Page 51

Jem shrugged. “Not a clue.” She put out a hand again, stroked the curve of Ellie’s waist and the music started to play again. She moved her body closer to Ellie’s.

“Fine,” Ellie said as Jem breathed in her scent. “Fine. One night.”

Chapter Twenty One

Her heart beat with the beat of the music and Ellie pushed through the crowd looking for either Carys or Mo, not caring which she found. Eventually, she came upon Carys leaning up against a wall looking uncharacteristically flushed.

“Car? Are you alright?”

“Sure,” Carys said. “What about you? You’re looking like you’re actually having a nice evening for once.”

Ellie bit her lip. Jem was getting a taxi. She’d promised her a night and was already starting to think that it might have been a mistake. At least now she was, when she was out of range of Jem’s magnetic attraction. But she’d promised. And maybe she just needed to get this out of her system.

“It’s alright,” she allowed. “But I’m leaving, I just wanted to check on the two of you. Let Mo know that the band is good, they were right, they’d be a solid choice for the late evening, so get them to set it up.”

“Right,” Carys said, eyes darting away. Then she looked back at Ellie again.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ellie asked.

“Perfectly fine, thanks.” Carys sniffed then looked toward the lines at the bathroom. “Actually, maybe there’s something wecan talk about, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t,” Ellie said, even though Jem must be done finding a cab by now.

“It’s a bit weird,” Carys started.

Jem appeared, waving wildly from near the entrance so that both Carys and Ellie saw her.

“It’s fine,” Carys said. “It’ll wait.”

“Sure?” asked Ellie, heart already starting to beat harder. Was this what it was like, having someone? Being interested in someone? Would her heart never beat properly again?

“Yeah, yeah, you go on.” Carys was grinning at her now, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“It’s not about sex,” said Ellie, already turning toward the door.

“Right, right.”

“It’s not,” she called over her shoulder as she left.

“Come on,” said Jem. “We’ll never get a drink in this place now that it’s so packed. I’ve got the perfect location.”

She looped her arm into Ellie’s and propelled her out of the club, out into the cool of the evening to where a black car was waiting.

“Hold on, I thought you were getting a cab?” Ellie asked, looking at the tinted windows.

“This is my car service,” Jem said, opening a door. “Easier than a taxi. Jump in.”

In the back seat of the car, Ellie tried to keep her distance from Jem, tried to keep some kind of control of herself, but Jem was holding her hand and the car kept going around corners and they kept sliding together.

“So, tell me about you,” said Jem, her features shaded in the darkness.

“There’s not much to know,” Ellie said.

“Right, you’re a party planner who likes reading and has a cat. You’ve got sisters and that’s it, your entire life distilled down.”

Ellie laughed. “You’re not far wrong. I’m not that interesting.”

Jem snorted. “I wouldn’t say that. Why did you become a partyplanner? I mean, forgive me for saying it, but you don’t seem like you particularly enjoy parties.”