Chapter 8
William
I watched from afar as Luke live streamed himself dancing with Nairie and some of the other female patrons. My patience was wearing thin with this twat. Maybe they could sell the jukebox and use the profits to pay off some bills. They could also sell Luke’s organs on the black market.
The song “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star played, and I watched Nairie attempt to leave the dance floor.
Luke pulled her in for a slow dance, their bodies getting closer together.
My stomach tightened seeing her curves wrapped around someone else.
Luke slid his hand to the small of her back, and the fire within me crackled.
Why Nairie was seeing Luke to begin with was beyond me. Did she truly not realize she deserved so much more? That she was the most beautiful woman in the room and that she could have anyone she wanted. Me included.
“Are you listening, Will?”
Elspeth was showing me their stock of inventory and going over their delivery schedules, but I hadn’t heard a word.
I cleared my head. “Sorry, let’s go over that again.”
Elspeth continued to show me around the bar, but I kept one eye on Nairie up until she walked out the door with Luke.
I never thought I’d be jealous of such a vapid pussy, but I was.
He got to hold Nairie, lead her on his arm, build something meaningful with her, and he didn’t deserve her—not one bit.
I felt helpless, and it frustrated me to no end.
I spent the rest of the night in sulky silence as I finished closing the pub with Elspeth.
If she noticed, she didn’t say anything, and we drove back home.
But to my horror, Nairie still wasn’t there. It was nearly two in the morning.
“Does Nairie usually spend the night with Luke?”
Elspeth dropped her purse on the couch and started up the stairs to get changed for bed. “No.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“She’s a grown-up, Will. If there was a problem, she would have texted me. I’m not her mom.”
I huffed indignantly. “Well, it’s fucking late.”
Elspeth smirked and continued walking up the stairs. “Don’t wait up too long.”
I paced the living room and went to fill myself a glass of whisky.
If Nairie stayed out all night, I didn’t know what I would do.
Showing up at Luke’s place would definitely be overkill, but it would make me feel better dragging Nairie out of there like a caveman.
I’d never felt this way about anybody before, and it was unnerving.
I flipped on the TV to try and distract my thoughts of murdering Luke with my bare hands and landed on Love Is Blind on Netflix.
As long as the cat was out of the bag, I would enjoy trashy reality TV without shame.
I was in the middle of the first episode when the front door lock clicked. Nairie walked through looking as beautiful as she did at the pub, which was a good sign. No signs of disheveled hair or puffy lips.
She looked at me in surprise. “You’re still up?”
“Wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
Nairie smiled and sat next to me on the couch. The smell of her eased my jealous heart, and I relaxed back into the cushions.
Without looking at her, I asked, “So, how was the date?”
Nairie gathered a blanket and pillow across her lap and got comfortable. She was close enough to touch me, but we both kept to ourselves.
She sighed. “It was as horrible as you’d think.
That influencer event was so gross. Seeing that many people desperate for attention really rubbed me the wrong way.
I’m sure it’s just the type of influencers they are, not the group as a whole.
I barely got out of there. Luke kept wanting to mingle, but I finally reached my social limit. ”
She ran her hands through her hair and slumped against the couch. “I guess I thought dating him would be fun, but it’s the opposite.”
She laughed sadly to herself and switched the subject. “I see you’re still keeping up with your guilty pleasures.”
I smiled. “No point in hiding it now. You outed me.”
Nairie chuckled. “Nothing to be ashamed of. I love this stuff too.”
Wanting to cheer her up, I asked, “Hey, how about we go for a hike tomorrow?”
“Don’t you have a bunch of work to catch up on?”
“Aye, but everyone needs a break now and then. Plus, you deserve at least one good day out with a guy.”
Nairie blushed and nodded. “I’d like that.”
We turned back to the television when she asked, “So, who’s your favorite on the show so far?”
I was grateful for the distraction. The budding excitement in my belly at the thought of our non-date date tomorrow was new.
“I like Crystal. She seems the most grounded out of the bunch. Mark is a self-centered twat. I think Janine and Jose are going to stick together.”
“I promise not to spoil it for you.”
“Och, you’ve already seen this season?”
Nairie laughed. “Yup, but I like rewatching the mess unfold.”
“Fine. Are you going to share that blanket or what?”
