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Keoni sighed, running his hand over his face and pointing at Isaiah. “No, you’re not.” Then he frowned over at her. “He’s not, right?”
But she couldn’t get her mind to focus. Her wolf was going wild again, and she shook her head. “I just need my keys. I can do it.”
Her feet were killing her, though, and she wanted these heels off. That’s all she could think about right then, so she sank back to the ground, the grass much closer than she remembered, pulling Isaiah down with her.
“Shit, Bailey. Warn a guy, would ya?”
Laying down felt so good, and as soon as her back touched the grass, exhaustion hit her hard. Her eyes closed, and were way too heavy to open again, so when someone tried to pick her up from the grass, she fought him, murmuring slightly.
“Touch me, and I’ll set your ball hairs on fire. I just need help with my heels. They’re so far away.”
Holding one long leg in the air above her, she reached unsuccessfully for the strap before letting her leg fall back to the ground. Her legs were unnaturally heavy tonight, but that didn’t matter. None of it mattered. She just wanted to sleep. Everything would be better in the morning.
Chapter 8
Saturday, November 13
2:11 a.m.
Without a word, he kneeled in the grass, her little purse still wrapped around his neck from where she left it at the gazebo, and gently began undoing the straps of her heels. He ignored the incessant arguing of Keoni and Isaiah, lifting her into his arms.
She didn’t protest, only locked her arms around his neck and sleepily rested her head on his shoulder. By then, noticing Bailey’s angry ramblings had turned to silence, Keoni stopped his discussion with Isaiah and frowned over at him. They didn’t think they could get through the Aisling wards to get her to her house, especially if she wasn’t awake. He looked at Bailey with a worry that Nassau had never seen before in his carefree cousin.
“She’s going with me. Mom will take care of her.” Then he glared at Isaiah. “I told you to leave her alone. If you can’t catch her hints, then I’ll help you figure it out.”
Isaiah put his hands up and grinned. “Hey, she came back to me. You know the ladies can’t stay away. She’ll be fair game when she’s sober.”
Not saying a word, he let the weight of his friend’s stupidity hang in the air as he walked past him. He’d known and been friends with Isaiah his whole life, and he’d never gotten betweenhim and any of the women he’d pursued. He watched him day after day chase women and almost always succeed. Hell, most of the time, the women chased him, especially lately.
But Bailey was different. He didn’t know how, but over his dead body would Isaiah manipulate her.For once, Keoni was the voice of reason, and he grabbed Bailey’s little purse and pulled her keys out before leading them to Bailey’s vehicle.
“Goddess help you if Ava finds out too. You can be besties with her all day for fun, but she’ll kill for her. That’s her real best friend. Don’t doubt that. And I know I’ve heard her tell you more than once she was off limits to you.”
Isaiah strolled along, nonchalantly laughing. “Semantics. Bailey wouldn’t have anything to complain about. Ava’d be eating her words when that girl fell in love. You guys got me all wrong.”
Keoni snorted, pushing the button on her remote as he looked around. When the distant noise of her horn sounded off, they moved towards it.
“No. We got you all right. If Nas is going to watch over her, then me and you are going back. I had several options for the night back there, and I’m not letting your shenanigans ruin it.”
“Hell yeah. Sourpuss ain’t gonna let her wake up next to me anyway.”
Keoni unlocked the door to the white Jeep in front of them and opened the passenger side, leaning the seat back as far as it could go. Nassau placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her in, shoving past Isaiah to get in the driver’s seat.
“I’ll get her home in the morning.”
Keoni smiled and waved, slinging his arm around Isaiah as they headed back. Looking over at her sleeping form, he paused. She would be pissed at him when she woke up. But at least she’d be safe, and he could breathe easier. Shifting gears as he pulled onto the main road, he headed for his house, but he couldn’tstop thinking, couldn’t stop feeling. He didn’t know why, but he needed to make sure she was safe, that she was happy.
Maybe it was a loyalty to Ava, or how Bailey seemed so carefree with everything, but every moment he’d been near her had been torture. The second he had walked into the ballroom, intent on only telling the couple congratulations and maybe grabbing a drink or playing cards with someone, he had tensed. A quick sweep of the room made him realize Makaii and Ava had left already, but his gaze was drawn to her. To Bailey.
He had stood on the edge of the dance floor watching her shake her ass, moving from partner to partner as every Tuisa warrior he knew hit on her, touched her, or spoke with her.A sense of longing had filled him, a need, as he skirted the floor, watching her move, analyzing every expression on her delicate face.
On the surface, she looked like she was having fun, like she was having the time of her life and was in complete control. But he kept his eye on her, noticing her expression fall between conversations, her furtive glances around the room, and anytime a song ended, she tried to get away, but was immediately pulled back. When the guys who came off shift with him started hassling her at the bar, and she tried to get away then too, it pissed him off. And the closer he got to her, the more he could feel her panic. If he felt it, there was no way the others didn’t. Especially the way Isaiah had her pressed against him. He could feel her annoyance. He knew she didn’t want him to touch her, and he wasn’t stopping.
All these grown ass men were out there chasing a woman who was trying to get away from them, and when she called him closer at the gazebo, he couldn’t resist either, and it bothered him. It made him no better than anyone else who couldn’t keep their hands off her. Because no matter what words came out of her dirty little mouth, he knew she only reached out for comfort,only did what she did to make others happy. He could feel it in his bones.
So, when she’d walked away from him upset, somehow, instinctually he knew she wasn’t upset with him. She could drink as much as she wanted, could let anyone touch and grab her, but her eyes sought him out over and over. She wanted him to react, to lose control, but he wouldn’t. He fixated on every man who touched her, wanted to rip each of their fingers from their body, needed them to know this wasn’t what she wanted, but he couldn’t. Not when she was on a mission to prove something to him, to herself. He wouldn’t be the man who caged this beautiful disaster.
But, fuck. Her pussy clenching around his fingers almost undid him. Her begging and teasing tested his resolve, but he didn’t want her like that.
