That One Moment (Lost in London #2) (21 page)

“You’re not the easiest of guys to get to know,” Leslie drawls sleepily.

That was true…until I met Vi. Christ, what on earth have I got myself in the middle of? Originally, running into Vi at the gala felt like the universe’s way of putting us together. That’s why I thought she’d be perfect to help me with my countdown. I should have known better. The first moment I met her at The White Swan was the first time my body had responded to another woman since Reyna.

Fuuuuck.
What have I done? “I’ve told her more than I’ve told most, Leslie,” I admit in hushed tones.

She sits up and whispers right in my ear, “That must mean she’s worth it.”

Her words hit me just as the music shifts to a Beyonce track. Leslie lets out a mighty cheer and Frank’s head pops up out of nowhere. His eyes lock on hers and they sprint toward each other, connecting in an epic hug of jumping and squealing. They make a mad dash for the dance floor, grabbing people along as they go.

Suddenly, Julie sidles up to me. “Would you fucking dance with me, Hayden?” she purrs. “I’ve had a bastardly couple of weeks and I feel like a bloody loser.”

I turn my surprised expression to her and see Ethan pulling Vi up out of the corner of my eye. They head toward the dance floor, so I quickly stand, grabbing Julie’s small hand as I go. I drag her through the throngs of wasted Londoners grinding on each other. She hoots with excitement as we pass by Leslie, Frank, Theo, Finley, and Brody. I position us in a place where I can keep my eyes on Ethan and Vi, but not so close that I look like a tosser from “To Catch a Predator.”

Julie’s hands grip my biceps, and she sings along to the music as we begin moving. “You’re not an ugly looking bloke, Hayden!” she yells above the roaring beats.

“Thanks?” I reply, frowning down at her.

“I’ve been in a bit of a bubble for the last couple of years. Mitch took a walk and I feel like my whole world looks different now, know what I mean? Like…I’ve always been in a relationship. I jumped from one to the next to the next. I considered getting a cat to keep myself occupied, thinking maybe a new companion might stop me from jumping straight into another relationship. But then I was terrified that might turn me into a permanent crazy cat lady. So I thought…maybe if I could shag a new bloke, I’d feel better!”

“I guess that could help,” I murmur half-heartedly listening while mulling over what Leslie said earlier. How can one sentence uttered by a drunken redhead throw me so much?

“I think you’d do me properly, don’t you?”

“Excuse me?” I look down, my brow furrowed at what I think Julie’s just suggested.

She squeezes my biceps appreciatively. “No strings attached. Just a good physical effort. What do you say?”

“Uh, Julie,” I begin, trying to find a way to let her down. But before I can finish my sentence, she yanks me down by the collar and connects our lips in a painfully awkward kiss. Her tongue forces its way through my teeth and the scent of alcohol blazes into my senses. It feels wrong. It feels like cheating…in more ways than one. I quickly break her grip on my collar and detach my face from hers.

“I’m sorry, Julie, but that’s really not a great idea,” I say, doing my best to be kind.

“Why ever not?” She actually has the nerve to haul me down for another snog.

“Julie, I’m not in a place to be in a relationship right now. Really. I just…I’m focusing on my own life before I even consider diving in with anybody.”

“Well, bugger,” she whines, releasing me and placing her hands on the back of her neck. “I just need a proper servicing for bloody sake! Whose balls do I have to suck to get a proper dicking?”

My eyes widen in disbelief and I glance around nervously at the people gawking at us. Vi’s eyes draw me to her and the hurt on her face is crushing. Ethan attempts to twirl her back into him, but she ends up pulling away from him and storming off the dance floor. He follows closely behind and my heart thuds with growing frustration.

“Fuck,” I groan, feeling annoyingly out of control. “Julie, I’ve got to go.”

“Hayden, just be honest with me first. Are you just not attracted to me? Be specific. I’d rather you just be straight with me than have this whole weak, ‘It’s not you, it’s me excuse.’”

“Julie, you’re beautiful. I’m a fucking mess. Believe me. You don’t want a thing from me.”

I slip past her and head over to Finley and Brody dancing nearby to let them know they should go check in on Julie. The last thing I want is for someone to take advantage of her. She’s obviously going through something as well. Then I make my way through the crowd, back to the VIP section where I find Ethan completely wrapped around Vi, encasing her against the side railing and attempting to kiss her.

I see red.

Bright, angry, vengeful, frustrated, possessive red.

I don’t think. I just…react.

“What the fuck’s going on?” I seethe through clenched teeth, grabbing Ethan by the shoulders and aggressively wrenching him backward.

“Oi, Hayden.” Ethan’s tone is light and playful, setting me more on edge. “Shove off. This has nothing to do with you.”

I turn my back to Vi, inserting myself between them so I’m nose to nose with Ethan. “Yes, it fucking does.” My words are slow and menacing.

“She hasn’t mentioned a thing about you, Hayden,” he sneers, giving me the look of a fucking righteous, self-entitled prick. “So I beg to differ, mate.”

I step even closer to him, inhaling a large breath.

“Hayden, stop it right there.” Vi’s tone is a warning as she moves to stand beside me. I ignore her, nudging my chest into Ethan. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of her heeled foot stamping to the ground in haste. “This is ridiculous. I can handle myself.”

“You heard her,” Ethan smirks cockily. Then he pats me heartily on my shoulder and gives me a light shove away from her.

Everything after that happens so fast. One second I’m getting a light push from Ethan. The next, I’m shoving him using five times the force he did. He stumbles backward, clumsily tripping on his own feet. I can see what’s about to happen, but I’m frozen in time, unable to change the ripple effect even if I wanted to. He lands smack dab on his arse right on top of the glass coffee table. It cracks loudly and then shatters beneath him. His hands fly out to catch himself on the frame before he crashes through it to the floor.

