London Bound: New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers) (34 page)

“Yes, yes you may. And have a crumpet while you tease us with all your delicious sex having.”

Sophie passed over the tray of the crumpets and Abbie took one gratefully. When she took a bite, the sinful delight of warm jam melting on her tongue made her moan. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was. She’d had some fruit at Alexi’s but she’d been so nervous and keyed up and on a lust-zoned high that she hadn’t eaten much.

She glanced at Tamsin. “So where do you want me to start?”

Tamsin rolled her eyes. “Start from the minute you left this flat.”

As she gave them a rundown of the night, Tamsin sat forward in her seat while Sophie sat back picking at her nail polish. Abbie understood Sophie was concerned for her, but she didn’t need to ruin her fun. “So yeah, then he brought me home just now.”

“When are you seeing him again?” Tamsin asked

“Well, he’s got some work to do today. He also wants to be around for Jasper’s photo shoot. He wasn’t too enthused to hear we’d slept together.”

Finally Sophie leaned forward. “Does he believe there’s something between you and Jasper? Is there something between you and Jasper?”

Abbie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “No. Not really, and no, not at all. In that order. Jasper’s just been a great friend.”

Sophie frowned then slouched back again. “If you say so.”

Abbie ignored her. “And he wants me to meet his mother tomorrow.”

Tamsin’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? That’s huge. This is insane.”

Sophie frowned. “What are you going to wear?”

“No idea. But I can’t think about that right now. It’ll just make me too nervous.” She changed the subject. “So, Tams, you promised me spillage of your innermost when I got back. I’m back now. You want to tell us what happened with Liam?”

Tamsin groaned and covered her face with the pillow. “I’d rather talk about you and Sexy Lexi and lovely things. I don’t want to talk about how awful Dublin was.”

Abbie handed her a crumpet from the tray. “Here, eat for fortification. Then spill.”

Tamsin took a tentative bite before she finally said. “Dublin was awful. Horrible actually.”

“Honey, why didn’t you say anything?” Abbie asked.

“What happened?” Asked Sophie, back in friend mode.

Tamsin shrugged. “It’s not something I can put my finger on really. It wasn’t that different from any other trip I’ve had up there.” She tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. “Okay, look, when he’s down here, Liam is charming, more free. Fun. We go out, we talk. But when I went up there to see him, it was stilted. Awkward. He won’t even hold my hand in public. It’s pretty hard to talk about how we end the long distance thing when I can barely get him to say two words to me.”

Sophie frowned. “That’s bizarre. You guys are always so touchy feely. Most of the time it’s really embarrassing for other people.”

“I know, right?” Tamsin exclaimed.

“What do you think it could be?” Abbie asked as she tucked her feet underneath her. “Do you think he didn’t want you there?”

“Well I think he’s got some secret girlfriend or something up there, and I told him such.”

Sophie snorted. “Oh, Tams, you did not?”

“Oh, yes I did. I went full-on crazy girlfriend on him and accused him of having a whole other life.”

Abbie chewed her lip. “And how did that go?”

“He laughed me off and made me think I was losing my mind.”

Abbie patted her friend’s knee. “Oh, honey, I’m sure it’s not like that.”

“Well, it’s like something. The rest of the weekend was filled with this awkward silence.”

“I’m sorry,” Abbie muttered

“Yeah, anyway, so I came back, and then everything pretty much went tits up with you and Lex, and honestly I didn’t want to talk about it. I was hoping it would all blow over when Liam came, but then I got to thinking that I didn’t want a boyfriend who treated me like I was a crazy person. I wanted a boyfriend who wanted to fix the root of the problem.”

Abbie frowned. “So what happened in that bathroom, Tams?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what happened with Angel. I mean, there I was, staring at his bare ass, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.”

Abbie shook her head. “I didn’t even know you were that into him.”

Tamsin shook her head. “I think it was less about him, than it was about I needed something else. I haven’t been that happy with Liam for a while. Then when Angel turned around and asked if I saw something I liked, I could barely move.”

