Ever so slowly, I lowered my mouth to the lime. As I did so, I felt the brush of her lips on mine.
Just a touch. Just a breath, and it ignited fire in my veins.
And at that moment, I forgot a lot. My heart stopped, my breathing quit, my thoughts cea...
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Tonight.
August's promise echoed in my ears as the rest of the cocktail party passed in a blur. There were quick hello's and goodbye's in every direction, names introduced that I wouldn't be able to remember for the life of me. I may have had one too many glasses of champagne – which I didn't even enjoy the taste of. I simply told myself that the alcohol may be my last chance at forgetting the embarrassment I had crumbled into earlier, which August saved me from.
Shaking off the memory, I nudged August, who hadn't left my side all night since my incident. He looked down at me immediately.
"Yes?" he drawled, and I didn't miss the way his eyes traced over my dress once more – for possibly the fiftieth time that night alone.
"When are we leaving?" I asked, glancing around for the others.
"I was wondering the same thing," he replied.
I spotted Callum on the other side of the room, and Rohan and Aurora were near the drinks. Lacey was nowhere to be seen.
"Can we just go?" I asked. "It doesn't look like anyone can stop us."
August checked his watch. "Yes, okay. Let's sneak out."
I sent the group chat a text letting them know that we were leaving, just so they wouldn't go looking for us. Then I slid my phone back into my pocket and let August lead me to the door, where he greeted both guards with his charming grin.
"Gentlemen." I tried not to burst into laughter as August acknowledged both of the officers, nodding to each respectfully. "May we leave?"
The one on the right simply rolled his eyes and opened the door for us. August let go of my hand and motioned for me to go first, which I did. He followed, and we were greeted by the cool evening air of seaside California.
"It's late," I noted, watching the lights that flickered down the street, illuminating the sidewalk that led to the bus stop. I took a second to glance up at the sky, which was twinkling with stars and a crescent moon.
August grabbed my hand. "And we haven't had dinner."
I gave him a sideways look. "I'm not hungry."
"Really?" He scanned me up and down. "Are you lying to me, Lia?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm serious. I had some of those samples they were passing out at the party."
"A few samples is hardly enough to fill you up. Are you really going to ruin our plans tonight by saying you're not hungry?"
"Our plans involve food?"
"I'm always going to make sure my girl is fed," he replied, shooting me a raised brow.
