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She shoots a pointed glare down at my hand before locking eyes with me again. “Oh, so he can’t touch me but you can?”
“Yes.” I tighten my grip on her arm and pull her closer to me. “Because you’re not his. You’re mine.”
Emotions flit across her face, and she stares up at me with wide eyes.
Then anger burns away those other emotions in a flash.
“No!” she snaps, and gives my chest an adorable little shove that does absolutely nothing to push me back. It still doesn’t stop her from doing it again as she glares up at me, completely furious. “You do not get to flip-flop between humiliating me and protecting me like this!”
Amusement ripples through me, and I arch an eyebrow at her. “Flip-flop?”
“Yes, flip-flop.” Another wave of anger crashes over her beautiful face, and she gives my chest another adorable shove. “Stop smiling! I’m serious. You can’t just show up like this and—”
Her words are cut off by a yelp as I quickly and efficiently crouch down, wrap my arm around the back of her thighs, and throw her over my shoulder. She just remains draped like that across my shoulder in stunned shock for a few seconds while I start walking towards the mouth of the alley. Then her mind apparently finishes processing what just happened.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snaps, squirming on my shoulder as if she has any chance at all to free herself.
“You’re drunk, angry, and emotional,” I reply while striding down the alley. “Let’s go somewhere more private to finish this conversation.”
“Finish what conversation?” She kicks her legs and hits my back with her delicate hands while growling, “You can’t just throw me over your shoulder like this and kidnap me!”
“I’m not kidnapping you. I just know you don’t want to walk all the way to where we’re going in those high heels when your feet already hurt.”
Alina falls silent.
We round the corner and continue out onto the busy street in front of the nightclub. People in fancy clothes turn to stare at us. But one look from me sends them scurrying away or averting their eyes. Warm yellow light from the streetlamps illuminates the cobblestone street, and pulsing music drifts out from the multitude of bars and nightclubs around us.
“My feet don’t hurt,” Alina at last retorts.
Since she can’t see my face, I don’t bother hiding my reaction as I smile at the petty stubbornness in her voice. But I keep my voice hard as I reply, “Don’t lie to me. I could see you shifting your weight from foot to foot, trying to relieve the ache in them.”
“Yes, well…” she mutters, sounding like she’s scrambling for some kind of comeback. It would probably be easier for her to be a smartass if she wasn’t so bloody drunk. “You try dancing in high heels an entire night.”
“Or you could try wearing sensible shoes.”
“I wanted to look hot.”
“You’re already hot.”
She falls abruptly silent.
Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.
Thankfully, we reach the restaurant I was taking her to before I have to figure out what the hell I’m supposed to say to recover from that slip-up. At least she’s wasted. So hopefully, she won’t remember that I said that.
With Alina still draped over my shoulder, I yank open the back door and stride into the busy kitchen beyond.
Yelps of surprise echo across the brightly lit room as we become visible. It makes the owner, who goes by the name Joe, stick his head in through the doorway to see what caused the sound. His brown eyes widen when they land on me.
“Mr. Hunter,” he says.
Weaving through the maze of stainless-steel counters and the rows of stoves and ovens, I stride towards him and the doorway that leads back into the restaurant. “Is the private dining room empty?”
“Uhm, yes,” Joe replies and hurries out of the way. His gaze darts between me and Alina, confusion pulling at his thick dark brows. “What… uhm…?” But he trails off without finishing, as if he doesn’t even know what question to ask.
“Get her water,” I order as I reach him. “And something to eat that will help someone who is drunk, angry, and sad.”
A soft laugh rumbles from his chest, and his eyes glitter as he nods. “Comfort food. Yeah, we can do that. Just go on through. We’ll be in with some food right away.”
