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I shrug. “You could say that, I guess.”
“What the hell happened between you two?”
Knowing better than to think I can trust him, I take a sip of my beer as I ponder my answer. “Nothing really. Sorry to disappoint.”
He snorts. “Well, it must have been something if it got to her like this.” Nodding toward Savannah, I spot her now dancing on top of a table, drawing a crowd. “I’ve never seen her so drunk.”
I try to keep my composure, and my distance for that matter, but the second a guy reaches up and gropes her ass, I see red. I’m up in seconds, pushing through the group of people who have all gathered around to watch Haven Grace’s favorite cheer captain put on a not-so-flattering show. Just as I get to the front, she slips and falls back—landing directly in my arms.
“You caught me,” she slurs and wraps her arms around my neck. “My hero.”
The close proximity we’re in, paired with the fact that she could have gotten really hurt, has my need to protect her on overdrive. I don’t question the decision for a second as I walk her right out the front door. Carter spots us from where he stands in the front yard and jogs over.
“Whoa, what happened to her?” he questions, following me to my car.
“Whatever you were putting in those drinks you made her.” I manage to pull my keys from my pocket and unlock the doors. “Do you mind?”
He opens it and helps me place her in the passenger seat, then steps back as I shut her in. “You taking her home or taking her home?” He raises his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner.
I roll my eyes. “The first one. Passed-out drunk isn’t exactly a turn on.” I glance inside to see her holding her head. “All right, let me go before she vomits in my car.”
“Good luck.”
I walk around and get into the driver’s side. As I pull out of the driveway, I can feel Savannah’s eyes on me—burning into the side of my head. I steal a glance at her, just to be sure, and she smiles.
“What?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. You’re just pretty.”
I snort. “Pretty?”
“Yeah.” She reaches across and runs her fingertips down the side of my face. “Like a manly kind of pretty.”
Taking her wrist, I place her hand back on her lap. “Let’s keep our hands to ourselves, shall we?”
“No fun.” She hiccups and turns to look out the window.
By the time I get across town and pull up to her house, I can’t believe what I’m looking at. This place looks like something that should have been condemned years ago. The porch is missing some planks, the railings are rotted and the roof is sagging. Judging by how dark it is, I can only assume no one is home.
I look over at Savannah to find her sleeping soundly. I know what I should do. I should bring her inside, put her in her bed, and leave—but I can’t. She’s too drunk, too vulnerable, if someone breaks in. I may despise her, but no one gets to cause her pain but me.
Putting the car back in drive, I pull away from her four walls of hell and head toward my own.
THE LIGHTS IN MY house are on, telling me that even though it’s close to midnight, my mother is awake. This should be interesting. I go and open the front door before coming back to my car and lifting Savannah out of it. By the time I get inside, my mom is standing by the stairs, concern etched across her face.
“What’s going on?” she asks, her eyes widening when she sees who is in my arms. “Oh my God, is that Savannah?!”
I shake my head. “Everything’s fine, mom. She just had a little too much to drink.”
Carrying her up the stairs, she stirs awake and nuzzles her face into my chest. “Mmm. You smell good.”
Her drunken honesty is comical to me. “You’re just full of compliments tonight, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” As I slip into the guest room, she sighs. “Is this when you have your way with me?”
My steps stutter, and my lungs forget how to breathe. Am I hearing things? Did she really just ask that? “No, Savannah. This is when you go to sleep.”
“Oh.” She sounds almost disappointed before nodding. “Well, that’s good, ’cause I’m a virgin, and it would probably hurt.”
