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“Fill me up too, Stella. Excuse me; I’ll be in the bathroom,” Allie informs us, getting up and turning to walk away. She turns abruptly, and I almost walk right into her.
“Whoa, now where are you going?”
“Just making sure you’re behind me. I’m not going to be the cause of some trafficking son of a bitch getting their dirty hands on Lexie. So, if you have to follow me to the little girls’ room, fine.”
I try not to even crack so much as a hint of a smile. The alcohol has hit her system, and regardless of why, I’m relieved that she’s going to take the necessity of security seriously even if it means me guarding her. “I’ll wait outside,” I tell her, nodding to the undercover female detail who has strict orders to follow her anywhere that I can’t go tonight.
Allie’s fluffed her hair and touched up her pink lipstick when she comes out. The urge to pull her in for a kiss is never far from my mind, but the draw tonight to spank or kiss her until she tells me exactly what’s caused the one-hundred-and-eighty-degree flip in personality is even stronger as she closes the distance between us.
Lexie and Sheldon look up from their conversation when we return. Allie takes a long swallow from the mug on the table and turns to Lexie. “Come on!” She grabs Lexie by the arm and tugs her out of the chair. They laughingly head to the dance floor and start hopping to the Irish brogue and then settle into some sort of line dance. It’s not long before two more women join the line, and then two more. The group moves through one dance after another with the girls laughing and having a great time.
My jaw tightens as I follow the band leader's eyes. Sean would do well to keep his mind on his music. I’ve had just about enough of watching his eyes follow Allie’s ass around the fucking dance floor.
Sheldon’s smiling, watching Lexie dance. “They’re sloshed,” I tell him, ordering another coffee for myself as Stella walks by the table.
“Yep, they may as well blow off a little steam tonight. But this is tame compared to the video Lexie showed me from just before we met the ladies,” Sheldon tells me, unable to keep his eyes off his fiancée. Lexie is laughing so hard she’s almost crying as they try to keep up to the frantic beat of the music.
The band finally takes a break, and Lexie gets sidetracked talking to one of the other girls while Allie heads back to the bathroom. No doubt a result of the gallon of beer she’s managed to consume and all that jigging around. “Back in a minute,” I tell Sheldon before she’s more than a few steps in front of me. A muscular bald man with a goatee walks out of the men’s side of the restroom door, eyeing Allie from head to toe as she walks toward him and the ladies’ room. My jaw tightens again, but he passes us without saying a word on his way out to the bar.
Allie’s lips are bright pink when she comes out, and she has a little streak of color just outside the line. I smile, catching her by the arm. “Hold still,” I tell her, wiping the smudge with a finger. “You forgot to blot.”
Her cheeks flush. “How do you know about blotting, Mr. Montgomery? Didn’t know that came with the knight in shining armor job,” she says dramatically, rolling her eyes at me.
I shrug. “I’ve heard the phrase, and I’m far from a knight in shining armor.” In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth.
She reaches into the side of her purse for a tissue, puts it between her lips, and mouths it a few times. “Better?”
My lip twists. “Perfection,” I tell her, accompanying her back to the table, where she proceeds to pour herself another glass of beer from the pitcher Stella sets on the table. “Gift from Sean,” Stella informs us, rolling her eyes.
My jaw tightens at the same time Allie’s does. Lexie bends her head and says something I can’t quite make out. Allie nods, downing the rest of at least her fifth beer, bringing the dominance and protectiveness out that is never far from the surface whenever she’s around. “If you don’t slow down, you’re going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow.”
“It’s too late. The damage is done. Might as well make it worthwhile.” Allie grabs Lexie by the arm and half drags her laughingly back onto the dance floor. It doesn’t take long for the inebriated ladies to tire, and after only two dances, they’re back at the table sipping on another round.
Sheldon wraps his arms around Lexie and whispers something in her ear. She blushes and turns to the group. “I think we’re going to get going. We have a pretty long day tomorrow,” she states, turning to pull Allie into a hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” Allie tells her. “We’re going to have so much fun planning for the big day.”
“You should get home too. And remember to take something before you go to bed, or you’re not going to like the Smithwick’s so much in the morning,” Lexie sing-songs.
“So true,” Allie agrees, as Sheldon snatches the check Stella’s brought round before I can grab it, and the ladies tell her goodbye.
I pull out some bills and hand them to him as we wait for the ladies to don their jackets. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Lexie tells Allie as they walk toward Sheldon’s Jeep, and I guide Allie toward my Range Rover.
Liam’s leaning against a car like he’s just out for a cigarette and some fresh air, but the minute he gets my text he heads to his vehicle while keeping us in sight. I text him the plan for the night.
It takes restraint not to place my hand on the small of Allie’s back, or caress her in some small way, but even without touching, the electricity that’s never far between us sears the air with its magnetism. There’s simply no denying the attraction to this woman. It’s embedded itself into every fiber of my being since we first met. If fucking her would help, I’d do it, but I already know that getting her into bed is not going to dull the hissing fire that burns between us. This intensity, it goes much deeper than physical need. Because fuck if I didn’t think her damn mismatched socks were cute.
I jump into the SUV. Allie sits nervous and wide-eyed, already belted and looking straight ahead. “I’m still not sure why you bolted from the gym. We don’t have to talk about it tonight, but I’d like to hear what happened.”
She looks at me with glazed eyes and nods somberly. “I don’t want to talk about it tonight, or maybe ever.”
My jaw tightens, but whatever happened she’s still clearly pissed. “I’ll plan to drive you home and stay. We need to make sure you’re protected until we can get an around-the-clock schedule set up for you with more security than what we have. Any reason you’re not going to let me in on what happened?”
She puts her hands in the air and creates an imaginary circle. “It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of life. Some things aren’t meant to be.” She sighs and then narrows her eyes at me. “But I know how serious this top-secret security business is. And you can count on me to take this seriously.”
“Fair enough. I’ll text the guys and let them know the plan. They’ll stay on perimeter and backup tonight, at least until we get things sorted tomorrow. I thought I was going to have to carry you to the car tonight,” I mention, backing out of the parking lot and making my way toward the main road.
“Not likely. We Irish can drink most people under the table. All night, any night. It’s in our blood.”