Abbie blinked rapidly. Had she been presented with a specimen as fine as Angel, she might not have refused either. “So, what? You just jumped him in the shower? That is so not like you.”

Sophie laughed for the first time since Abbie had come home. “No, that sounds like me.”

“Maybe I was channeling you, I guess.” Tamsin giggled. “But I didn’t have sex with him. We just snogged. There was
a lot
of snogging.”

Abbie collapsed in a fit of giggled. “So you’re making out fully clothed with him fully naked. I’m sorry, but I have to ask, how you not get distracted by his…uhm…” Her voice trailed.

Tamsin barked out a laugh. “Well, it wasn’t easy. I mean, it was right there, and rather insistent, and did I mention big?”

Sophie leaned forward. “Just how big are we talking?” She put up her hands with space between them. When Tamsin shook her head, Sophie adjusted her hands. Tamsin giggled, then moved her hands even further apart. Sophie’s eyes bulged. “I’m going to have to try to convince Max that we need an open relationship or something. I can’t believe there’s a beautiful boy with equipment that large, and I can’t sample the goods.”

Tamsin and Abbie howled with laughter. Tamsin clutched her side and said. “The thing is, he’s lovely too. At one point he stopped and said, ‘so are we taking off your clothes, or are we just going to continue this later?’”

“He can be so sweet. I told you guys how he took care of me on that shoot, made sure the models listened, and then introduced me around till I had a couple of other jobs. He’s lovely. You could do worse.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m really looking for another relationship.”

Sophie groaned before plopping back against the pillows. “You mean you’re not even going to fully sample the goods?”

“Not sure yet. He wants to hang out, or something, so we’re going to go to Jasper’s show on Friday. I’ll see after that. I’m trying to keep to casual.”

“At least tell me the kissing was good,” Sophie mumbled.

Tamsin narrowed her eyes. “I was making out with him fully clothed while he was in the shower. What do you think?”

Abbie couldn’t help but laugh. How had she missed this? She’d been so caught up in her personal melodrama that she hadn’t had enough girl time. She needed to change that. She didn’t want to spend all her time in London with a boy. No matter how sexy he was. “So then you told Liam?”

Mid-bite of her crumpet, Abbie heard the Skype ringing of her computer. Excusing herself, she ran into the room, and swore she would skip the masochistic torture if it was her parents or Evan. She smiled when she saw it was her sister Ama.

Abbie hit the video button and grinned when she saw her sister’s broad smile. “Hey, Ama.”

Ama sighed with relief. “I have to tell you, I wasn’t sure if you’d answer for me. No one’s been able to get a hold of you, so I thought I was
persona non grata
too.”

Of all her family, Ama was the only one who had ever supported any of her decisions. Which is why she was Abbie’s favorite sister. “Of course not. I always answer your calls.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, give it to me straight, how are you?”

Abbie shrugged. “Actually not bad. Could be better, of course, but I’m working my ass off and finally getting somewhere in my class. I was convinced my professor hated me, but now I think he’s respecting my work.”

“And friends, you’ve got a good support system over there? I worried about you when that whole tabloid thing went down.”

Abbie frowned. Yeah, that whole tabloid thing and the subsequent abandonment by her parents. “I’m okay. I’ve got some pretty good friends. Tamsin and Sophie were pretty stellar. They whisked me off to Sophie’s boyfriend’s house for a few days to hide out from the paparazzi and kept me fed with proper food and only the occasional tub of ice-cream. Oh yeah, and loads of scones and clotted cream.”

“Well, you look fantastic. Or does that fabulous glow have more to do with that guy than your fabulous friends?”

Abbie ducked her head. “Maybe a little bit of both. But mostly it’s this city. The whole place is alive, Ama. I mean it just screams with energy. I can’t help but feel creative here. It’s pretty awesome. It’s like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Like this is my home and it has nothing to do with family, or friends, or school, but more to do with…” She paused, her voice trailing… “How it makes me feel every morning when I wake up, regardless of what else is going on. There’s just something about this city.”

