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I raised my empty glass and waved it at the bartender. He finished serving the couple in front of him then returned to refill my drink. If I went to go talk to Flirty Eyes, I’d never get such prompt service, I reasoned.
“Might want to slow down, man,” he said. “You’re putting them away tonight.”
“Liquid courage. Everyone needs it sometimes, right?”
He arched his eyebrow, looking skeptical. “This kind of drinking isn’t about courage.” He set the glass in front of me. “Besides, judging by the looks you’re getting, doubt you need it.”
“Wha’ do you mean?”
My words slurred. I guess the drinking was catching up with me. I lifted my glass and took another gulp anyway.
“You know what I mean,” he said, nodding his head toward Flirty Eyes.
Yeah, I guess I did. I didn’t need courage to talk to a woman, though. I needed courage to leave Wes behind.
The thought made my heart twist painfully, and I fumbled my phone out, needing to hear his voice. To make sure he was okay. I’d left things badly between us. I needed to know that we’d still be us when we came out the other side of this.
The screen was blurry, and I kept hitting the wrong buttons. Finally, just as it connected, the phone tumbled from my fingers.
“Let me help.”
It was the bartender again, his eyes kind.
“Need Wes,” I mumbled.
“All right, I got it.” He hit the button, waited for it to connect, then said, “Wes? This is a bartender at Boom Town in Riverton. I’ve got someone here who wants to talk to you. I think he needs a ride home. Uh-huh. Okay, thanks, I’ll hand you over now.”
He extended the phone to me, and I held it to my ear.
“Beck?” Wes said. “You okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” I said. “I jus’ wanted to say hi.”
He chuckled. “Hi, bro. How about you let me come get your drunk ass and bring you home?”
“’m not that drunk,” I said indignantly. “I can hold my courage. I mean, liquor.”
I could hear the grin in his voice as he answered. “Well, humor me then. I’d feel better if I came and got you.”
“Okay, but Flirty Eyes might beat you to it.”
Wes’s voice got stern. “You tell Flirty Eyes you’ve already got plans tonight, all right? You’re coming home with me.”
A shiver went down my spine at his possessive tone. It was wrong to want him like I did, but all the liquor in my system was quickly converting from courage to lust. “If you want me so bad, come and get me,” I said.
“Oh, I will,” he said. “Don’t go anywhere.”
It seemed like it was only one blink to the next before Wes was standing beside me. “Hey, you with me, Beck?”
I leaned into him with a relieved sigh. “There you are.”
“Here I am.”
His voice rumbled through his chest soothingly, and I snuggled in and closed my eyes. I was suddenly exhausted.
“How worried should I be?”
I was too tired to summon an answer, but that was okay, because the bartender replied for me. “I cut him off a while ago. He’s had nothing but water since he called you.”
