Who the hell does he think he is?
“You shouldn’t have come. I was having fun.”
The lie is bitter on my tongue. The date was a bust from the moment we met outside the club. Clint definitely wasn’t the shy guy he’d claimed to be. He started drinking heavily as soon as we arrived and had no concept of personal space. After pushing his hands off my ass one too many times, I’d eventually climbed up on the speaker just to get away from him.
Putting on a show for the crowd wasn’t what I’d planned for the night but at least up there I could dance in peace.
As if he can guess my thoughts, Law makes a low humming sound. “Really? You were having fun with the guy who was staring up your skirt like a sex offender?”
Somehow I manage to stop the smile tugging at my lips. Law would never be accused of subtlety. Whatever he thinks comes straight out of his mouth. That straightforward bulldozer approach can be a problem at times but I can’t deny I miss it.
Not that I want him to know that. He’s already sure I’m going to come crawling back to him. The last thing I will ever admit is the undeniable flash of happiness I’d felt when I looked down and saw him in the club.
“I’m not sure what looking at my ass has to do with being a sex offender. He’s a guy. I have a great ass. He’s not the only one who was looking.”
“Believe me, I am well aware of that.”
The crinkles around his eyes get deeper. I have to resist the urge to reach over and smooth them out. It’s instinctive, this desire to make him happy and soothe him when he’s upset. How long will it take before I don’t care anymore?
The thought makes me so tired.
It’s been a long time since I went out drinking and clearly I don’t have the tolerance for it anymore. All the dancing and sweating has left me feeling vaguely nauseated. I close my eyes. I just need a moment to rest before I finish telling Law to go to hell.
The next time I open my eyes, I’m snuggled into my favorite position in Law’s bed. He always said he didn’t care which side he slept on so I took the side closest to the bathroom. My pillow is bunched under my arm and I have a leg thrown out of the covers. It’s dark but my eyes adjust quickly and I make out Law next to me. He’s fully dressed and on top of the covers.
It hurts looking at him so close but so untouchable. Everything I want is right there but I can’t have it.
He turns his head but doesn’t open his eye
s. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
Busted, I bury my face in my pillow. “Why am I here? You said you were taking me home.”
“I wasn’t sure how much you had to drink. This way I could make sure you stayed on your side and didn’t vomit in your sleep.”
Shame makes my voice very small. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. Good ole’ Law. Always does the right thing.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just thinking about something Thomas said earlier.”
“How is he? How are Jo and the kids?”
Thinking about his brother’s family makes me smile. They’re so different but Tommy loves his brother unreasonably. That doesn’t stop him from giving Law a hard time whenever he possibly can. Watching those two snark at each other is always entertaining.
“Same as usual. He did make sure to tell me I’m a jackass before yelling at one of the kids and hanging up on me.”
Maybe I’m just drunk but this strikes me as hilarious and I bury my face in the pillow to cover my snickers.
“You’re laughing, I can tell.” He sounds grumpy but I can hear the smile in his voice. “He likes you better than me, anyway. Just one more reason for him to tell me I’m a dumbass now.”
The reminder that we are, in fact, not together stops my laughter. Then I’m just sad. If things had ended differently, Thomas and Joelle would have been family.
“He worries about you.”
“He doesn’t need to do that.”