Ama smiled. “You look really happy, little sister.”

“I am happy.” Abbie shrugged. “That’s not to say it’s easy, because it’s not. Alexi drives me up the wall, and Xander is really demanding, and Tamsin and Sophie have their own problems that I have to be a better friend for, and I’m struggling with the job thing, but it’s still pretty unbelievable.”

“Speaking of the job thing, I’m working on Mom and Dad, okay? You just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll find a way to have them support you, or at least pay for the rest of school. It’s not right or fair what they’ve done.”

Tears stung Abbie’s eyes. “Ama, I appreciate you trying for me, but it won’t change them. And come to think of it, I don’t want the strings that come with that money. I want to do this on my own. It was a mistake to count on them in the first place.”

“Stop it.” Her sister’s voice took on a hard edge. “You earned every penny of that money. You got the same deal the rest of us got when you were ten. As long as you worked hard and kept your grades above a B average, you would never have to worry about school expenses. They reneged just because they didn’t like your new boyfriend, or whatever. It’s wrong.”

“It’s also their prerogative.”

“Abbie.”

“No, Ama, even if they brought me the money in a briefcase of small, unmarked bills and not a single string attached, I wouldn’t take it.”

“Abbie, don’t be stubborn.”

She rolled her shoulders, unsure how to make her sister see what she was talking about. “Look, you were the only one who believed I could do this. You’ve supported me from the beginning. And I appreciate that. But I need to know I can do this. I don’t want to look back years from now and cringe wondering if I could have done it, was it possible? Those invisible strings would tug at my psyche for years. I don’t want that. I want to be able to stand on my own without them. I’m all about being surrounded by the positive right now. And right now, even their money stinks of ‘You can’t possibly be successful at this, come home so you can be monitored properly.’ If I don’t stand up to them now, it’s never going to happen.”

Her sister’s shoulders slumped. “Okay, I understand, but at least let me help you. I’ve got some money tucked away for a rainy day.”

“Are you kidding, Ama? You’re a second year resident. Keep your money.”

“Abbie!”

Abbie shook her head. “No, Ama, not even from you. I was serious about doing this on my own. Lex even offered, and I turned him down.”

“You’re being stubborn, Abbie.”

She grinned at her sister. “I hear it’s a family trait.”

“Okay, fine, but the moment you need anything, you call me. Don’t you dare call them first, you hear me? I’ll do whatever I can to help you. You look so much happier now than you ever did at home. Like you’re a more vibrant version of yourself. I don’t ever want to see that go away, so I’ll do anything you need.”

Abbie sniffed and blinked rapidly, trying to stave off the threatening emotional downpour.

“Thank you, Ama. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Her sister grinned. “I imagine you’d be just fine. Now, when are you going to tell me about this boyfriend of yours? And can he kiss? Because those pictures suggest that he sure as hell can.”

Chapter 37

Abbie licked her lips nervously as she walked into Xander’s office. As usual, his desk and shelves were cluttered with cameras and photography books. His desk had images and magazines stacked high, and she could forget about sitting—there wasn’t a clean surface anywhere. She grabbed a stack of photos off the chair and placed them on the already cluttered desk. She handed him her memory card. “I appreciate you taking the time to review these with me before class.”

“Of course. I want you to succeed, and I’m glad you’ve taken my advice and dome some work on some portraits.”

Quietly, he studied her images frame by frame, taking his time. She wasn’t looking forward to another verbal flaying from him. But she’d worked hard on these and needed his feedback.

She’d taken a whole string of London’s street performers. The dancers and the musicians and the singers. Most of the locations had been simple enough. All she had to do was sit on the tube long enough, and she’d catch someone playing or singing. She always tipped heavily, unlike many of the Londoners.