Broken Love (Broken 4)

I looked between her and Ava with a blank expression.

“Water,” Ava whispered.

The girl spun around and quickly took Ava in her arms. “Oh, sweetie. I told you not to drink those whiskey shots. You don’t do hard liquor well.”

Looking at me, the girl mouthed, she doesn’t drink much.

Nodding my head, I said, “Let me go get a bottle of water for her.”

Ava’s friend winked and then ran her tongue along her lips. “Hurry back.”

I wasn’t sure how to read the friend, but I could for sure read that Ava had drank way too much.

After returning back outside with a bottle of water, Ava was sitting on a bench while her girlfriend was talking to some guy.

Sitting down next to Ava, I placed my hand on her leg and she jumped. “Hey, um … you know … I’s don’t even know your name. I’s think if I’m gonna dream about you I should have a name with the face.”

Smiling, I handed her the water. “Here, drink all of this.”

Doing as I said, Ava began downing the water. “Slowly, baby, you’ll get sick again.”

Ava turned to me with her mouth dropped open as she let her hand fall to her lap, sloshing the water. “My God, I’ve gots to tell you … that makes me all kinds of hot when you call me baby.”

“My name is Ryder.”

Ava closed her eyes and mumbled something incoherently before saying, “Even his name is hot.”

I looked away until I was sure the flush from my cheeks was gone. “Ava, I think you’ve had enough for one night. How are you getting home?”

Ava pointed her finger to the other side of her as I looked to see no one standing there. Her friend must have taken off back into the bar.

“There’s no one there.”

Ava jerked her head too fast and called out, “Whoa, Ryder seriously you don’t have to make the whole world spin, okay. Just put me back down.”

I tried to hold my laughter back as I leaned in and whispered against her neck, just under her ear. “Trust me, Ava. If you were in my arms, you’d experience a lot more than just being dizzy.”

Ava swallowed hard as her body shuddered. “I think I need to lie down.”

Standing up, I held my hand out for Ava and led her back into the club. I had to wrap my arm around her waist to keep her walking straight. After fifteen minutes of looking for this so-called friend, I made my way over to my brother, Nate.

“Nate, I ran into a—” Glancing down at Ava, I tried to figure out what I wanted to say. “Um, a friend.”

“Uh-huh. She sure is pretty,” Nate said as he looked at Ava.

Ava hit Nate in the chest … hard. “Awe … you’s is so sneaks.”

Nate’s eyebrows rose. “Sneaks?”

“She’s had a bit too much to drink. I’m going to take her home since I can’t find her friend anywhere.”

Nate gave me a wink and said, “Right. Well, you have yourself one hell of a good time tonight, you lucky son-of-a-bitch.”

Anger began to build in my blood as I shook my head. “It isn’t anything like that.”

Lifting the glass full of vodka to his lips, he smiled and drank.

Fuck this. I’m getting Ava out of here now.