Lie To Me

Lie To Me-Chapter 65

My birthday dinner was amazing. Absolutely the best time I'd ever had in my whole life, and it was all thanks to the sweet and unbearably sexy man sitting next to me.

His hand grazed my thigh for the fiftieth time since we'd sat down, and I turned to him in warning. "Harry..."

He laughed, the dimples in his cheeks emerging, as he nodded to the far side of the table. "I think we may have a love connection going on..." Following his gaze, I spotted Bree and Liam in deep conversation, her hand resting gently on his arm.

"Oh, no." My head fell, "This is not good... I mean, I know he would never cheat on Sophia, but...well, Bree is not really known for having the best moral compass; especially if she's been drinking... She's not a bad person, but she doesn't really put much stock into a man's relationship status before she goes after him. It's gotten us both in a lot of trouble in the past."

Leaning in closer to keep everyone else from listening in, Harry shook his head. "I don't know if that's going to be an issue here though... I think something may have happened between Liam and Sophia. He texted me this morning and said he'd be coming solo tonight, which was not part of the original plan. She was supposed to come with him..."

"But, she's missed plenty of gatherings before. That doesn't mean anything..."

His chin went down as his eyes widened. "Riley, it's your birthday dinner. I think this is a little more important than just going to hang out at the Funky Buddha or something..."

Looking back over at the two, I shook my head, hoping that Harry was just reading into something that wasn't there. Liam was an amazing man. Gorgeous, built, with a good head on his shoulders, and a heart of gold. I'd seen how his last break-up had hurt him, and I didn't want him to go through that again. He deserved to be happy. And he'd seemed so happy with Sophia...

"Maybe I should go talk to him..."

Harry's hand tightened on my thigh. "Oh, no you don't." At my look of protest, he smiled. "I mean it, Lee. Let him go, he's fine. I'm sure the two of you can girl-talk later, but tonight is all about you."

Hearing him say that again, reminded me of all that he'd done to make tonight special...all that he'd done for me. I couldn't help but smile back. "I still haven't thanked you properly for all of this. I know how much it must have cost you."

His lips tilted in a smirk. "Oh, but you did. That kiss was more than worth it." He licked his lips, "But, if you'd like to thank me again, I don't think anyone is watching this time..." He bobbed his eyebrows, making me laugh.

Moving my hand under the table, I gently slid my fingers up the inside of his leg, watching his eyes dilate as I moved closer and closer to his lap. "I actually had something else in mind as a proper thank you..."

"Oh?" His forehead crease as his eyes fluttered closed. I had him right where I wanted him... Reaching the zipper of his pants, I teased my fingers up, feeling him pulse beneath my hand. His breath caught as I paused, cupping his length and leaning in close to his ear. "But, that'll have to wait until we get home..."

He groaned loudly when I pulled away from him, shaking his head in laughter. "Oh, you're gonna tease me now, huh? Just remember, my dear Riley... Payback is a bitch. And you haven't seen how good I can be at teasing..." His fingertips played along my thigh. "I can be..." He paused for dramatic effect. "...VERY good..."

And that's all it took... Just one simple promise, and Harry had my body nearly trembling in anticipation. Every heated look he passed my way, every soft touch of his fingertips against my skin.

He was driving me crazy, and he hadn't even begun...

After another hour of chatting with everyone, catching up, and sharing more bottles of champagne than I could keep track of, Harry stood to make an announcement.

"Family, friends, I want to thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate this amazing woman beside me." His hand gently landed on my shoulder, stroking the skin under the fabric of my dress with his fingertips. "Although we have to end this portion of the evening, the party is far from over..."

Wait...what?!? I thought this was just going to be dinner! "Harry?"

He ignored my interruption, the smile on his face widening. "For those of you that would like to join us, we'll be heading to the club from here. I have a limousine waiting out back."

Ahh... So that explained the driver's misunderstanding of the size of our party...

With his speech over, Harry went to pay the waiter standing patiently in the corner of the room while everyone got ready to go.

I turned to my mother with my fingers crossed. "Do you want to come out with us?" It was probably a mixture of champagne and happiness at having her here, but I just wasn't ready to leave her yet.

She gave me a look, and smiled, "Sweetie, I love you. But, I'll be here all weekend. We can spend tomorrow together. I'll leave tonight to you kids. Go, and have fun."

Giving her another hug, I looked to Anne and Robin. "What about you two?" I snapped my fingers to a beat that wasn't there. "It's gonna be fun!!"

Anne laughed at my gesture, "I love you dearly, Riley, but it has been a very long day, and it's already past our bedtime..." She turned to my mother. "We're still on for Sunday brunch at the house though, right?"

Smiling back at Anne, she nodded her head in response. "Of course!"

"Sunday brunch?" Confusion etched my features. What had I missed?

My mom giggled at me, "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

As everyone stood, making their way to the room's doors, I watched the two women chatter away about traditional English breakfasts, and my mom's special hash recipe. They laughed and smiled like the oldest of friends.

Um...what? Since when were these two so close? I was definitely missing something here... Giving them each another look, my brain did a one-eighty and it hit me. The paparazzi! If they weren't going with us, they'd be going out the front, right into the swarm of cameras.

Turning to look for Harry, I nearly jumped as he seemed to materialize right next to me.

"Harry, what about the...?"

"Already taken care of." He kissed my head like he always did. "I called in a favor, so there will be two bodyguards waiting at the door to help them leave the building."

Anne popped in, "Plus, if they're focused on us coming out the front, you guys may actually have a chance to get out of here without being swarmed."

Out of nowhere, Gemma walked up to us, laughing. "Trust me, Riley. Your mom is in good hands. We know how to take care of those jerks." She punched her palm. "We got this."

"Wait, you're not coming?!?"

Gemma gave me a confused look. "Of course I'm coming! It's your birthday party!"

Looking around the group, my eyes came back to her. "But, you said..."

"Oh!" She laughed at me, "Sorry! I keep forgetting you didn't know about all this. I'm coming, but I brought my car, so I'll be heading out the front too."

Bree was next to join the conversation, cutting Gemma off and nearly hitting Harry as she put her arm around my shoulders. "So, Best Friend, are we ready to get this show on the road? I'm in the mood to dance!" She wiggled her hips.

Though I giggled at her behavior, I gave an apologetic look to the group, and said a silent prayer that she would be good tonight. I'd hoped that she had grown up a little since the last time I'd seen her, but apparently it was still true that Bree and alcohol just didn't mix well...

"Are you ready?" Harry's soft voice grabbed my attention in the chaos, and I took a deep breath.

"Ready as I'll ever be..."