32. Abi
32
ABI
As apprehensive as I was about tonight—in that I tried to get out of it about seven hundred times, but Olivia wouldn’t let me—I’m actually having a fantastic time.
First, I got to hang out with Sadie for dinner with the whole crew and as much as I sometimes think things feel awkward between Katie and I, or Dallas and I, the reality is that once we’re in the same room, it just isn’t.
I was expecting animosity or wariness in the least from Katie, but she’s embraced my arrival fully. They go out of their way to include me in Sadie’s life and while I haven’t hung out with Sadie one-on-one yet, I almost feel like a part of the family. Almost.
I love the relationship I’m building with Sadie. She’s sweet and funny, completely obsessed with horses and like all the adults around her, so very generous. But we’re still learning each other, and I’m more than happy to take it at whatever pace suits Sadie and Dallas .
He mentioned me doing a school pick up this week and I can’t wait. I’ve been careful not to push things, but picking my child up from school feels momentous. I wish I’d been doing it all along.
I push the melancholy thoughts out of my head, because tonight is for fun, not for rehashing all my mistakes.
After dinner, we piled into vehicles, Olivia claiming my passenger seat while forcing Flynn to ride with Dallas and Katie in his ute. Flynn pouted, loudly complaining about having to go with them, but when Olivia pointed out that if someone didn’t go with them, they were likely to get distracted along the way and spend the night lost in each other instead of celebrating with the rest of us, he conceded. He shot me a look that let me know exactly what he thought about the situation though and I know he wished it was just me and him in my car.
But then we’d be the ones getting lost in each other, and I don’t need those questions right now. From his reaction when he saw me, I’m pretty sure he’s keen for a round two, but we haven’t exactly had the chance to discuss it.
I lean against the tall table we’ve snagged at the Kauri Creek Hotel, the only reputable bar in the town, and tap my fingernails against the wooden surface, occasionally swiping at the condensation on my glass.
Dallas and Katie are on the dance floor, though the line dancing portion of the night hasn’t actually started yet. Flynn and Olivia are out there too. I couldn’t help the little pang of jealousy that shot through me when he’d held out a hand to her and whirled her away.
It’s jealousy I have no right to. I’m fairly certain Flynn and Olivia think of each other more as siblings than potential romantic partners, but even if they were into each other, Flynn and I are just friends. Hopefully friends who fuck, but that’s still to be confirmed.
My eyes snag on them as the crowd shifts and they come back into view. Flynn’s head is thrown back as he dances, baring his throat and I have to press my thighs together as a bolt of lust shoots through my belly. I want to bite his throat, lick my way down it, then keep going.
“Hey,” a deep voice says beside me and I turn to look up at a dark-haired man. He has a deep shadow of stubble across his jaw, not a fully-fledged beard, but enough that he clearly hasn’t spent time with a razor in the past couple of days, and his dark eyes drink me in. “I haven’t seen you around here before,” he continues.
“New to town,” I say.
“Ah. You enjoying it?” His gaze roams over me again.
Before I have a chance to reply a body presses against my side and Flynn wraps his arm around my waist. Olivia steps up on my other side and stares at the man in front of me.
“Not on your life, Max,” she says, steel in her voice. I didn’t know Olivia could sound like that.
“Ollie,” the guy, Max, says, but Olivia holds up a hand and silences him.
“Absolutely not.”
Flynn turns me away from Max and leads me to the dance floor, Olivia following close behind after she throws the man an evil look.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, as the music fades out and someone announces the line dancing will be starting in a moment. At least they can explain to me without having to shout over a driving bass.
“Max is …” Flynn starts.
“He’s a bastard,” Olivia cuts in, face stony. “I know we can’t actually tell you what to do or who you can spend your time with. But I beg you to please consider your choices when it comes to Max Sheridan.”
I shoot a look between the two of them. Clearly they’re taking this seriously. “Okay. I’ll keep it in mind.” I glance back to where Max was standing, but he’s disappeared.
“Good,” Flynn says and his hand squeezes my waist. How I didn’t realise his hand was still on me I don’t know, because now I know it’s there all of my senses have zeroed on in the touch. “You gonna dance with me, Rosie?”
I want to do something else with him, but I can’t exactly bring that up with Olivia standing right here. Flynn drops his hand from my waist and I suppress the whimper that threatens to escape at the loss of contact with him.
He lines up beside me while Olivia takes her place on my other side.
Someone stands on the small stage in the corner, walking us through the steps and after a couple of repetitions, the music kicks back up.
Thankfully I’m not the only one who can’t keep up. Olivia stumbles along beside me, giggling every time she flubs a step. Flynn however looks like he was born to line dance. After watching him with Olivia earlier, it’s not just line dancing he was born for. I’ll have to hit him up about it later .
I catch sight of Dallas through the crowd. He and Katie found a spot across the room and while Katie’s taken to the steps almost as well as Flynn, Dallas has not. Dancing has never been his thing. I was surprised when he so easily agreed to coming tonight, but as I watch him stumble along beside Katie, it makes perfect sense.
I’ve realised I’ve stopped dancing, too busy watching Dallas laughing, when Flynn’s hand lands on my waist again. He gives a little tug, and I follow him without question as he leads me off the dance floor, towards a spot in the back corner of the room.
The lighting is dim back here, the music quieter, though not by much.
“You okay?” Flynn leans in close so I can hear him. I feel the soft brush of his breath against my ear and I recklessly lean into his body. He stiffens for a moment, but after glancing around the room, the tension leaks out of him.
“I’m fine,” I say and he gives me a sceptical look. “I mean it. I’m good. Great actually.”
“You’re having fun?”
“Yes.” I place my hand on his forearm, smoothing my palm up his skin. He tracks the movement.
“You were looking a little … I don’t know exactly, but like you were maybe sad?”
I shake my head, sliding my fingers as far as possible under the rolled sleeve of his dress shirt and just managing to brush my fingertips across his bicep. “Not sad. I was watching Dallas.”
“Oh.” Flynn straightens, extending the distance between us.
“He’s so happy. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him like this. I love that he’s made such an incredible life for him and Sadie. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
“Oh,” Flynn says again. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted another shot with him. It would have put me in a really awkward position.”
“Because Katie’s your best friend?” It makes sense. Not that I’d ever want to come between them. They’re perfect for each other. A blind man could see it.
Flynn shrugs. “Well, there’s that, but mostly because I want you for myself.” His voice is a little breathless, tinged with hope, and the same feeling is clear in his eyes.
I dig my fingertips into the taut muscle of his forearm. “Suddenly all this noise is giving me a headache,” I say, then reach up on my tiptoes to speak directly into Flynn’s ear. “Would you be able to walk me home?”
I pull back just in time to see the request register and Flynn’s expression goes from concerned and confused to salacious in one second.
He slips his hand into mine and tugs me along as he weaves through the crowd. He finds Olivia, taps on her shoulder to get her attention and leans in to speak to her.
I can’t hear what he’s saying, but her eyes flick to me, and down my arm to where my hand is still linked with Flynn’s. She nods, then says something back to Flynn. He presses a kiss to her cheek, then turns back to me.
“Let’s go.”