face. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was there. “What?”
“You heard me,” he replied, his voice husky. “No. More. Alcohol. You’ve had enough and you know how you get. I don’t want to spend the whole night worrying about you.”
He worried about me? “But… I’m always careful,” I protested, not even sure why I was going through the motions. I really hadn’t planned on drinking anything else.
“Really? You’re always careful?”
“You can not keep bringing up that one—”
“The one? The one ? Shan, there were a dirty dozen, at the very least. But that’s beside the point.”
“Oh, really? And what is the point?”
He arched a sandy brow. “Watch that tone.”
I was even more confused than before. What was with this whole macho act? Where had it come from? Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe I was still drunk. Had to be, because even though I was confused by the way my body responded to the dominant way he was talking to me, he was starting to look even hotter than before.
“Shan?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“No more alcohol. Right?”
“Um… right.”
“I wanna hear you say it.”
I furrowed my brow, squinting my eyes as I tried to figure out what was going on here. Since when did he tell me what to do? We weren’t even together. And to compound my confusion, my body was reacting in ways that made me think I secretly liked this new side of him. My panties were dampening so fast that I thought I might need to excuse myself soon to seek relief. “Fine. I won’t have any more drinks.”
“Good.” He rewarded me with a brief, heart-stopping smile. “Just to be sure, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
I nodded briefly before I spun on my heel and fled. I marched up to Becky and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the guy she was chatting up.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” she exclaimed, shaking me off. “We were really—”
“I need to leave.”
Her brow furrowed. “Leave? Why?”
“Because he’s here!” I hissed.
“What? But you two looked like you were having a good time.”
“We were,” I admitted begrudgingly, wondering how to tell her that that was just the thing I was worried about.
“See!” she crowed triumphantly, smacking her hands together. “I told you so! I told you so.”
“If you even think about doing that ridiculous little victory dance of yours in public again, I will disown you.”
She cut her eyes at me and scoffed. “ Well . Someone’s in a bad mood. C’mon! I want all the juicy details of your star-crossed, unrequited love!”
I sighed heavily. “First of all—you know what? Never mind, I’m not gonna go there. It was nice. Let’s leave it at that, K?”
“ So not OK. I need your life to sustain me, Shan. You know this. I’m just a pathetic townie with no prospects, no hope of a future. I’ll be running that little flower shop until I die and then they’ll bury me in it. You know I depend on you so that I can live vicariously. So stop being selfish and dish already!”
I couldn’t help it, I had to laugh.
Taking this as her sign that she’d won—Becky, for whatever else she might say, always won—she slid her arm in mine companionably and led me over to the buffet table. “So? Was it magic? Was everything just the same?”
“The same.” I allowed myself a sigh. “And different. He’s… he’s different, somehow. But you know, I think I like it.”
“Let’s have some more champagne, to celebrate!”
Remembering my promise, I looked back at the table, but Brody was gone. My eyes scanned the room, but I didn’t see him anywhere. “Sure, why not?”
Becky squealed and handed me a glass. We clinked them together and I was in mid-sip when I saw a hand snake around the stem of my glass. I let go of it and turned to see Brody shaking his head in disapproval. Where had he even come from?
He wagged his finger at me and tsked his tongue before saying, “You promised.” Then he let his hand fly
“You heard me,” he replied, his voice husky. “No. More. Alcohol. You’ve had enough and you know how you get. I don’t want to spend the whole night worrying about you.”
He worried about me? “But… I’m always careful,” I protested, not even sure why I was going through the motions. I really hadn’t planned on drinking anything else.
“Really? You’re always careful?”
“You can not keep bringing up that one—”
“The one? The one ? Shan, there were a dirty dozen, at the very least. But that’s beside the point.”
“Oh, really? And what is the point?”
He arched a sandy brow. “Watch that tone.”
I was even more confused than before. What was with this whole macho act? Where had it come from? Maybe I was imagining it. Maybe I was still drunk. Had to be, because even though I was confused by the way my body responded to the dominant way he was talking to me, he was starting to look even hotter than before.
“Shan?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“No more alcohol. Right?”
“Um… right.”
“I wanna hear you say it.”
I furrowed my brow, squinting my eyes as I tried to figure out what was going on here. Since when did he tell me what to do? We weren’t even together. And to compound my confusion, my body was reacting in ways that made me think I secretly liked this new side of him. My panties were dampening so fast that I thought I might need to excuse myself soon to seek relief. “Fine. I won’t have any more drinks.”
“Good.” He rewarded me with a brief, heart-stopping smile. “Just to be sure, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
I nodded briefly before I spun on my heel and fled. I marched up to Becky and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the guy she was chatting up.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” she exclaimed, shaking me off. “We were really—”
“I need to leave.”
Her brow furrowed. “Leave? Why?”
“Because he’s here!” I hissed.
“What? But you two looked like you were having a good time.”
“We were,” I admitted begrudgingly, wondering how to tell her that that was just the thing I was worried about.
“See!” she crowed triumphantly, smacking her hands together. “I told you so! I told you so.”
“If you even think about doing that ridiculous little victory dance of yours in public again, I will disown you.”
She cut her eyes at me and scoffed. “ Well . Someone’s in a bad mood. C’mon! I want all the juicy details of your star-crossed, unrequited love!”
I sighed heavily. “First of all—you know what? Never mind, I’m not gonna go there. It was nice. Let’s leave it at that, K?”
“ So not OK. I need your life to sustain me, Shan. You know this. I’m just a pathetic townie with no prospects, no hope of a future. I’ll be running that little flower shop until I die and then they’ll bury me in it. You know I depend on you so that I can live vicariously. So stop being selfish and dish already!”
I couldn’t help it, I had to laugh.
Taking this as her sign that she’d won—Becky, for whatever else she might say, always won—she slid her arm in mine companionably and led me over to the buffet table. “So? Was it magic? Was everything just the same?”
“The same.” I allowed myself a sigh. “And different. He’s… he’s different, somehow. But you know, I think I like it.”
“Let’s have some more champagne, to celebrate!”
Remembering my promise, I looked back at the table, but Brody was gone. My eyes scanned the room, but I didn’t see him anywhere. “Sure, why not?”
Becky squealed and handed me a glass. We clinked them together and I was in mid-sip when I saw a hand snake around the stem of my glass. I let go of it and turned to see Brody shaking his head in disapproval. Where had he even come from?
He wagged his finger at me and tsked his tongue before saying, “You promised.” Then he let his hand fly
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