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Every time I went to pull her down next to me, one of them called her, or caught her hand and dragged her towards them.
Elodie and Jax seemed to be the worst. And one look at their faces told me they thought it was hysterical. I didn't. I wanted to remind Jax that it had been me who had pushed him into admitting his feelings for El to begin with. I liked to think that without me they wouldn't have become a couple and yet there he was, trying his hardest to cock block me at every turn.
The only person who seemed to not want Lola's attention was the one person I thought would be actively trying to keep her away from me. Louis. Her brother remained almost silent as we wrapped up the actual work part of our evening and moved onto what we liked to call our wind down.
Which was just another word for drinking. Even the hot chocolate ruse had been discarded. No one had any inclination for pretence anymore. They were too busy getting into the Christmas spirit, knocking back shots around the cluttered coffee table.
Everyone but me and Elodie.
I glanced at her perched on Jax's lap. She didn't seem bothered at all that he had a glass of liquor in his hand. She was all smiles.
Her eyes met mine, and for a second that smile slipped. It was just an inch, but it was noticeable. And I knew I was the reason why.
Elodie was worried about me and with good reason. She might not be affected by the look and smell of the alcohol, but I was.
Getting sober hadn’t been easy for me. And it was a daily struggle to stay that way. I thought I'd mastered it, but being with them as they sank enough alcohol to put the British Navy in a coma, I realised I wasn't even close.
It was just too tempting, and even the smell of it was turning my stomach. My fingers itched with the need to grab a glass for myself. Because hell, one drink wouldn’t hurt, right?
A flowery smell hit my nostrils the second I started to move forward. Freezing, I looked up into the frowning face of Lola as she perched on the arm of the chair, her perfect ass crinkling the papers I had left there. Not that I minded that. Papers could be smoothed out. The fact that Lola had purposely put herself next to me, within reach, even in front of her brother, was a massive step in the right direction.
Instinctively, I reached for her, pulling her fully onto my lap. Letting my chin rest on her shoulder, I sucked in breath after breath of the smell of her shampoo and the raging beast that demanded alcohol quietened.
If I hadn't known before, I did now.
Lola was the one.
Tightening my arms around her waist, my eyes met Louis over her shoulder. He was staring openly, but the second I met his gaze, he looked away. Seconds later, he lifted his eyes to mine again.
His nod came as a surprise.
Dropping my lips to Lola's shoulder, I smiled against the softness of her sweater. If I wasn't mistaken, then her brother had just given me his nod of approval. I wasn't sure what had changed his mind, but I wasn't about to argue with it.
Louis had been the thing that Lola had worried about the most. She had feared what happened between us would affect her brother.
There would be no stopping us now.
My chest suddenly tight, I used my fingers to move her face towards mine. I wanted to kiss her, to seal the deal, so to speak.
Her lips parted under mine instantly, her small hands reaching up to tangle in my hair as she twisted her body to press against mine.
A low, inebriated cheer went up from around the table.
But I barely heard it.
Lola's lips were so soft.
But the taste of her…my stomach rolled as the combined smell and flavour of the alcohol she had drunk assaulted my taste buds. Nausea turned my stomach into knots and rushed up my throat.
Stiffening under her lips, I fought for control over my own body and failed.
The nausea turned into something else, something that burned a trail up my throat and threatened to explode out of my mouth.
Unceremoniously, I stood, dumping a startled Lola on the chair. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face because I knew she would be hurt. And I couldn't do anything but clamp my hand over my mouth as I rushed toward the bathroom.
* * *
Hugging the toilet bowl, I rested my sweaty head against the cool porcelain. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I sucked in a shaking breath and waited for my heart to slow down. It was hammering in my chest. A steady boom, boom, boom against my ribs.
