Blame It On The Whiskey (On the Rocks)

I grab on to it and hold it right over my heart. I shrug without laughing. "I don't want to deal with this. I'm only home for a week, and I'd rather spend it with you than fending off some woman I know I don't want anything to do with."

Haven seems to weigh my words carefully. “Okay, but what if there’s another woman you might be interested in? I don’t want to mess that up for you.”

There’s something she’s not telling me. I’ve known her long enough to know that there’s something going on in her head. “First of all, I won’t be leaving with any woman but you.”

When she still doesn’t answer me, I start to pull back. "I mean, if it's a big deal," I start, but she doesn't let me finish. "It's not a big deal." I nod as we make the agreement.

I look back at the table where my brother is. They’re all talking, so I take this opportunity to talk to Haven. “Are we going to talk about it?”

She laughs and holds her hand up to the bartender. “Another shot, please?”

I laugh and position myself closer to her. “Look at me.”

She does, slowly. Her eyes are already starting to look glazed. She’s never been much of a drinker. “I’m looking at you.”

“Okay, if you’re not going to talk about it, I will. I know that this morning probably weirded you out.”

She doesn’t answer me. She opens her mouth and then closes it again. I swear she almost looks guilty or something. I try to explain myself. “When I woke up and uh... felt your body against mine, I reacted...”

She buries her face in her hands. “It’s fine. There’s nothing to talk about. I told you it wasn’t a big deal. Let’s go back to the table.”

As soon as the next shot is set down in front of her, she lifts it up and throws it back. I grab on to her, afraid she might fall back. “Slow down there, honey.”

She reaches for me, threading her fingers through mine. She smiles up at me almost dreamily. “Uh, so are we starting now? Am I supposed to make it believable? You want me hanging all over you or giving you some space? How should we play it?”

Damn, I want to go with option one. Yes, I’d love her hanging all over me, but I know I wouldn’t survive it. “Just act like you like me and you don’t want to share.”

She nods. “I can do that.”

"Let's go back to the table. Do you want another shot to take with you?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yeah, I think I might need it." I don't question her, but I do order her a shot and pay for it before helping her off the stool and walking back to our table.

As soon as we sit down, Haven takes another drink, but this time she sips at it. "You okay?" I ask her.

I reach over and wrap my hand around hers. She looks down at our intertwined hands and then up at me. "I've never been better."

Chapter 9

Haven

I down the rest of my whiskey. I'm sitting in the chair next to Parker, still surprised by his request. It will be easy for me to act like we are together; I've dreamt about it long enough. As the night goes on, more people gather around the table. Parker has pulled my chair closer to him, and his hand is on my thigh. He has pulled his chair out and is sitting sideways facing me when Tammy walks up to him again.

"I don't have anywhere to sit. Do you mind if I sit in your lap?" She doesn't wait for an answer. When she starts to sit down in his lap, he puts his hand up to stop her.

He reaches over and lifts me easily from my chair and pulls me onto his lap, and then points to the vacant seat. "There you go. You can have that one."

Both of Parker's hands are resting on my hips. I’m ignoring the glare from Tammy, which is easy to do because I'm trying to not put all of my weight on Parker. When he grips me harder, I turn around and look him in the face.

"Sit down," he orders me as he pulls my hips against his.

I roll my eyes. "Don't bitch if your legs fall off."

He puts one arm around my waist and the other is across my legs. The way we are sitting doesn't seem to faze anyone around us. The laughter and jokes continue, but I can't help but tune it all out. The only thing that I can think about is Parker holding me.

Tony's new girlfriend arrives, and I talk with her. Her name is Britney, and she’s as sweet as can be. She leans forward me, pointing between Parker and me. "I had no idea. I thought you guys were friends."