He turned to secure the door and switch off the lights, the events of the evening flashed through his mind and a smile came to his lips.
At first, Elle was cross at both Prentice and Annie. She ignored them totally and seemed intent on dragging every minute of the history of Dougal’s life for the last twenty years out of him.
She continued this through her first three vodka, lemon and limes which she consumed in less than an hour.
Through this time, Prentice enjoyed the show.
Annie, however, on several occasions tried to get a word in edgewise. When she did, Elle turned a cold shoulder to her or stared her down and, later when she was drunker, she actually put her hand out, palm up, an inch from Annie’s face.
At this (as with most everything Elle did in that hour), Prentice bit back laughter.
Annie’s eyes stared at Elle’s hand, her mouth dropped open, her face went red and she started to blow but Elle calmly turned, disregarding Annie completely and leaned into Dougal. She stared at him as if he was the center of her universe and asked breathily as if his answer would be the key to meaning of life something like, “And then, after you went to the chippie for the fifteenth time in the month of August in the year of our Lord two thousand and two, what did you do next?”
Eventually deciding her interrogation was over, Elle stood with her bag to go to the bar and buy her fourth drink.
As she did so, she pointedly continued to ignore Annie and Prentice, turned to Dougal and enquired, “Dougal, would you care for another beverage?”
Dougal, who had been keeping up with Elle drink for drink and had a few before they came out, replied, “Abso-fucking-lutely Bella Bella.”
As amusing as this was, at that point, Prentice was done.
Therefore, when Elle stepped over his legs to head to the bar, he leaned forward, caught her h*ps and pulled her off her feet and into his lap.
She let out a high-pitched shriek that brought the eyes of half the patrons of the pub their way, including, he noted distractedly, Hattie Fennick who wore an expression which was the epitome of someone who’d sucked a lemon.
He ignored the patrons, and Hattie (who routinely wore that look), because Elle twisted in his lap, put her hands on his chest and demanded haughtily (and loudly), “Unhand me, Prentice Cameron!”
He also ignored her ridiculous demand.
“When you’re out with me, you don’t buy your drinks, I do,” he declared.
“I think not!” she returned.
“Elle –” he warned.
“Pren –” she mocked his tone.
He grinned.
She stared at his mouth.
Then she blinked before she demanded, “Let me go, I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll get you a drink but only if you promise to drink this one slowly,” he told her.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why no’?”
“Because they’re yummy.”
Something about Elle saying the word “yummy” was unbelievably cute.
But even more unbelievably sexy.
In response, his hands travelled from her hips, up her back and one twisted in her hair.
“Even so, baby, you’re already pissed. You continue to drink like this, you’ll be rat-arsed or passed out in another hour.”
Her eyes slid away and she bit her lip considering this. Prentice watched with amusement as she struggled with her decision.
Then her eyes came back to him and she replied, “All right. I’ll drink it slowly. Passed out is not a good way to end an evening and I promised Sally pancakes tomorrow and I’m not sure I can make pancakes hungover.”
Then she did a pretend shiver at the thought of cooking pancakes hungover.
Prentice allowed himself a moment to appreciate her behavior and allowed his body a moment to savor hers shivering in his lap.
Then he used her hair to bring her face closer to his.
“You still cross with me?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Are you having fun?” he went on.
“Yes,” she answered, again without hesitation.
“Then why are you cross?”
“Because you and Annie played me.”
“Aye, we did,” he agreed with total honesty. “Regardless, the result is you having fun so why are you cross?”
Her face grew serious and it was such a departure from her adorable irritation that Prentice braced.
Her voice was as serious as her face when she answered, “Because I wanted to talk to you tonight.”
He realized then that she had all day without him. Even with the children around, she had plenty of time to twist that head of hers into making ridiculous decisions. And, from the look on her face, she’d made some ridiculous decision she was going to impart on him that night.
He was f**king thrilled he’d come up with the idea of taking her to the pub with Annie and Dougal.
He made a mental note, until he’d bested his challenge, not to give Elle the time to twist that head of hers into making ridiculous decisions.
But, for the moment, he had to stall.
“We’ll talk later,” he lied.
“When?” she asked.
“Later,” he repeated.
“Tomorrow?” she pressed.
No way in f**king hell.
“Maybe,” he lied again.
She watched his face. Then she smiled a heartbreaking, sad smile.
His eyes dropped to her heartbreaking, sad smile and he determined that the answer was really no.
No way in f**king hell were they talking tomorrow.
Finally, she whispered, “Okay.”
With some regret he transferred her sweet ass out of his lap into the booth beside him saying, “I’ll get your drink.”
Then he bought her a drink.
When he did so it was not lost on him that their intimate conversation had been watched by avid eyes, most especially Hattie who was still gazing at him openly, that sour expression on her face even though her husband Nigel was speaking to her.
By the time he returned from the bar, Elle had forgiven Annie and the night began.
As Elle promised, she drank this drink (and the ones following it) slower but the damage was already done. Elle was borderline smashed and Annie was in the room. Only one thing could happen and it did.
Madness ensued.
Therefore, the night included Annie challenging Prentice and Dougal to a team dart competition with Elle being Annie’s partner.
And Elle was hopeless at darts.
In three games she barely hit the dart board no matter how much Annie coached her which was a great deal, all of it misguided and most of it drunken but it was, nevertheless, coaching.