Everything and everyone stops all around us. I swear, even the music does that scratched record sound you only see in old films. I’m still stuck in the single, solitary moment where everything before me went from bad to worse.

“Hayden,” Vi cries, bringing her hands to cover her mouth in horror at the mess in front of us.

I reach out and pull Ethan up out of the coffee table. A wetness covers my hand. I look down and see red, angry blood smeared all over my hand. “Fuck Ethan, are you hurt?”

Ethan’s eyes narrow at me as he straightens his tie. “I’ll live. At least mine wasn’t
self-inflicted
.”

My angry expression falls instantly as Ethan’s cutting remark casts an instant shroud of darkness over my soul. His blatant insinuation has its desired effect as shame completely envelops me. Suddenly, a hefty bouncer appears and grabs me aggressively by the arm. I don’t even have the strength to look back as he twists my right arm behind my back with a painful crank. The only place my downcast gaze seeks…is Vi. Humiliation and despair explode inside me, reflecting in my broken posture as her beautiful blue eyes look at me with utter sadness.

“You’re done, mate. You’re on the fucking shit list and you won’t be coming back here ever again,” the bouncer growls as I’m dragged harshly through the club.

I shake my head, completely oblivious to what he’s saying, thinking only of Vi and what I’ve just done. He gives me another hard shove out the door for good measure and I turn, looking back at the building in shock. How the fuck did that all happen so fast? I look down at my hands in horror and quickly wipe Ethan’s blood off on my jeans. I unsnap and re-snap my leather cuffs, nervously unsure what to do.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! What are you doing, Hayden? What the fuck are you doing?
I jam my hands into my pockets and pace angrily in front of the door.

Suddenly, Theo’s stocky frame comes barreling through the door. “What the hell happened, Hayden?” His eyes bear down on me accusingly as he adjusts his glasses on his face. “Ethan’s fucking bleeding!”

“I know!” I shout. “I don’t know what fucking happened. I lost it I guess!”

“Explain,” Theo cuts at me sharply.

Feeling furious, I bellow, “Your mate Ethan is a self-righteous prick. How the fuck are you friends with him?”

Theo exhales through a frown. “You don’t know him well enough. He’s got a story the same way you have a story, Hayden.”

“He was fucking all over Vi!” I roar, wincing at the overwhelming urge I feel to sprint back inside and tear her out of there. I don’t give a fuck what his story is…He’s a man-whore through and through. I need to talk to Vi. She deserves an explanation and I need to make sure that twat, Ethan, isn’t still mucking about!

“Don’t even consider it,” Theo warns as he catches my piercing eyes on the bouncers, contemplating a way to get past them.

Then, the gods of sod’s law seem to answer my silent prayers as I catch sight of a familiar figure in a red dress storming toward me. And she doesn’t look pleased.

WHITE RABBIT

M
y expression is furious when I find Hayden pacing aggressively outside of Club Shay. He looks like he’s raked his hands through his hair a thousand times since I last saw him. Theo stands to the side, properly glowering at his younger brother, who is clearly in the midst of an enormous tantrum.

“Are you fucking joking me?” I screech as soon as I’m out the doors. “Christ, Hayden! Tell me you are messing about and that was some elaborate bit you and Ethan planned for a laugh.”

Hayden’s hard grey eyes pierce me with his silent answer. I can’t believe he’s got the nerve to clench his jaw like he’s got something to be angry about. He begins to speak, but I cut him off.

“Bullshit is what that was. Embarrassing as fuck, rubbish! What were you trying to do?” My eyes are wide and crazy, my hair messy and coming loose around my face, but I couldn’t care less.

“Vi, he’s a bloody wanker!” Hayden roars, gesturing wildly toward the club doors. Theo scoffs loudly, clearly unconvinced of his brother’s assessment of Ethan. I can’t say I completely blame Hayden for thinking so, but I’m still not about to let him off the hook.

“You think I don’t know that?” I exclaim, ignoring Theo’s brooding. “You think I can’t see that from a mile away? Fuck Hayden, I’m not some meek, stupid blonde, despite what you so obviously think. I can handle myself. I’ve done a proper job of it for twenty-five years now!” I cross my arms over my belly, feeling a chill from the cooling summer night.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” he grips his leather cuffs protectively. A trait I’ve noticed he does when he’s feeling insecure. “I can read you, Vi. You didn’t want him all over you like that. I can’t just walk away and leave you to fend for yourself.”

“Why the bloody hell not?” I screech, stamping my Monolo Blahnik in barely contained fury. He’s the one who continually pushed me away and stalked off, so why am I of any concern to him?

“I’m going back inside,” Theo says as Hayden’s and my eyes remain locked on each other. “You two clearly don’t need a third wheel.”

As Theo heads back inside, I can’t help but think about how this entire scene between Hayden and Ethan is all too familiar. It reminds me of how Gareth reacted to seeing Pierce at the pub that night. The anger, the rage, the over-protectiveness. It’s frustrating as hell how men seem to insert themselves into my life at every turn.

“Hayden, you told me I deserve better, so I don’t know why this is even a discussion. Moreover, it wasn’t like Ethan was attacking me. He was just being a moron. I was actually putting him in his proper place just when you showed up.”

“Yeah, it really fucking looked like it.” Hayden scrubs his hands through his hair and looks away.

My eyes narrow at his clear underestimation of me. I don’t need this shit. I storm past him, yanking open the door to one of the cabs waiting along the curb for the club-hoppers.