Page 2 of Unstable

“Hey!” Rina dug in her heels, trying to pull him to a stop, but he paid her no attention as he pushed out the front door. “What are you doing?”

She pulled against him again, and he ran his tongue over his teeth. Releasing her elbow, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her to his hip like a toddler. His other arm slid under her ass, and he sucked in a breath as his fingers skated over miles of perfectly toned flesh. She seemed too stunned to speak as he stormed toward his truck, and he was grateful for the temporary reprieve.

They crossed the parking lot, and he opened Irina door, then plunked her down on the seat and tossed her boots on the floorboard.

“Hey, that’s—” She abruptly cut off and gave him a funny look.

He settled one hand on her shoulder and dipped his head to look into her eyes. “You good?”

She pressed her lips together and nodded slightly. “You sure? Because if you feel⁠—”

His sentence went unfinished as she pitched forward. He tried to jump backward as that last shot of whiskey and everything that had preceded it throughout the course of the day splattered across his boots.

Keeping one hand on her shoulder to steady her, he closed his eyes and counted to ten. He ground his molars together and glanced up at Rina’s pale face. Perspiration dotted her forehead, and he lightly tapped her cheek to get her attention. “You with me?”

Her eyes opened slowly, sluggishly, and met his. She gave a listless nod. “Come on. May as well get the rest of it out.”

As if his words triggered another bout, she leaned forward and heaved again. This time, he was quick enough to move out of the line of fire. Avoiding the pile of vomit on the pavement, he maneuvered himself between the open door of the cab in an attempt to keep anyone from seeing her.

He was grateful that the parking lot had been packed when they arrived and they’d had to park all the way off to the side. He glanced around but saw nothing, and he prayed that no one had seen. They’d made something of a spectacle leaving the bar, and it wouldn’t surprise him in the least if someone tried to capture their little scene on camera.

Turning his attention back to Rina, he ran his hand in light circles over her back. When she was done, she leaned back against the seat, panting heavily. He opened the back door and hunted around for a bottle of water, then passed it to her. “Drink.”

She did as she was told, then moved to hand it back to him. “Keep it. You need to rehydrate.”

He curled her fingers around it and set it in her lap so she’d have it when she needed it. Pulling the seatbelt across her torso, he snapped it into place then slammed the door. For the first time ever, he cursed the fact that they weren’t at one of her tour stops with a hotel nearby. He could get them a room for the night, but he was already tired, and all he wanted to do was get her home then do the same.

He headed around to the driver’s side, then cranked the engine and pulled out of the lot. On the radio, one song was ending, bleeding right into another, and Rina roused enough to reach over and crank up the volume. Before he had the chance to brace himself, she belted out the lyrics, and he cringed as her loud soprano bounced off his eardrums.

“Rina!”

She took the volume down a couple notches but continued to sing along with Reba enthusiastically. A few minutes later, she grew quieter and quieter, then finally—blessedly—completely silent.

Forty-five minutes later, he pulled up in front of her house and cut the engine, then pocketed his keys. “Let’s go, sleeping beauty.”

Next to him, Rina snored softly in her seat. He rolled his eyes, then made his way around and pulled her from the truck. Her head lolled back as he lifted her in his arms, and he awkwardly maneuvered her dead weight toward the front door. He punched in the code to the electronic keypad above the door handle that she’d opted to use instead of a physical key.

The security system beeped a warning as he stepped inside, and he juggled Rina as he closed the door and disengaged the alarm. Rina blinked up at him as he made his way through the living room and down the hall. “What are you doing?”

“Putting you to bed.” He used his elbow to flick on the light as he carried her into her bedroom. She swayed as he stood her on her feet next to the bed. “Your boots are still in my truck. Do you want me to get them?”

She waved his offer away. “No. I need to use the bathroom.”

She stumbled in that direction, and he waited awkwardly in the bedroom, trying to ignore the sound of her using the toilet. Water flushed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank God. Now she could go to bed, and he could go home.

His hopes went up in smoke when he heard the shower come on. “Seriously, Rina?”

Growling in frustration, he stormed toward the bathroom. He stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway, stunned, as he took in Rina standing under the spray of the shower, fully clothed.

“What are you doing?”

She turned those giant blue eyes on him. “Washing off. What does it look like?”

He stared at her for a long moment, barely fighting back the urge to tell her exactly what he thought. “Come on, let’s just get you to bed.”

“Hold on,” she complained. “I’m almost done.”