CHAPTER 26
Billie
I elbowed Eve and nodded to a couple of men staring at her. “What about them?”
She glanced over and immediately shook her head. “How drunk are you? Those men are my grandpa’s age.”
I squinted in their direction and shrugged. “Age is nothing but a number, right?”
She laughed and threw back another shot. “So you keep saying.”
My head was fuzzy but I did have a memory of ranting about age not mattering. I grunted and smiled, too drunk to care if I was repeating myself. “I’m just saying. Men who act like they’re a hundred years older when they’re less than fifteen years older are dumb. I’m an adult woman. Look at me! Do I look like a little kid?”
Eve watched with wide eyes as I stood up and pulled off the flannel shirt I’d worn over my tank top. She tried to grab my hand but I was drunk enough that I was past being stopped. After almost falling off a bar stool, I managed to stand on top of the bar and throw my shirt into the crowd.
“Attention, everyone at Jack’s!” I pushed my hair out of my face and waved at the bartender shaking his head at me. “Do I look like a little kid? Am I too young to have a little fun?”
Cheers went up around the bar. “You look old enough to me!”
“Thank you, stranger in the crowd! I am old enough. No matter what three stupid, big-headed, jackass men think. I, Billie Myers, am a grown woman and I can—”
Thick arms wrapped around my thighs and I screeched when it felt like I was falling. Clutching the head of whoever grabbed me, I laughed as I slid down their body. My breasts smashed into their face and then I saw I was staring into the very angry eyes of Keaton. I tried to spin away from him and act like it wasn’t happening, but he had his arms locked around me.
“I don’t want to dance right now, Keaton. I was in the middle of something.” I looked over his shoulder at Eve, who was definitely checking out his ass. “It’s nice, right? Too nice.”
Keaton picked me up and growled when I naturally wrapped my legs around his waist. “You’re so lucky it was me who came to get you, Bumble B.”
Eve stood up and grinned at me. “You’re in big trouble, missy.”
I laughed even as I looped my arms around Keaton’s neck and sighed happily. “I think I got a ride home, Eve. You want to hop on?”
She giggled until a large shadow fell over her. Her eyes trailed up the big man’s body and I saw her cheeks darken. “What do you want?”
Keaton paused. “Are you good? I can drive you home, if you need. It’ll give me longer to rip B a new one.”
“My old ones are just fine, thank you.” I hiccupped and leaned away from Keaton so I could whisper at Eve. “I let him touch my butt. You know what I mean? My butt.”
Keaton swore and spun me away from Eve. “Eve?”
I could hear her laughing wildly and gave her a thumbs up over Keaton’s shoulder. “I give it an eight out of ten. Would recommend!”
“An eight?” Keaton, momentarily distracted, leaned his head back so he could look me in the eyes. “Really?”
I shrugged. “You didn’t finish.”
Eve gasped. “You didn’t come?”
I leaned way over so I could see her. “No, I did. But he and his brothers got all superior in the middle and I ran home half naked. Then, their younger brother saw me because I was out looking for my raccoon. I was sad and I needed someone to cuddle but he was cuddling with Betsy so I went back home all alone. Now I have Turtle, though, so when they upset me, I can just cuddle him.”
The guy next to Eve sighed and tugged her out of her seat and into his arms. “Glad to see you’re not the only insane woman around here.”
Keaton nodded to the man and they exchanged some sort of silent communication because they each took their own drunk woman their own way. Keaton carried me out of the bar without uttering another word. He buckled me into the passenger side of his truck and pulled onto the highway, all while remaining silent.
I wiggled in my seat and shivered. “It’s cold in here.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you took your shirt off and threw it across the bar.”
Sighing, I curled my feet under me and pulled my arms inside the body of my tank top. “Why are you here?”
Jabbing buttons, Keaton turned on the heat and pointed it at me. “A friend called and mentioned that sweet Billie Myers was getting drunk as a skunk in a bar surrounded by men watching her like hawks.”
I waved him off. “That’s a lie.”
He tossed a blank stare at me over the console and grunted.
“Okay. It’s half a lie.” I laughed. “I might be drunk but nobody was watching me. They were probably looking at Eve. She could’ve been a model. Don’t tell me if you agree with me because I think it would make me want to punch her a little bit and I don’t want that. I like her. She’s a good friend.”
“You’re a terrible drunk.”
Scoffing, I tried to sit up straighter. “Am not! I’m a great time.”
He turned off on the road that led to Deerbend and sighed. “You say a lot when you’re drunk that I don’t think you mean to. How are you going to feel about this in the morning?”
I stared at his profile as the heat warmed me and reached my finger out to trace the lines of his face. “What is it about the women you bring home that makes them enough?”
Coughing, Keaton gently pulled my hand away from his face and cleared his throat. “Maybe we should listen to something.”
“I know some of them are my age.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “What is it about them that you want? What don’t I have?”
“B…it’s not like that.”
“Never mind. Forget I said anything.” I laughed awkwardly and turned to face the window. “Did you see that guy with Eve? He was big. I hope she gets laid but if she’s taking him to bed, I hope she has medical insurance.”
“He wasn’t any bigger than us, Bumble B, and you—” He cut himself off and groaned. “This is fucking torture.”
I saw the lights of the ranch in the distance and let out a breath of relief. “It’s almost over.”
“I’m going to come in with you to make sure you’re okay before I leave.”
I waved him off. “I’m fine. I don’t need help. You just go upstairs and call whatever woman you have on speed dial this week.”
“Billie.” He growled my name like a curse and drove through the gate going too fast. His frustration was clear, but I felt like it was his fault.
When he slid to a stop, I fumbled to undo my seatbelt and nearly stumbled out of the truck as I opened the door. I didn’t, though. I caught myself and straightened my tank top before slamming the truck door and marching towards my house. Technically, I reminded myself, it was their house.
Keaton surprised me when he was still next to me when I got to the carriage house. He pushed the door open for me after I unlocked it and waited for me to finish greeting Turtle before he motioned me towards my bedroom. “I’ll take Turtle out while you get ready for bed.”
Thankful to not have to stand while waiting for him to do his business, I stripped out of my clothes and stood at my bathroom sink, washing my face, and brushing my hair. I was in the middle of flossing when Keaton walked in and groaned.
“B!”
I met his gaze in the mirror and shrugged. “What? I’m ready for bed.”
“I don’t know if you’re just drunk or pure evil?”
I finished by brushing my teeth while he watched and then I crawled into bed with my back to him. I sighed heavily as I settled with the blanket pulled up to my chin. “You’re being dramatic.”
“Move over.”
I rolled over and saw him kicking out of his boots. His face was a mask of frustration as he motioned me aside. I scooted backwards in the bed and watched him. “What are you doing?
“Making sure you don’t choke on your own vomit tonight.” He settled next to me, fully dressed, and folded his arms behind his head.
I curled into him and wrapped my arm over his chest. “You’re bigger than Brutus and Turtle. I like that.”
“You don’t actually cuddle with the raccoon, do you?”
I yawned and nuzzled my face into him. “Didn’t you hear me? He cuddles with Betsy. They’re a thing. Just one more place I don’t fit.”
Keaton wrapped his arm around me and spoke into my hair. “Go to sleep, B.”
“It’s okay if you aren’t, but I just want to prepare. Will you be here when I wake up?” I yawned again and tossed my leg over his.
“I shouldn’t be.”
“Okay.”