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I gestured over my shoulder to Gaby and Shannen, who were watching us with amused grins on their faces, which I tried to ignore.“Girls’ night out to celebrate the end of term.We’re having a sleepover.”I grinned as I said it, like an over-excited teenager.
Donovan laughed.“Thanks for the warning.At least I’ll know why there’s noise coming from your place tonight.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said innocently.“We’re angels.”
His eyes moved over to them, where they were still eyeing us with no subtlety at all.“Sure.I believe you.”
As his gaze moved over Gaby, a weird prickle of something washed over me, causing a shiver to shoot through me.
“Are we still good for tomorrow?”I asked, trying to re-direct whatever that sensation was.
He nodded.“Yeah.Not sure what state you’ll be in, though.”
I was not even close to being drunk, and seeing him unexpectedly had somehow sobered me up a little more.
“I’ll be okay,” I said.“I’m not a big drinker.”
Usually.Seeing him in the pub had thrown me off.He was just sitting there on his own, but what if some woman caught his attention and he...
So not my business.
I needed to get away from him because, clearly, the alcohol was having some kind of effect on me.I could do without saying anything embarrassing in front of him and my friends.Thankfully, they walked towards me, and I turned to them and said, “Are you ready to go?”
They both nodded, but I could see how badly they wanted to ask me about who this man was.Both of them gave him a once-over, and I could tell from their grins that they approved, but Donovan had also noticed, and I was about ready to curl up into a ball of mortification.
I turned to Donovan and said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He smirked.“You will.”
With a pathetic wave, I linked arms with Gaby and Shannen and we headed outside into the cold.
“Okay, spill,” Gaby said while I pulled out my phone to order a taxi.
“I will when we get home, I promise.But I may need a few more drinks.”
The cab didn’t take longto arrive, and once we were all in our pyjamas and sprawled out in my living room with bowls of crisps, popcorn, and various packets of sweets on the coffee table—along with a couple of bottles of white wine—I knew I was about to get grilled.
“You have made us wait long enough!”Gaby said from her position on the sofa.She’d slung her duvet over herself and was munching on some Haribos.
I let out a small groan, heat racing across my cheeks.The thing was, it wasn’t like there was much to say.Just that I didn’t know what the hell I was doing anymore when it came to Donovan.“I don’t know what to say,” I told them honestly as I reached for my wine glass.“It’s...complicated, I guess.”
“So, let’s talk it out,” Shannen said, giving me an understanding smile.She was on my other sofa, wrapped in her duvet just like Gaby.I was going to my bed eventually, so I had a fluffy blanket slung around my shoulders where I sat on the floor, even though the house was more than warm enough.
“He’s...His name’s Donovan.”
Gaby wolf-whistled.“That’s a sexy name right there.Imagine calling that out in the throes of passion.”She threw her head back in fake ecstasy, making me and Shannen laugh.
She was right.His name was sexy.Hewas sexy.
Which was something else I hadn’t allowed myself to think before.His smile.His eyes.The way he smirked when he was teasing me.Even when he was being irritating, it was still hot.I put my glass back down, deciding it had loosened my tongue enough.
I gave a brief rundown of who he was, how I knew him, and what our deal was with the list, and the girls listened intently.
“The thing is,” I said, “he’s...I like him, but I don’t think it’s wise to get too close since he has no interest in staying here, and I doubt he’s interested in me anyway.It’s not like I want to marry him and have his babies or anything.But there’s just something about him.”
Shannen chuckled.“I think he’s interested in you.Didn’t you see the way he looked at you?”
“Like he wanted to take you home and ravage you,” Gaby added, making us laugh again.
