“Liar.” He pulled back.
Glancing at the others at the table to check that they were still debating who was the best team, she leaned toward Theo. “I did not have a crush on you. You were too old.”
He seemed offended. “I’m only four years older than you.”
“For a teenager, that’s ancient.”
Before he could quiz her more about it, Ethan turned to her and pointed his fork at her plate. “You’re not eating.”
She looked down at her untouched pasta. Was her lack of appetite the aftereffect of her hangover or because she was sitting so close to Theo? She’d guess the latter. “I’m not hungry.”
Ethan frowned. “It’s because you’re hungover,” he said, then turned to his friends. “My sister went out last night and got drunk. Now she’s paying the price today.”
Chloe’s mouth dropped open.Did he have to announce it to everyone? She glared at her brother.To her annoyance, Blake and Logan chuckled, but Theo never made a sound.
“Where did you go?” Logan asked.
Chloe tapped her fingers against her glass and pursed her lips. “Oh… ummm. I can’t remember the name of the club.” She didn’t dare glance at Theo. Would he go along with the lie or tell everyone she’d been at his nightclub? He wasn’t speaking up, so she took that as a good sign.
“Next time you should check out Theo and Blake’s club, Alto,” Logan said, winking. “It’s one of the best nightclubs in the city.”
What should she do? Tell them that was the club she’d been to or pretend she’d never heard of the place? The more she lied, the bigger the chance she’d stuff up and get caught. “That’s it! That’s the one my friends and I went to.” She smiled, hoping it didn’t look as stiff as it felt.
Logan’s eyes raked over her. “Really? I’m surprised I didn’t see you. You’re the kind of woman who’d stand out from the crowd.” Logan turned to Theo. “Did you see her at the club?”
Theo adjusted the cutlery on the table. “I left early.”
“That’s right, Carl mentioned you took a woman up to your penthouse.” Logan smirked. “Spending the night with a woman should put you in a damn better mood. What happened? Did you pull out your spreadsheets instead of your coc—”
Chloe sprang from her seat, knocking into the table. Glasses and cutlery shook at the force. All eyes swung in her direction. “Oh, arrhh, gosh. Is that the time?” She flicked out her wrist to look at her watch. “I need to go.”
“So soon?” Ethan asked, shooting a glare at Logan.
“I just remembered I have a meeting with an actress in half an hour. She’ll be pissed if I’m late,” she lied. She put a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Make sure you come for a visit before you go home to Sydney. I want to see you, Holly, and Lily,” she said, referring to her infant niece.
Ethan stood and gave Chloe a hug. “I will. Are you sure you don’t want me to ask Mum to stay with you for a while? Just until you get settled.”
“I’m fine. I have friends to help, so I’m not alone. Stop worrying.”
“I’ll always worry about my kid sister.” He kissed her on the cheek.
She frowned. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
He gave her shoulders a light squeeze. “You’ll always be my kid sister, no matter how old you are.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m available to help her out if she needs anyone.” Logan put his hand up.
Chloe heard the double entendre but said, “See? I have a lot of people I can turn to.” Although, Logan wouldn’t be her first choice no matter how good-looking he was.
Ethan didn’t seem convinced.
“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I’ll call you every day if it makes you feel better. Probably at inconvenient times, but I’ll call you.”
“Okay, okay, don’t get too carried away.” Ethan held up his hands in defeat.
Chloe said her goodbyes to Blake and Logan with quick hugs, but when it came to Theo, she lingered just a beat longer, her palms splayed over his strong back. This would be the last time she held him in her arms, so she wanted to make the most of it. It was only an innocent embrace, but what wasn’t so innocent was the way her body wanted to grind against his. Breaking away with a jolt, she turned on her heel and got the hell out of there. No way could she see him again. With the way she’d reacted to a mere touch, she’d probably only embarrass herself again.