It was a cheap shot. Getting a girl to share her blanket was pretty desperate, but I couldn’t care less.
Nairie smiled and shuffled closer, laying the fuzzy throw over both of our legs.
Under the blanket, her hand came to rest at the side of her thigh, right next to mine, and our knuckles brushed.
She didn’t make a move, and neither did I, so we sat there, not quite holding hands, until we both fell asleep.
I didn’t wake up until I heard Elspeth’s excited squeal.
It was morning, and Nairie was lying half on top of me.
Our body heat created a cocoon of cozy warmth that I wanted to stay in forever.
Her long hair cascaded down her back and across my arm.
Her small hand rested across my chest, close to where her cheek rested against my heart.
She looked so delicate and soft. It also didn’t hurt that her magnificent tits were pressed up against me, and I had a great view of her cleavage in that dress.
God, I wanted to feel the weight of them in my hands so badly, but getting a boner would quite possibly be the most embarrassing thing to happen right now.
I wrapped my arms around her tighter and lightly squeezed.
She stirred from her sleep, and I lessened my grip but kept my hands on her.
Elspeth came running down the stairs. “We went viral!”
I looked at her confused. “Huh?”
Elspeth ignored the vision of us on the couch and continued talking rapidly. “William, you went viral, and now the pub has reservations booked for the next three weeks!”
Nairie looked up at me dreamily and confused. It was one of my favorite looks on her, and I smiled down at her. “Good morning.”
Nairie smiled and then realized what position we were in and quickly dragged herself away from me, fixing her hair and adjusting her dress.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Elspeth sat in front of us on the coffee table and pulled up her phone. It was a video of me talking to Nairie, but all you can see is my facial reactions to our conversation.
You can’t hear our conversation, but the caption read, “Find you a man who looks at you like this.”
“Someone made a thirst trap of you, bro!” Elspeth slapped my shoulder.
I scrunched my nose. “And this is a good thing?”
“If it means we get more customers, hell yes!”
Nairie watched with wide eyes. “It must have been that influencer Luke was talking to.”
“Maybe we can get Will to take pics with his fans and charge extra,” Elspeth said excitedly.
I scratched my beard. “Someone filmed me without my consent, and that’s all you can think about? I’m not a piece of meat.”
Elspeth got up and headed to the kitchen, calling out, “Just for a little while. I won’t make you take your clothes off.”
“Wow, thanks.”
Nairie got up and started walking away.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I was going to draw a little bit.”
“Nuh-uh, I said we’re going on a hike, and we’re sticking to it. Bring your sketchbook if you like.”
Nairie gave me a bright smile, and I felt myself smiling back.
She disappeared up the stairs, and Elspeth sidled back out of the kitchen. “Hike, huh?”
I looked at her. “Just a hike.”
“Sure, sure. Getting sweaty, heavy breathing. I get it.”
“Mind your business.”
I looked back at Elspeth’s phone in my hands, the video still replaying on a loop. I hardly recognized myself. I was transfixed by the dark-haired goddess in front of me, and if it hadn’t been obvious I had a crush on my sister’s best friend, then it would be now.
After we both got ready, Nairie reemerged in what could only be described as my wet dream. She sported two braided pigtails, a pair of leggings that clung to her thick thighs like a second skin, and a tank top showing off her cleavage.
Nairie beamed at me. “Ready?”
I grunted, and we made our way to the car.
Nairie broke the silence during the ride. “Are you mad about the video? I know you like your privacy.”
“It’s not great. But if it means Elle gets some business out of it, maybe it’s worth it. Hopefully, it’ll die down soon.”
“I thought maybe it would affect you being in the service and all.”
“It would have if I was still on active duty or if I was a mercenary. But I’m just an inn owner now.”
I parked the car, and we headed for the trail. It was going to be a hot day, but the air still had that morning chill. A few other hikers were already out, but everyone kept a good distance away from each other.
I’d mapped out the trail before we left the house. It was an easy walk with some uphill climbs, but it was worth it for the view at the top. From the Google photos, you could see the whole span of Los Angeles with a view of the ocean far off in the distance.
“How has civilian life been treating you? Do you miss the action?”
I thought over her question carefully as we settled into a comfortable pace.
I kept my gaze on a lingering cloud moving lazily across the skyline. “It’s been good for the most part. Do I miss the action? Yes and no.”