Lance places a glass of water in front of me instead of the whiskey I wanted as he points to the glass. “Drink,” he demands. He leaves no room for any kind of argument. I roll my eyes but bring the cup to my lips, his brown eyes following my every move. When he catches me looking at him, he clears his throat before speaking again.
“I’m cutting you off. No more whiskey, only water, and when you’re ready to leave, I will take you home. Do you understand me?” I can’t tell if he’s frustrated or concerned anymore. Maybe both. But honestly, I don’t care. I didn’t come here in hopes of pleasing anyone. I’ll drink the water, but only because my head is swimming and everything is becoming blurrier by the minute. I can’t stop the words once they start pouring out of my drunken mouth.
“You know, for the past few years, I’ve been with a man who wouldn’t let me be myself. I couldn’t go hang out with friends because he was a controlling asshole. I was lucky if I even got to see my family without an argument.” I look down at the table, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. The feelings inside me creep up, and I can’t decide if it’s from anger or the need to cry. “I didn’t come here tonight to let you or anyone else tell me what to do. I did enough of that for three years. I refuse to do it any longer.”
When I look back up at him, I see a small smile on his face. “Good girl.” My eyes grow wide, and my confusion must bewritten all over my face as I try to avert my gaze, because he leans across the table and grips my chin so I can’t look anywhere other than his intoxicating eyes.
“Don’t ever let a man tell you what you can and can’t do. This time, though, I refuse to be the one to tell your dad I let his daughter get drunk at my bar and not make sure she made it home safely.” Only then does he release my face. I have no idea what to say, so I only manage a small nod before grabbing the glass to wet my suddenly parched mouth. Have I ever mentioned Lance is fucking hot? Maybe it’s the alcohol in my system, but damn.
Okay, that’s a lie, but…
The tattoos littering his arms make me want to inspect them, see what else he’s hiding under his rolled-up flannel shirt.
“Kallie? Did you hear me?”
My eyes snap back to his. “What?” I ask as I feel the heat creeping up my face, not even realizing he was talking.He just caught me checking him the fuck out.
Wow. I probably should go home.
“Um—I’m going to head out.” Shaking my head in an attempt to clear the inappropriate thoughts of my dad’s best friend from my mind, I go to stand, but a wave of dizziness hits me, and I almost fall forward. Lance somehow manages to catch me faster than I can comprehend.Like Edward Cullen fast.
“Woah, you okay?” His hands grip my elbow as he helps me steady myself.
“Yeah—yeah. I’m okay.” I pull my arm from his grip like he’s on fire, and he looks taken aback.
“Keys.” Lance holds his hand out, and I manage to reach into my pocket and hand him my car keys.
“Let me just tell my brother I’m taking off for the night and I’ll take you home,” he says after taking a few steps back.
“The cabin. I’m staying at the cabin,” I manage to mumble as I sit back down and lay my head on the table. Lance walks toward the bar, and I swear I hear him say, “I know,” which lets me know he already talked to my dad.
Great.
Chapter Four
Kallie
Lance helps me outof his truck but doesn’t let go of my hand until we get to the front door of the cabin. He, not so surprisingly, had a spare key. My stomach churns more and more the longer I’m standing here.
As soon as he gets the door open, I’m pushing past him straight to the bathroom. Everything in my stomach comes up the second I kneel in front of the toilet. My body wracks with nerves, and I’m shivering from the cold outside. The hair I had tossed up earlier has fallen around my face, but I can’t find the energy to put it back up before another wave of nausea hits me.
I feel a hand lightly touch the hair around my face, pulling it out of the way. I’ve never been more grateful for having someone here than I am right now. Any embarrassment is long gone.
I feel Lance’s hand rubbing small circles on my back after he secures my hair with a tie and, oddly enough, it’s helping calm my nerves.
After what feels like forever, my stomach finally settles. I flush the toilet and lay my head against the closed lid. I know he must have better things to do than take care of me.
“I’m sorry, Lance,” I whisper in hopes of him hearing me. A long sigh leaves his lips, but I can’t find the strength to open my eyes and look at him as he replies.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Kallie. We all deserve a night off. I’m just glad you were able to do it with someone you can trust.” Tears well up behind my eyes, but I keep them closed, finding it easier to not let them fall.
He’s right. I’ve been bottling up my feelings for far too long, and tonight, it seems impossible to hold them in any longer. Maybe it’s because I finally feel safe, or maybe because I can start becoming the person I thought I was going to be three years ago.
“Yeah,” I mumble, my words slurring slightly. “It’s sad that Alex getting me fired hurt more than him cheating on me.” I know now we shouldn’t have even lasted as long as we did, but I can’t help the thought that maybe thereissomething wrong with me. Maybe I was the reason he became someone I didn’t recognize.
A chuckle escapes my lips, but it swiftly transforms into a sob. I try to stifle it by covering my mouth with my hand, but the tears have breached the emotional barrier, and I don’t know when they will stop.
Lance
