Chapter 12

I followed Casper gingerly, suddenly very aware of my surroundings. He had twice refused to answer my question about what I was doing here and what my role in his life was, but here he was, introducing me to his best friends. He was walking ahead of me, and I could see his straight, muscular back and the strength in his legs as he took each long stride. Watching his body move was enough to make me feel like he was too good to be true. Out of all the girls in the world, all the women who no doubt threw themselves at him, why did this gorgeous, successful man choose me?

Casper waved at two other men standing by the bar. He walked quickly toward them, and I followed. When we reached them, I stood back a few steps while Casper hugged each of them in turn. I could see that the three of them knew each other well and had known each other for a very long time.

“Lily, meet my buddy Nash. Nash, this is my friend, Lily Fitz.” Casper turned to me suddenly, catching me by surprise. Friend?

“Hello, Lily. You look lovely this evening.” Nash said, a knowing smile spreading on his face. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible that this particular group of friends were all this beautiful to look at. Just like Casper, Nash had an athletic build. However, he wasn’t as clean shaven and smartly dressed as Casper. With a shaggy head of dark hair and a day or two of stubble, Nash was wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and casual pants. But his jaw was sharp, his eyes were steely gray and narrow, and he had the same beautifully bronze skin as his friend, Casper.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, and extended a hand to him. He shook my hand gently like he was afraid of breaking me or something and then exchanged a happy grin with Casper.

“And Lily, this is Vincent,” Casper added, directing my attention toward the other man standing with them. Vincent shook my hand ferociously, giving my wrist a shake hard enough to make it hurt if it lasted any longer. This guy, unbelievably, was just as handsome as his two friends. Tall, dark haired, and with a chiseled jaw. His eyes were a shimmering lava black that seemed to pierce into my soul. He was sharply dressed just like Casper and had no smile on his face. For a moment, I felt like I had done something to offend him, but then he suddenly looked away from me, at Casper, and gave him a wink.

I was blushing again. I felt deeply scrutinized, conscious of myself, and surprised that I was feeling this way. Never had I felt less confident. Casper had done something to me to make me feel this self-conscious. There was simply no other explanation.

“So, you’re the gang then?” I blurted out. The three men were eyeing me up, studying me closely, including Casper.

“The gang? I don’t know if we would call ourselves that,” Nash said, breaking into laughter. It made me blush a brighter red.

“We’ve been friends a long time, yes, if that is what you’re asking,” Vincent said, turning his dangerously dark eyes toward me. I looked away from him, embarrassed. Casper suddenly took a step in my direction and placed a hand on my back. It sent goose bumps all over my skin.

“I didn’t think Casper had any friends,” I managed to say, gulping down my growing embarrassment. I hoped that they would all blame my bright red face on the hour of dancing.

My comment made the men laugh, including Casper. And by this time, I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. My mind was still reeling from not knowing why Casper was introducing me to his friends.

“Seems like she’s sized you up pretty well,” Nash said, and Casper shook his head.

“There have been times when he’s come very close to not having any friends, but we’ve always rallied back to him. Boyhood pacts,” Vincent said, taking a slow sip of his drink.

I smiled at him and then turned to Casper with a purposeful look. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room,” I said, gently prying myself away.

“Of course,” Casper said to me with a smile. I nodded my head at the other two men and took brisk steps away from them. I needed to put some distance between me and them, especially Casper. It was all too overwhelming. My heart was beating out of my chest, but I surprisingly had a smile on my face that I couldn’t hide.

It was late now. The sky darkened to a deep purple hue, and the sun was beginning to set in the horizon. I noticed the bathrooms were at the back, and I walked toward them like I was on a mission. When I first got into Casper’s private jet, I hadn’t known what to expect. A fun party and being introduced to his childhood friends weren’t any of the expectations I had.

I didn’t know what more I could possibly want or expect from this night.

I needed a couple of minutes to clear my mind, and I walked into the women’s room with my sandals flapping against the tiled floor. The place was empty, which was a relief, because I intended on locking myself up in one of the stalls and having a good long think about what was going on. I wasn’t going to let Casper change my life forever. Hopefully, this was just going to be a whirlwind exotic vacation.