Page 79 of Worth Every Game
“Leave it,” I say, without taking my eyes off Elly.
“Of course he’s not sleeping with her. She’s the waitress from the Marchmont.” Lydia has appeared at my side. I swear the woman is following me. “When are we going on another date, Jack? I haven’t heard from you for a while.”
“We’re not," I snap. "I’m seeing someone.”
“Oh. Oh, gosh.” Shock reverberates in her tone. “Really? Are you?”
I turn fully to Lydia, though I loathe to take my attention off Elly. But this needs to be done. I need to make it clear for this woman to get it through her thick skull. “I’m seeing someone else, and it’s serious. I really like her, so I’m sorry, but we won’t be going on another date. I’m sure you’ll find someone more suited to you than I am.”
Lydia’s face blanches. “Oh. Jack.” Her eyes flash to Elly, who’s still singing her heart out. “Is it the waitress?” Her voice is thick with disdain.
“Fuck’s sake, Lydia. Her name is Elly. And yes, it’s her.”
Fury emanates from Lydia’s eyeballs like jets of hydrochloric acid, but before she can respond, Seb’s hand slaps my back.
“Yes, mate. I fucking knew it.” He sounds so delighted, you’d think he was the one sleeping with Elly. It’s strangely endearing that he’s so enthused. “Well done.”
I ignore him, turning back to the only person who matters. Elly’s song is finishing, and all I want to do is rush up to her, take her in my arms and kiss her. I can’t seem to hear her sing without being nearly overwhelmed with desire.
Elly’s taking a bow, but she catches my eye, and I tilt my head in the direction of the cloakroom, and I know she’ll follow me when she can. I make my excuses, leaving Lydia with Seb, and Lydia’s glare is so vicious that I feel it searing into my shoulder blades even after I’ve walked away.
27
ELLY
My heart is racing after that performance. Jack is constantly pushing me to do things I’d never do, but when it goes as well as that did, I don’t mind. If only I could have channelled a little of that confidence when I went to meet Robert Lloyd.
If Jack had been at my side then, would I have managed to hold it together?
Before I can worry that Jack is somehow integral to me taking these steps, Kate, teary-eyed, rushes over to ask me if Jack and I had planned that performance because it was brilliant. I tell her we hadn’t, but I’m thrilled to have been able to contribute to an evening like this for her dad. I give her a hug and tell her I love her, and she clutches me tight before she excuses herself so she can go and socialise with her dad's old friends before they leave.
As soon as she's gone, I rush off in the direction Jack went. I’m keen to find him. That subtle nod of his head was enough to have my pussy clenching. He said we wouldn’t tell anyone about us, but it’s clear he wants something to happen.
I turn a corner in Nico’s enormous flat, and there he is, leaning against the wall, scrolling on his phone. I watch him fora moment, taking him in. As though he senses my presence, he looks up, an almost startled expression on his face that dissolves into a sexy smile when he registers me.
“You prick,” I say, walking towards him. “You totally sprung that on me.”
He’s still grinning when I lace my arms around his neck, and he pulls me close, but I can tell he’s a little tense. I assume he’s worried his mother or Kate might find us here.
“You were brilliant,” he says, his voice hot and low against my cheek. “I bet everyone in the room wanted to fuck you.”
“Did you want to?”
“Yes.” He leans into me and I can feel how hard he is. “Obviously.”
Arousal blasts through me, faster than lightning. “Shit, Jack,” I whisper, but before he can respond, his phone buzzes where he’s holding it against my hip. I lean back. “Am I interrupting? You weren’t working, were you?”
He nods.Of course he was working.“Checking emails.”
“Hmm.” I kiss him on the lips as I take the phone from him and put it on the table. “Can we not work right now?”
He groans, but it’s lusty, not exasperated. “What do you want to do?”
I want to ride him until I ache, but I pause, assessing him. “Are you okay?” I think of Kate's teary expression. “Given this is an event for your dad, I was wondering—”
“No. We're not talking about my dad now. I'm fine.” He kisses me again, tilting his hips towards me.Fuck. He's so hard.“Tell me what you want to do,” he whispers.
Encouraged, I slide my hand over his crotch. “What do you think I want to do?”