stares and now his body language, I’m seriously thinking he has some kind of problem with me.
“What? Why would I want to dance with someone else?” He takes a step forward, getting in my space, and his hand is back on my hip.
“I can tell you’re not comfortable. I assumed it was me making you feel that way.”
“Not even close, Lizzie. I just don’t really dance. I feel like I’m going to embarrass you and make a fool of myself all at the same time.” He pulls me closer, wrapping his other arm around my lower back, just above my ass. His woodsy scent fills up my lungs, and then I feel his breath on my ear and hear his deep, husky voice. “You are the hottest woman in here, Lizzie. There’s no chance I would let you dance with anyone else. Not even Reid.”
I gasp, completely taken by surprise. I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just wrap my arms around his neck instead and act like he didn’t just stop my heart. “Just sway with me until the song ends, and then we’ll go back to the table.”
Cameron nods and then starts to move with me, never breaking eye contact. I feel like I’m dreaming, and I don’t want to wake up, but I also kind of want to because his stare is so intense that I don’t feel equipped to handle this. Him. I end up giving up and pressing my cheek against his very hard chest and feel him exhale and kind of go with it.
When the song ends, I immediately step back from him and make my way to the table with Lia and Reid trailing behind.
“That looked intimate. I can confidently say that he was definitely flirting with you yesterday,” Lia whispers in my ear after catching up with me.
I don’t respond because I’m so flustered that I’m afraid of what might come out of my mouth.
Once we reach the table, I slam down into my chair and immediately gasp as my hip starts to throb from the impact. Reid steps close and goes into doctor mode.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. I forgot that I fell yesterday and have a little bruise from it. I just need to be careful when I sit, that’s all.”
“A little bruise shouldn’t make you react like that. Maybe you should let me take a look…” Reid starts to say as he moves closer and puts a hand on the back of my chair, reaching for my hip.
“Nope. Not gonna happen, Reid,” Cameron announces from behind me with that same pissed-off look on his face.
Reid visibly bites his tongue but then laughs under his breath. “Okay, Cam. You gonna play doctor, then?”
Before Cameron can respond, I jump in. “I really don’t need to see a doctor. Thanks for offering, Reid, but it’s fine. Honest.”
“Why don’t I take you home, Lizzie, since we’re going to the same place? I have some cream that will help with the swelling and pain.”
“Lia’s going to take me home, so I’m good.”
“You are kind of out of my way, Lizzie.” Lia glares at me and then turns to Cameron. “It would actually be a huge help if you took her home. And I have to be done here anyway because I have a big day tomorrow,” she says with way too much enthusiasm.
“I’ll drop Ellie off,” Liam jumps up to say. Wrapped up in my own drama, I forgot that they were even there.
“Are you good with that, Els? I can take you home,” Lia asks Ellie, making sure she’s comfortable with the arrangements. She may lack a filter, but she’ll always have our backs.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Ellie replies and gives us the shyest smile.
“I’ll stay and settle up the tab. You guys can all get out of here.” Reid shakes his head and says what we’re all probably thinking. “What a bizarre night. Let’s try it again soon, guys,” he tells his friends as he hugs Liam and Cameron and then hesitates. He decides to give Lia a hug but only offers a smile to Ellie and me.
What the hell is this all about? Did I step into the Twilight Zone or something?
We all say goodnight and then exit Rangers and walk to our respective cars. Cameron opens the passenger door to his truck and waits for me to put my seat belt on before closing it and walking to his side of the car. We start the drive home with only the low volume of the radio breaking the stifling silence.
I want to say something, but anything I can think of sounds weird and awkward, so silence it is.
Within ten minutes, we’re pulling up in front of Cameron’s house. I unlatch my seat belt and reach for the door handle, but he quickly stops me with a hand on my thigh. “Wait for me. I’ll get your door.”
Oh wow. He’s a hot, sexy, grumpy gentleman apparently, and I can’t deny that’s a turn-on. It’s a side of Cameron I never got a chance to see but wanted to. I just don’t know what to do with it now that it’s happening.
He opens my door, and I step down, but Cameron doesn’t move, effectively blocking my path.
“Let me see it?” he gently asks.
“What?” I say breathlessly.
Oh my gosh, why does my body react to him like this, and why is my voice so low?
“The bruise,” he replies sternly.
“It’s not bad, I promise. I’m a klutz, so I’ve had lots of bruises. I’ll be fine.”
“Let me be the judge of whether you’re fine or not, Lizzie. Please. I saw you fall, and I knew you were hurt, but then you just ran away…”
“I mean, it’s a weird spot, and I don’t want to flash you or anything.” He just looks down at my hip and then back at my face.
“Please.” His voice is pleading, and I’m not sure what he’s asking for anymore. But I know I’m going to give in. It seems…inevitable.
“Okay,” I say quietly. His eyes stay glued to mine as I start to grab the hem of my dress to pull it up.
I feel like I’m suffocating under his stare, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to look away. He wants to see it? He’s gonna get an eyeful.
I can worry about the consequences later.