The line of friendship is vanishing too fast.
Patting his shoulder, I tell him, “It’s getting pretty late. Maybe we should round everyone up and say goodnight.”
His glassy eyes scan the room. “Yeah, good idea. I’ll drive you home.”
“No,” I say pushing him back in the chair when he attempts to stand. “You’ve had too much to drink tonight. I’ll bring everyone back here, and then I’ll take you home.”
When I stand, my head feels a little lighter than usual like it’s not fully attached to my body, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. I’m not a lightweight, but I may have had slightly more to drink tonight than I realized. Still, as I collect everyone and we say our goodbyes, I don’t feel unclear. In fact, I feel pretty steady.
I allow Brody to lean against me as I lead him to my car, despite him being more than twice my height and weight. The fact that I can do that without falling over adds to my confidence that I am well enough to drive. When I trip over a crack in the parking lot as I head back to the driver’s side, I’m a little less certain, but Brody’s house is only five minutes down the road, and my apartment is only a few more from there. All I have to do is take a little extra care in making sure my attention is on the road.
I don’t even get the door open when I feel a hand on my shoulder pulling me back.
“There’s no way in hell you’re getting behind that wheel.”
When I look up, it’s into Ransom’s seriously pissed off, hard as stone onyx eyes. I’m instantly incensed by his presence. What the hell is he doing here? “Excuse me?”
“Give me the keys. I’ll drive you two home.”
“What makes you think I’ll just hand my keys over?”
Tilting his head to one side, he gives me an impatient look. “I know you’ve been drinking tonight, and you just tripped over your own feet. If you think I’m going to stand back and let you endanger your life and anyone else’s, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“It was a crack,” I shoot back lamely.
“There’s no crack, just your clumsy, drunken feet.”
I laugh. Like, really laugh, with snorts and everything. “Feet can’t get drunk.” Okay, maybe he has a point.
He gives me a pointed look, and I know I'm beaten. I hand over my keys without further argument because I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m one of those people. The kind that think they’re the exception to the rule, and I know if he hadn’t been here, I might have hurt someone.
“So what are you doing here? I thought you said you were passing on tonight.” After transferring Brody, who is so out of it he’s asleep the moment his ass hits the backseat of Ransom’s car, I climb into the passenger seat and wait for my answer.
“Like your friend said, a guy’s gotta eat.” He turns the key in the ignition and pauses. Without looking at me, he adds, “And I might have wanted to see you.”
Seriously, I’m pathetic because those were the single best words I’ve heard all week. I know I’m grinning like a lunatic, and I can’t stop myself. Giving me a sidelong look, Ransom returns the smile, and then puts the car into drive.
Brody is passed out cold by the time we reach the frat house, and it takes three of his buddies plus Ransom to get him inside and into bed. I take a moment to pull off his shoes and tuck him in, giving him a kiss on the forehead before I go, because who the hell else is going to do it? After making sure someone will check on him throughout the night, I drive home with Ransom.
“Do you want some coffee?” I ask as he parks in front of my place. I know what I’m asking, but I can’t get past the fact that he showed up tonight because of me.
It’s risky, but what I should do and what I want to do are two entirely different things. Earlier, I thought it would be wiser to explore my options and not dismiss Brody. Now, I think life is too short to deny myself. I can deny it until I’m blue in the face, and maybe tomorrow I’ll resort to old habits and do just that, but tonight I want to live a little. I want to have some fun. And I know without a doubt that Ransom can provide it.
He stares up at the darkened windows as he considers my offer. We both know there is no coffee waiting for either of us behind those doors.
I’m just about to retract my offer to save some face when he turns off the car and pops open his door. “Coffee sounds nice.”
FIFTEEN
Thank God Ransom is on the same page. We barely make it past the front door before we’re tearing at each other’s clothes. I lost my shoes somewhere near the door, my top between the living room and the kitchen, and my pants outside the bathroom. When Ransom pushes me down on the bed, I’m wearing nothing but a pair of lacy black underwear and bra. He’s still fully dressed in his jeans and gunmetal gray button-down shirt. He makes causal sexy in a way no man, I've ever met, can. My stomach flutters in anticipation as he stands between my legs and stares down at me.