Tormented (Evolution Series Book 2) (18 page)

“I promise I won’t start anything,” he assured her. “But if she says anything first, all bets are off.” Aiden quickly pushed open the door and pulled me inside without giving Anna a chance to say anything more.

The atmosphere inside the pub was like nothing I’d ever experienced. Besides the two-hundred-year-old feel to the place, the atmosphere really took me by surprise.

There was no one thinking, “I’m better than you,” or any of that don’t-think-you’re-good-enough-to-talk-to-me attitude that I had seen in so many bars. Everyone seemed to be celebrating the fact that they were happy and well, and most importantly, getting drunk with old and new friends alike. I could see why Nathan had picked the place to try and bring us kids altogether.

Everyone else was already seated at a long solid timber table. Dave sat on the left with a spare seat beside him. Georgia was in the next seat over, and Nathan sat opposite with Kai beside him. Kai, of course, already had food shoved in his gob. Next to Kai was Lucas. The only two empty seats were at the opposite end of the table—one beside Lucas and the other beside Georgia. I so didn’t want to sit next to Georgia, and I definitely didn’t want Aiden sitting there, either.

Aiden didn’t seem at all concerned by the leftover seating arrangement. He let go of my hand and walked over to the chair beside Georgia. But what he did next had me feeling the tiniest bit bad for her. Aiden picked up the chair and dragged it around so that he would be sitting at the end of the table rather than beside her.

Georgia scoffed, Lucas laughed, and Anna shot Aiden an “I told you not to cause any trouble” glare from the other end of the table. Not wanting to cause any more of a scene, I quickly slid into the seat beside Lucas. I don’t know why I was acting like this around Georgia, when I never used to let anyone treat me the way she had. I mean
,
I had never done anything to deserve her attitude. Well, apart from calling her a hooker in my thoughts. Okay, so maybe she did have reason to hate me.

Lucas leant over the table and whispered loudly to his sister, “He’s probably afraid he won’t be able to keep his food down if he has to sit next to you.”

A thump came from under the table.

“Is that all you got?” Lucas asked.

“You’re lucky I’m not wearing my heels. Otherwise, you would have a hole in your foot.”

“What? Were your feet too sore after standing on the corner all day?” Lucas shot back.

Georgia’s lip curled. “That’s right. Keep trying to make yourself look good in front of your best mate’s girl.” She leaned slightly toward Aiden and said, “I’d watch out for him with your girlfriend.”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to cause shit between us.”

She held up her hands. “I’m just saying.”

I’d had enough of listening to her going on about her brother supposedly liking me. “I don’t think Aiden has anything to worry about. You see, Georgia, Aiden and I are very happy together, and there’s nothing you can do or say that will change that.”

She stared at me while she sipped her cocktail. I could tell that she wanted to say something.

“If you’ve got something to say, then say it,” I snapped.

Georgia put down her glass and crossed her arms on the table in front of her. “Well, as a matter of fact—”

“So, Georgia, what are your plans for tonight?” Anna asked, butting into the conversation. I wished she hadn’t because I really wanted to know what Georgia had been about to say.

Georgia glared at me before finally shifting her eyes to Anna. “I’m meeting up with the girls after we finish here. You should come. You haven’t been out with us for ages.”

Aiden muffled a laugh. “Aren’t you getting a bit old to go out to the clubs?” he asked his mum.

Anna’s eyes just about popped out of her head. “I would love to join you,” she told Georgia. “Actually, why don’t you come too, Jade?”

“Err. Umm.” I couldn’t think of anything to say, and I certainly didn’t want to go anywhere with Georgia.

“Come on,” Anna said. “It will give you two a chance to get to know each other without the boys.”

“Sorry, Anna,” Aiden said. “But we have to have an early one tonight.”

Anna looked at Aiden skeptically.

Aiden picked up a jug of beer from the
centre
of the table and poured himself a glass. “We’re going to the beach tomorrow with Ben and
Chels
.”

“You’re going to the beach?” Lucas asked excitedly.

Taking a sip of his drink, Aiden nodded.

“Where at?”

“Back on the Goldie,” Aiden said.

“Count me in,” Lucas said.

When I gawked at Lucas, he said, “What? I’ve never been to Australia, so why not?”

“Well, I guess the three of us are in for an early night tonight.” I looked over at Anna. “Sorry.”

Anna sighed. “Maybe another time.”

I half-wondered if she was disappointed because I wasn’t going to join her or because she didn’t want to be left alone with Georgia. I picked up Aiden’s drink and took a quick sip. I hated beer, but it was better than having my mouth free to possibly agree on us all going out another day.

“Jade,” Nathan said. “I wanted to ask you if you’ve heard anything more from DD?”

