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“That’s not a bad plan, perhaps I’ll join her.”
I smirked.“Dry spell?”
Her eyes flicked across the crowd.“Something like that.”
“You should try online dating.”
“On an island?” June laughed loudly and from across the room I saw Callum glance in our direction.“No, thanks, last time it matched me with my cousin Brody.”
That reminded me.“Hey”—I snapped a bread stick between my teeth, crunching slowly—“what did Callum Macabe say to you before?”
She waved a hand dismissively, but tension rippled through her willowy frame.“Nothing worth repeating.”
“Really? It didn’t look like nothing. You looked pissed off.”
She rolled a shoulder but held herself stiffly.“Just his usual charming self, I feel like I’m the only person who can see straight through all the pomp and bluster. Alastair was just the same.”
Of course he made her think of Alastair.Out of all the Macabe siblings, Alastair was probably the one I knew least about. June had always had a crush on him growing up and I remembered him being handsome and studious, his attractive smiles coming easily. He was very similar to Callum in that way, they even looked quite similar, now I thought about it. Both wiry and moreclassicallyhandsome than Mal. Nowhere near as rugged. I couldn’t picture either of them flipping a fifty-kilo cask of whisky single-handedly.
The next song began, a slower tempo number as the band began to wind down their set. I lowered my voice as I started to say to June,“Hey, if you ever want to—” Movement in my periphery cut me off and all the oxygen was sucked from the room. All ofmineat least, because I was the only one who seemed to notice Mal cutting across the dance floor, determination etched into his features. I allowed myself to look at him and he gazed right back, heading straight for me.
June must have noticed too because she paused, a grape pressed to her lips.“I wondered how long it would take him.”
I had no time to wonder what that meant. He drew closer, eyes rolling from the tips of my hair down to my feet. I knew I was doing the same. He’d removed his jacket and his white dress shirt cut an impressive line across his chest. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows and I studied the flex of muscle and thick veins. What was it about forearms that made them the epitome of the female gaze? Someone with half a brain cell left would have to answer, because Mal was going to ask me to dance. I could hardly believe it, but the evidence was plain as day when he cleared his throat and started to extend his hand.
A feeling of intense rightness had me reaching back. There was no choice, only the knowledge that my hand belonged in his. Not fate but something more unexplainable—inevitable, like the laws of gravity. But the hand I found was smoother, wrong somehow. The eyes I now looked into were clear blue rather than storm grey. Callum grinned down at me.“Time for another dance, lass.” Then he swept me onto the floor. My body locked in protest, searching for Mal over my shoulder, just in time to see his head disappear out the side door.
23
MAL
Love Me Harder – Ariana Grande
Iwas drinking alone in the dark and my cock was hard, what a pathetic combination. I could barely taste the liquid on my tongue, but I opened my mouth for another large pull. I never allowed myself to overindulge in whisky, hating the point where I could no longer experience the intricate flavours and it became just another drink, like guzzling cheap beer at a house party.
But right then, I needed to stop thinking.
Needed to stop thinking of April in that blue dress that made her look like the princess I always accused her of being. So perfect. I knew she didn’t wear the dress to torture me, but the end result was the same. I’d barely taken my eyes off her the entire night and I wasn’t the only one.
I swallowed back the remainder of the glass, sinking down onto the cask I intended to claim for the rest of the evening. I’d been headed back to my cottage, when I found myself in the dunnage instead, in this cool, dark corner perfect for drowning sorrows. Even the loud groaning of the dunnage door being pushed open wasn’t enough to drag me from my wallowing. It was probably Ewan collecting more crates of whisky because April was selling bottles faster than I could keep track.
I reminded myself never to doubt her again. It was all I’d been doing for weeks, even while becoming her friend. I was an arsehole. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with me. What did she really even need me here for?
I poured another drink with shaking hands. I was spiralling, letting old doubts creep in. When the first clack of heels reached my ears, Iknewit was her.
From my hidden corner, I observed April slide the door closed behind her and move deeper into the stalls, her hair a fiery flash between the barrels. She paused at the end of my row, reaching into the stack of crates for a bottle. Another forty-seven. When she straightened, she startled, a hand flying to her chest.“Shit… Mal! You scared the crap out of me.”
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I sipped from my fresh drink and watched her step closer, placing the bottle on the nearest shelf. She worried her pink lip between her teeth.“Is everything okay, Malcolm?”
Malcolm.Is that where we were?“Why wouldn’t I be? I have good whisky… and it looks like you just sold another very expensive bottle.”
She brightened.“I know, can you believe it? That’s ten tonight.”
I could believe it, but I said nothing again and we fell into silence. Unlike every other silence between us, this one felt awkward. I was used to feeling out of place. Used to feeling like the one to blame when uncomfortable moments arose. But never with her; she always had a quip or a joke that made me feel less like a bumbling idiot. Like I wasn’t constantly searching for the right thing to say or the right way to act and coming up empty.
“Why are you hiding in here?” Her voice wavered through the shadow and I knew she regretted asking the question. She knew why. I’d been a breath away from asking her to dance. Everyone in that room knew it, except my brother apparently. How quickly I’d been humbled.
I didn’tdance. Not as a hard rule, but mostly because I had a suspicion I wouldn’t be very good at it. I wanted to dance with her, though. Watching her all night, I’d become obsessed with the idea of holding her so close in front of everyone. It had taken two full drinks and a pep talk from Heather to gather the confidence to ask. Would she have said yes if my brother hadn’t swept her away? The question was driving me insane.
