Shark Bait [H.S.]

Chapter Twenty-Two.

His eyes flitted across my chest before he let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, sorry. Fuckin' Niall."

I didn't know what to say to that. A part of me wanted to know what was going on but another part of me wanted to just let it be. I'm on holiday and I'm not working the case right now. It's not in the Christmas spirit to be snooping around like that. I just wanted to have a nice night with my friends.

With that in mind, I stood up and grabbed his wrists, pulling him up off the couch. "Nope. No talk of Niall or Joseph or any one of those guys tonight. It's Christmas, Harry, and we're going to make the most of it tonight, alright?" He didn't say anything so I continued on. "So get your ass in the kitchen and help me ice the cake."

And now, I'm standing in the kitchen watching Zayn and Harry ice my lemon cake as Jesse stands beside me pouring us all a glass of wine. With the last of the food simmering in the oven, all that's left to do is wait.

As Jesse finishes pouring the wine, I grab two glasses and bring them over to Harry and Zayn, clearing my throat. They're so concentrated on the task, it's kind of cute the way their tongues stick out the corner of their mouth.

"Thanks, Indigo," Zayn says, grabbing the glass and taking a sip. Harry reaches out for the other glass and takes a sip before letting his eyes roam over my body. This is the first time he's really done so since he's got here. He clears his throat and his Adam's apple bobs. "You look good, Blue."

My cheeks go pink and I lean up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, just above his scar. "Thank you."

I wasn't going to tell him that I went shopping the day before, dragging Jesse to multiple shops in search of a dress that would be perfect for the dinner. Neither was I going to tell him that the second I saw this silver dress the first thing I thought of was how Harry would react to it.

I have to admit though that I not only feel good, but I look good too. The dress fits me perfectly in all the right places. The neck plunges down deep to where my stomach starts, the 'V' neck showing off cleavage that I know has definitely caught Harry's attention now. I feel good in it.

His cheeks flush a tiny bit but enough for me to catch it. I grin as I step away from him watching as he quietly clears his throat. Just as I'm about to turn and walk over to Jesse, his hand darts out to stop me from moving and splays across the expanse of my back.

"No, stay." He mumbles it so quietly that I think I might have just heard things.

I stare up at him with probably a confused look on my face because he just urges me back towards the counter leaning me against it. I turn so my back is resting against it, Harry beside me with Zayn on the other side of him as they finish icing the lemon cake.

"I think we did a pretty damn good job," Zayn says, glancing over at me and turning the cake so that I can see. It looks terrible. It looks like a bunch of kids just used their hands to smear the icing all over it but I grin and play along. "You're both hired for all my future baking endeavours."

I pick up my untouched glass of wine and bring it up to my lips, taking a sip as I glance at Harry over the rim. He has a hint of a smile resting on his lips and I can't help but to wink at him, loving to watch the way his skin slightly flushes when I do. He seems to already be in better spirits than when he arrived. I hope I can keep him happy the rest of the night.

Noticing Jesse near the fridge I push myself away from the counter to walk towards him, keeping my eyes straight ahead of me but feeling Harry's gaze burn onto every inch of my body.

Even at this moment all I want to do is kiss Harry. There's something about the way he looks standing in my kitchen, casual, as if he belongs there, that makes me crave him even more than I already do. This is so bad.