I was thankful for the reprieve from the conversation with Anna, but talking about the sick bastard who had my mother made the beer that I had just drunk try to make a re-appearance. Once I had controlled my regurgitation, I said, “No. I haven’t heard a thing. Thank goodness.”

He nodded. “Well, just make sure you keep your wits about you. You never know when he might try something.” He swirled his bourbon and Coke around the bottom of his glass, then downed it in one hit.

I knew he was only thinking of me, wanting me to stay on alert for anything DD might try, but his words had put a dampener on the evening, and all I wanted to do was go back home. It didn’t seem fair that I was out enjoying myself while my mother was lying unconscious somewhere with a sick bastard who was happy to drain the life out of her while playing some sadistic game with me.

I turned to Aiden and whispered, “I’m really sorry, but I want to go home.”

“Are you okay?” He put his hand on my back, rubbing it softly.

I was so used to not having to explain myself over the past few months that it felt weird for him to not know how I felt. “Yeah, I’m just really tired, and…”

“And you’re thinking about your mum.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, guys,” Aiden said, pushing his chair back slightly. “We’re going to head back home. We’ve got to be up in a few hours to go back to Australia.”

Anna smiled. “Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow when you get back.”

I was pretty sure nobody believed that was the reason we were leaving, but at least no one pulled us up on it. I was sure they had all noticed the change in me after what Nathan said.

Aiden and I stood up and pushed in our chairs.

“What time are we leaving tomorrow?” Lucas asked. “We’re still going, right?”

Aiden looked at me.

I nodded. “Yep, we’re still going.”

Aiden picked up my bag from the back of my chair and handed it to me. “We’re meeting up with them at eleven, so make sure you’re at our house by ten thirty.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there on time,” Lucas said, leading me to think that being on time wasn’t one of his strong points.

CHAPTER 18

At ten forty in the morning, Lucas still hadn’t arrived.

“If he’s not here in five minutes, I’m leaving without him. I still need to stop off at my house to get my swimmers,” I said, slapping on some sunscreen. I didn’t really need the sunscreen. It wasn’t as if the sun could do any damage to my skin, but it gave me something to do while I waited, and I guessed I had kind of gotten used to applying it when I thought I was like the rest of the human race.

Aiden sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, chowing down on a bacon and egg muffin
Berny
had just made for him. “I’ll give him a call,” he said around a mouthful of food.

I closed the lid to the sunscreen bottle. “Actually, I might as well go home to get my things while you wait here for Lucas.”

His whole body tensed at my suggestion. “I’ve got a better idea. How about we both go back to your place, then we come back here for Lucas?”

I was about to object to him insisting that I didn’t go anywhere without him, but then I remembered the sick little game DD had planned for me. “Can you eat that thing on the go?”

“Yep.” He hopped off the stool,
then
picked up the plate with one hand, while he held the muffin in the other. “Let’s go.”

Placing my hand on his arm, I transported us to my bedroom. Aiden sat down on my unmade bed and finished his muffin while I decided what bikini to wear.

“Why don’t you wear the black one?” Aiden suggested.

I picked up the bikini bottoms. “I don’t know. I think they show a little too much of my ass.”

A smile spread across his face. “That’s why I suggested it.”

I rolled my eyes and shoved them back in the drawer.

He put the plate down on my bed,
then
appeared beside me. He took the black bikini out of the drawer again. “Please,” he whined, pouting out his bottom lip.

“Fine.” I snatched them from him and changed.

Aiden put his hands on my hips from behind and pulled me back into his embrace. He kissed my neck. “I think we should spend more time here,” he whispered in my ear.

I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I think I should wear these more often.” I stood up on my tippy-toes and brushed my lips against his. I kissed him, gently biting his lower lip, before pulling back.

His green eyes electrified, and the next thing I knew, he was lifting me up off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist and ran my hands through his hair, pulling him closer.

Aiden stumbled backwards, and we went crashing down onto my bed. I sat up, straddling his hips, and moved my arms behind my back to undo my bikini.

Aiden’s phone started ringing. We were about to ignore it, but my phone started ringing as well. Way to kill the moment.

I leaned down and kissed him one more time.
Savouring
his sweet taste, I climbed off his lap and fetched my iPhone out of the pocket of my jeans that I had dumped on the floor. I checked the Caller ID—Chelsea. “Hello,” I said at the same time as Aiden answered his call.

“Hey, you,” Chelsea’s chirpy voice came through the phone. “Where the hell are you guys? Don’t tell me you’re running late because you got carried away doing the horizontal dance.”

“Chelsea!” My God. I had hoped that her being with Ben would’ve stopped those comments.