“We were on my bed, not in it. Nothing went on between Roman and I once I found out he had been involved with you. And nothing would have gone on ever if someone had just let me know about it. I’m sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t realise he was important to you. Even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t have gotten involved knowing he was your ex.” She doesn’t say anything, just stares out at the dance floor.
“I loved him, and I got pregnant. He had already made plans to go to England, so I let him go and then got rid of the baby. He has no idea.” My head spins, a combination of her words, champagne and vodka.
“Fuck, Jode; I’m so sorry. I really had no idea.” She shrugs and lets out a long breath. Another waiter passes by and I grab us both a shot; we clink our glasses together and knock back the drinks.
“So I hear you have a new man; what’s he like?” She shakes her head.
“A complete wanker. That was all over before it ever even got going. He took me out a couple of times, and that was it. I thought it was gonna go somewhere, but he told me today that he’s just found out his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby, and he needs to focus on that right now. Apparently, she’s got a few mental health issues, and he needs to be there for her. He’s not getting back with her, but he needs to be on hand for the baby.”
“Aww, Jode, that sucks balls. He actually sounds like a decent bloke; that must’ve been a tough call for him.” She raises her eyebrows.
“Yeah, he is; hot as fucking sin, too, but oh, well. Obviously wasn’t meant to be, and I’m off to Singapore for work in January anyway.” Her mobile phone she’s had gripped in her hand goes off and she answers. Listening carefully to whatever’s being said, she replies with, “No worries, I’ll be down there in five.” She looks across at me. “I’ve gotta go. Enjoy the rest of your night.” She kisses my cheek and walks away, and I just know she’s still pissed off with me.
I wander over to the alfresco area and look out at the lights of Sydney. Jackson appears at my side, pulls me in for a cuddle and passes me a glass of champagne.
“I have a flight to catch tomorrow morning, and I’m gonna be a mess.”
“Stop whinging. It’s your last night here. You’ll be all tucked up in first class anyway, no doubt, so you can sleep off your hangover.” I suddenly get goose bumps up my spine as I sniff Jackson’s neck.
“Have you changed your aftershave?” He frowns as he looks down at me.
“No, why?”
“I thought I could smell Givenchy.” That fucking Cameron King is in my head again; I take a sip of my drink.
“That’d be me, Kitten. The Givenchy, I mean.”
My stomach hits the floor, catapults back through my body, bounces off my rib cage, travels up to my throat and plummets back down to my toes before settling somewhere around my pelvis. I actually feel myself sway, so I close my eyes and open them twice before I turn around and look behind me. He’s wearing a grey suit, a grey tie and a white shirt. He’s here, right here, in Australia, in this club. He’s right here, standing in front of me, just as tall, dark and handsome as ever, only with a few more flecks of grey in the stubble around his jaw.
“Fuck, Tiger, what are you doing here?”
“Kitten, really? That’s so not ladylike.”
“We gonna go there? We really gonna fuckin’ go there, Tiger?” He gives a little headshake and looks down at the ground. His eyes hit my shoes and travel up my body, lingering over my chest. He licks his lips as his eyes meet mine, and this little high-pitched sound, sort of like “uhh,” escapes from somewhere inside me. Our eyes lock, and we both just stare silently for a long moment. He reaches out and brushes his fingertips gently over my cheek
“You look stunning, Kitten.”
Without thinking, I reply, “You look totally fuckable, Tiger.” He closes his eyes and drops his hand to his side. His eyes suddenly open and move to land on Jackson, who’s shifting beside me. He puts his hand out.
“Cameron King. I’m an old friend of Georgia’s.”
“Jackson Bell, and I know exactly who you are.” I turn and look at Jax with a frown; why so hostile, I wonder.
“Cam, this is my cousin Jackson who I’ve been staying with.” I watch his reaction; his shoulders relax slightly and his frown lessens. His eyes move back to mine.
“Can we talk, Georgia, please?”
I nod. “Of course.” I look around and spot some seats over by a water feature.
Cam follows my gaze, looks back between Jax and myself, and says, “I’ll meet you over there. Nice to meet you, Jackson.” Jax says nothing.
“What’s your problem?” I hiss at him.
“He’s here for you. He’s come all this way for you, George. You haven’t seen him for a couple of years, you speak to him on the phone last weekend, and suddenly he’s here?” Okay, so that’s probably true, but I don’t see why that’s a problem. Should I?
“And your point is?”
“And my point is, he’s come for a reason, and he’s not leaving here without what he came for. Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.” I lean in and kiss Jax on the cheek.
“This is Cam. I trust him with my life; he would never hurt me.” Shoot other people, yeah, but he would never hurt me; that I’m sure of. Jax nods.
“As long as you’re sure, but if you leave, let me know. I’m gonna go and find my sisters.” I nod and watch him walk away before I turn and head towards Cam. He stands as I approach and reaches out for my hand.
“Let’s get out of here. I feel like we’re being watched.”
“We probably are, but there’s loads of paps out the front. How am I gonna get past them?” He pulls out his phone and makes a call, giving directions to whoever’s on the other end to go around to a back set of doors. He grabs my hand and leads me through the club. Spillers Groove Jet is playing, and I giggle as I start singing “If This Ain’t Love” to myself. Why I’m finding this song amusing, I have no idea.
He leads me through a set of emergency exit doors after swiping some sort of card through a gadget on the wall to get them to open. We then get in a goods lift, along with three bar staff. We remain silent the whole time, then the doors to the elevator open and we are in a service area. He leads me to another set of doors and we are outside, a dark car waiting with the engine running. The driver jumps out and has the doors open before we reach it; we both slide into the back seat.
“Mine or yours?”
I look up at him. “Excuse me?”
His eyes meet mine. “Hotel, Kitten, we going to mine or yours?”
I stare at our joined hands for a moment. My whole body tingling and covered in goose bumps.
“We’re going to talk. Just to talk, Kitten.”
I nod. “Mine, please, I’m leaving early in the morning.”
“Where?”
“Australia.”
“Where are you staying, not where are you leaving. Fuck, Kitten, how much have you had to drink?”
I giggle at my mistake. “A lot, actually.” I’d assumed the last ten minutes my head was spinning because of Cam’s presence, but I think the vodka shots also had something to do with it. He shakes his head as I keep my eyes on him. “Am I frustrating you?”
He frowns as he looks at me. “What makes you ask that?”
I smile at the memory. “I asked you once why you are always shaking your head at me, and you told me it was because I frustrate you.” He brushes his thumb over my knuckles, then brings my hand up and kisses the back of it.
“I told you a lot of things back then.”
“You did.” I hear him let out a long breath, and he leans back into the seat of the car and looks over my face.
“And I meant every word. Now, where are you staying?” He meant every word? He told me he loved me back then; I wonder if he still does. I wonder if I should tell him about the conclusions I have come to regarding my feelings for him. My eyes feel heavy, my head woozy, and for some reason, that horrible lump is back in my throat. “Georgia, hotel? What’s the fucking name of the hotel you’re staying at?”