I shoot Noah a glare and subtly shake my head, warning him off, letting him know she’s with me.
Lucie awkwardly clears her throat. “I could use a drink right now. Did you get that round in, Theo?” she asks as she looks at my empty hands.
I shake my head and drag my attention back to her. “I didn’t have time. I only got here a minute or so before you did.”
The muscle in her jaw twitches again.
Behind her, someone bustles through the crowd, pushing horny guys out of the way who have converged, trying to get a better look at Lucie’s arse. (I must admit, I want to see her from behind too.) It’s Amy’s nanna. Her eyes are wide and fixed on Lucie as she stops at her side and obviously looks her up and down, wrinkly lips pursed in consideration.
When she’s finished her examination, she clicks her tongue. “Well, I’m glad I decided last minute not to wear my Wonder Woman outfit; that would have been embarrassing if we’d both worn the same thing.” She shoots Lucie a wink, and it breaks the hard, bleak look in her eye.
Lucie erupts into laughter, and I feel my muscles loosen slightly.
Peggy loops her arm through Lucie’s. “Don’t you dare even think about changing. You look marvellous! Jeez, if I had a body like yours, I’d be walking around in spandex all day, every day.”
A blush covers Lucie’s cheeks, and somehow, it makes her look even better.
“Thank you, Peggy. Can I keep you? Hire you to follow me around and shower me with praise all day?” Lucie jokes, shifting on her feet.
Amy nods in agreement. “Oh, please say you’re not changing. Please leave them on. You guys both look amazing! I love them! Please?” She beams a smile over at me, and I can see the happiness twinkle in her eyes as she looks back at Lucie hopefully.
I don’t want Lucie to change either. I want her to wear this outfit for the rest of her life and never leave my side.
Lucie cringes, but when Amy begs her some more, she finally nods in agreement.
I step closer, looking into Lucie’s eyes. I don’t reach out and touch her like I’m desperate to; she’s liable to break my fingers or something. “Luce, I’m so sorry. I messed up. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“Really?”
Her mouth is saying fine, but her eyes are saying, Die in a fiery wreck …
“Sure. It’s fine; don’t worry.” She waves a dismissive hand. “I’m going to get that drink. Are you staying here, or do you want to come with me?” One of her eyebrows rises in question. She sets a hand on her hip, the movement making her skirt rise half an inch.
I still can’t really think straight. She looks so hot; it’s like the outfit has melted my brain.
I blink dumbly. “Um …”
She laughs quietly, and the sound makes my body relax a fraction. Maybe I’m not going to die tonight after all. “It’s not a trick question, Theo. You can do whatever you want.”
Behind her, Jared’s eyes widen, and his back stiffens. He shakes his head and is mouthing something at me. I frown and give an imperceptible tilt of the head to let him know I don’t understand.
He mouths it again. It looks like … Tits a slap?
What? Is he high? Slap her tits? Like that’s not going to inflame the already-volatile situation.
Lucie raises her chin and turns to walk off, thankfully rendering my reply unnecessary because I have no clue what’s happening right now. She’s muttering something in Italian under her breath. My eyes drop down to her arse, and I grunt in appreciation. The damn thing sways from side to side like a pendulum as she walks away, the short skirt swishing around it teasingly. It’s exquisite.
As soon as Lucie is out of earshot, Jared steps to my side and grips my elbow, squeezing tightly. “Oh Jesus, you gotta fix this quick. She’s seething mad.” He almost looks afraid now too.
I shake off his hold because his fingers are digging in too tight. My eyes are still glued to Lucie. “She said it was fine.”
Jared makes a scoff in the back of his throat and shakes his head. “Word to the wise: the words it’s fine or don’t worry coming out of a woman’s mouth should terrify you to the very core. She said both of those. And the whole do what you want thing? You do not ever do what you want. That’s a trap.”
Oh, trap, not slap! That’s what he was mouthing. It’s a trap. That makes more sense.
Tim nods and steps to my other side. “Get over there and grovel, or she’ll be using your nutsack for a handbag before the night is over.”
Jared winces. “You know I speak Italian. You don’t even want to know the translation of what she said as she walked off. Let’s just say, it has something to do with your arse and a cactus.” He laughs and shoves me towards her so hard that I almost stumble.
As I stop at her side next to the bar, she doesn’t even turn to look at me as she speaks, “I can’t believe this. I really can’t believe I’m standing in a bar, surrounded by people glammed up in cocktail dresses, and I’m wearing a Wonder Woman outfit that’s two sizes too small. Why does this crap always happen to me? Honestly, I’m almost not even shocked.” Her shoulders slump, and she covers her face with her hands.
I lean against the bar next to her. “Stuff like this happens to me too. I usually just roll with it.” I wince, feeling awful. “I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t do this on purpose, I promise.”
“I know you didn’t.” She huffs a breath and turns to face me, her eyes raking down my body, and I notice the tiny twitch to the corners of her mouth. “At least you actually look pretty good,” she says grudgingly.
I raise one eyebrow. “You look better than pretty good.” That’s the truth. “You look amazing. I’m almost not even sorry I misunderstood the dress code. Seeing you in this is so worth the castration you’re liable to do to me because of this. You look phenomenal.”
She chews on her lip, her eyes meeting mine, and I want to do a celebratory jig when I see the hardness beginning to fade from them. She forgives me a little. “Yeah?”
I nod and step closer—as close as the Yoshi head sticking out a foot and a half in front of me will allow. “Definitely. Your costume is sick; your body is killer. You’re positively lethal tonight, Luce.”
She rolls her eyes, but a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth now. “Keep the compliments coming,” she tells me, and as the barman stops in front of her, his eyes firmly fixed on the swell of cleavage spilling over the top of her sweetheart neckline, she holds up two fingers and tells him, “And keep the vodka shots coming. Two, please.”
I chuckle and lean in closer, so no one else can hear me. “Thank heavens I’m not wearing spandex, too, because my approval of your outfit would be clear for all to see.” I motion down to Yoshi. “His head is full of wood.”
She bursts out laughing and slaps my chest with her hand, but it’s playful and not vicious, so I take it as encouragement and keep going.
“Luce, you look like something out of my Comic Con fantasies. I’m literally—” I make the mind-blown hands next to my head with an explosion sound effect.
Her eyelashes flutter closed as she chews on her lip, a blush blooming on her cheeks. “You’re kind of good for my ego.”