C15 Chapter 15

He grinned at her. He didn’t have dimples per se, but he did have those smile brackets that creased his cheeks. He rocked the short whiskers on his face, which seemed carefully cultivated to look like an effortless scruff. His white dress shirt was open at the collar giving her a tantalizing glimpse at his neck and a hint of chest. Peyton crossed her legs under the table, squeezing her thighs together. It seemed like years since she’d felt this turned on and she didn’t even know the guy.

“I wasn’t sure that you appreciated my help,” he said.

She grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was having a rough day…” She suddenly wondered whether he had recognized her from the video. He hadn’t mentioned it, but… it was possible. No, if he had recognized her from that YouTube clip then he would have made some snide comment about it. She pushed the thought away. “We have actually met before,” she said.

His eyebrows popped up and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table between them. “Not possible,” he said. “I would have remembered.”

She smiled at him, a genuine smile even if he was being cheesy. “I believe you were introduced to me as Uncle Finn.”

She watched as his eyes narrowed in concentration before widening as recognition dawned. “Wonder Woman?”

She nodded once and then looked away, embarrassed. She enjoyed filling in for Brandi while she was pregnant, but it wasn’t exactly a career that garnered a lot of respect.

“That’s…kinda cool,” he said, his cheeks creasing with a grin. “I prefer the red,” he said, leaning forward to pick up a lock of her hair.

Her breath shortened and her pulse picked up. He let the curl slide between his fingers, his eyes never leaving hers. It suddenly felt hot in the club and her cheeks flushed… maybe not just her cheeks. His eyes held hers and she felt drawn to him. She may have even leaned forward a little without conscious thought.

“Hey,” Mia said, flopping down beside her and breaking the spell that Finn had woven around them.

Peyton sat back and lifted her drink, taking a fortifying sip. Finn leaned back in his chair all casual-like, a knowing smirk on his face. Peyton wanted to fan herself.

“I see you’ve met Finn,” Liam said as he took the last vacant seat.

“Not me,” Mia said, extending her hand across the table. Finn took it and shook it cordially before letting it go. His eyes never left Peyton’s.

“Finn writes—”

“Let’s not talk about work,” he said, shooting Liam a glance with raised eyebrows. Liam must have picked up on his silent communication because his face relaxed into a smile and he nodded.

“You’re right,” Liam said. “Work is overrated. Let’s talk about something else. What do you think of the club?”

Peyton looked around. It was a club. They all kind of looked the same to her.

“I love it,” Mia said with a fan-girl squee. “I’ve never been a VIP before.”

Peyton tried hard not to roll her eyes at her friend. She loved Mia to death but she hated the way she was when she was trying to impress a guy. She had this really bad habit of playing the naïve airhead. Mia could be flighty and forgetful, but she was not a vacuous bimbo and Peyton hated that Mia thought she had to pretend to be one to gain a man’s attention.

“Seen one, seen them all,” Peyton said flippantly.

She could feel Finn’s gaze on her, assessing her. She shifted in her seat, her body heating up all over again at his intense scrutiny of her. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant experience, but she had to keep reminding herself that she was swearing off men. Having Finn look at her like that made her forget that all men were arseholes.

With determination she didn’t feel, Peyton swallowed the last of her drink and stood. “Come on Mia, I think it’s time we went home.”

Mia looked up at her with a pout and Peyton tried to telepathically tell her to get her arse moving.

“We’ve got an early start tomorrow,” Peyton said, widening her eyes while Mia looked at her like she was speaking Spanish.

“On a Sunday?” Finn asked.

Peyton turned and smiled sweetly at him. “Church,” she said before hooking an arm under Mia’s elbow and hauling her to her feet.

Peyton got them moving, making a beeline for the front door with Mia protesting all the way. When they finally got out of the club and into the sticky, summer night, Mia wrenched her arm from Peyton’s.

“What the hell did you do that for?”

Peyton stared at her friend. “Friends don’t let friends make fools of themselves in front of guys,” she said.

“What the fuck, Peyton?”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “Mia, you were doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“You know, that thing where you get all giggly and pretend like you’re some throwback to a bad eighties tits-and-bums movie.”

“Huh?”

“You were pulling the bimbo card, Mia. Come on, we’ve talked about this! You don’t need to dumb yourself down to pick up a guy, sweetie.”

Mia fluffed her hair and smoothed down her dress. “I didn’t think I was,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at the club. “I really liked him.”

“Then it’s better that we leave now,” Peyton said.

“What? Why?”

“Because guys love the chase. You had him interested and by walking away you only piqued his interest more.”

“Is that really true or are you just cock-blocking me?”

Peyton slung an arm around Mia and they started walking towards the taxi rank. “I’d need a cock to block you, lovey.”

“I know you’re off men, Peyton,” Mia said, “but that doesn’t mean I am too.”

“I would never expect that,” she said, truthfully. “I was just saving you from yourself back there.”

“Whatever,” Mia said with a roll of her eyes.

“I’ve got some Chunky Monkey in my freezer at home,” Peyton said. “I’ll share it with you.”

“I’d rather have Liam,” Mia said with a sigh, “but Chunky Monkey will have to do.”

“That’s the spirit!” Peyton crowed with false enthusiasm. Chunky Monkey would have to act as a poor substitute for her too.