Stand-In Saturday (Love For Days #2) - Kirsty Moseley Page 0,85
the front steps. My palms are sweating, so I wipe them on my trouser legs, trying to calm down. As we approach the door, I can hear the party already in full swing inside; people are talking and laughing, and the smell of food permeates the air. Lucie’s finger hovers over the doorbell, but she doesn’t press it. Instead, she looks back at me, her forehead creased with a frown, her eyes tight with worry.
“Um … my parents don’t know why Lucas and I split, so please don’t mention the cheating. Oh, and I didn’t tell them we went to Scotland together last weekend, so don’t mention that either. Also, although I want you to look at me like you want to rip my clothes off, my parents can be a teeny bit old-fashioned, so don’t be grabbing a handful of arse or sticking your tongue down my throat in there, okay? Keep it subtle. The guests at the party will mostly be older business associates and their partners; it’s going to be a tad snooty.” She winces apologetically. “We only have to stay a couple of hours. We’ll show our faces, do the rounds and say hi to a few people, and make Lucas regret the day he ever met his personal trainer, and then we can leave.”
I nod, clenching my teeth at the mention of Lucas’s name. Every time she says it, the ball of jealousy in my chest expands. I didn’t realise it was possible to hate someone you’d never met. “Why don’t your parents know about the cheating?”
Lucie sighs and fiddles with her necklace. “His dad and mine are best friends and business partners, and Lucas works for the company too. We decided not to drag them into our mess, and so we told them the split was amicable so as not to cause friction for anyone.”
I tilt my head to the side and raise one eyebrow. “Is that the royal we? Or did Lucas decide that was for the best? Seems to me like he came out smelling of roses, and you got the raw end of the deal there, Luce.”
She blinks, her mouth opening for a reply but then closing again. She knows I’m right. He is the one in the wrong, but he gets to keep his reputation intact while she lost her home and job, and no one even knows the real reason. He’s even more of an arsehole than I thought.
Smiling sympathetically, I lean in and press a kiss to her forehead, wrapping my arms around her and hugging. She whimpers and hugs me back tightly, clinging to me like I’m a life raft and she’s stuck out at sea. Her fingers dig into my back as she presses against me.
Turning my head, I run my nose along the side of her jaw, breathing her in. Her perfume, mixed with the vanilla smell of her shampoo, makes my senses prickle with desire. She feels so right in my arms, as if she’s meant to be there. I don’t want to let go.
Disappointment that she’s not mine hits me like a kick to the balls. I’m gutted that she’s still intending on using me tonight to make her ex jealous. I know that’s the agreement we made in the lift, but all week, we’ve been talking and messaging back and forth. I hoped maybe I was gaining ground, making her think of me as something other than a friend she had a hot weekend with once. We get on great, and it’s glaringly obvious that this sexual tension between us hasn’t gone anywhere during the week apart. I want her to want me here tonight, at her side, because she wants to spend time with me, not because she wants to use me as a point score against her cheating ex. I still don’t know if this farce is intended to hurt Lucas or win him back. I’m in limbo at the moment, waiting to see which way this goes.
With her in my arms though, I know I need to put up more of a fight. I can’t just roll over and let Lucas waltz in and steal her back from under my nose.
I gulp and pull back a fraction, sliding my hands up her body until I cup her neck. Tilting her head so she has to look at me, I stroke her jawline with my thumbs.
Her eyes appear slightly dazed as they meet mine. Her luscious ruby-red lips look so