17. Chapter Seventeen #2
I whistle loudly, and his eyes snap to mine. I gesture from Allie to the door when he smiles and nods slowly—then he fucking winks .
Heat crawls up my neck, and I quickly turn away to help Allie out the door.
Hopefully, he drinks enough to forget.
Dragging a drunk person into a house isn’t as easy as it sounds. Thankfully for me, Allie is as light as a feather. I could easily fling her over my shoulder if I really needed to, but as expected, she’s adamant about walking inside on her own.
“Okay, one more step,” I say as she carefully sets her foot on the stone step.
“I got it, I got it.” Her eyebrows are drawn together in concentration.
She keeps insisting she’s got it, but every time I let go, she nearly face-plants onto the pavement. A few times, she thought she was doing it solo, but I was actually holding on to the back of her dress, just enough to let her feel like she had full control.
It’s like teaching a kid to ride a bike without training wheels. So really, her confidence in walking a straight line is kind of my fault, but I can live with that.
I push open the front door, not bothering to flip the light on. We maneuver past the chairs and sofa, finally making it to the banister of the stairs when Allie tries to take a step—and stumbles.
“Alright,” I say, scooping her up into my arms.
I was sure she’d fight me, but instead, she nestles in close, staying perfectly still as I carefully make my way upstairs.
Lightly kicking open her bedroom door, I inch closer to the bed and gently lay her down on top of the duvet. She stretches her arms high above her head, yawning as she attempts to scoot up.
I turn around for two seconds, just trying to walk to her closet, when a loud thud sounds behind me.
I whip around, nerves skyrocketing with the thought that she just rolled off the bed. But instead, I see her kicking off her high heels and flinging them off the bed.
“Why is it so hot in here?” She groans, unzipping the back of her dress.
My eyes widen as my heart starts pounding in my chest.
“What’re you doing, Allie?” I ask warily.
I watch her closely, trying to keep my eyes on hers and not her chest, but she’s making that extremely difficult.
She grabs the dress by the hem, slowly shimmying it up her body until it gets stuck on her chest. That’s when I put two and two together, and I spin around, rushing to her dresser in search of something she can sleep in comfortably.
The sound of fabric hitting the floor behind me sends the hairs on my arms standing up. Just the image of her removing that dress is planted deep in my memory now, already causing a slow, straining pressure straight to my dick.
I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath, willing the pressure to ease before I feel ready to turn around.
Then I do, slowly, my eyes lifting to find Allie sprawled out on the bed in nothing but a pair of black, lacy knickers and a matching bra.
And there it goes again. That fucking pressure building back at rapid speed.
I swallow hard, inching closer to the bed and gently place my knee on it, practically crawling toward her.
“Allie?” I ask quietly, testing if she’s already asleep.
“Hmm,” she groans, but doesn’t move.
I grab the back of my neck, squeezing tight, then inch a little closer. “Do you want to put this on?” I ask, holding up the cotton nightie.
She nods simply, then rolls over and lifts her arms, silently asking for help.
I take her hands in mine and gently guide her into a sitting position. My heart’s pounding a mile a minute while I breathe in the scent of her perfume laced with tequila.
Carefully leaning forward, I slip the shirt over her head, and she leans in slowly, her breath warm against my skin while I pull it down her body. When her eyes meet mine, there’s a quiet shift, and she gives me a small smile.
Her eyes flick to my lips, then back again, and my chest explodes into a raging fire. Then her lips crash into mine, warm and soft. They slowly part as her tongue tangles with mine, gently sweeping across as we taste each other.
I carefully lace my fingers into her hair, cradling one side of her face and keep kissing her, afraid I’ll never stop.
The way she tastes is intoxicating, and I don’t mean because of how much alcohol she’s had over the last few hours.
But instead, it’s the way my heart nearly bursts as she gently moans into my mouth.
The sound alone is enough to make me want to rip her clothes off, but then I remember why I can’t.
I immediately pull back, separating the two of us. Her lips are slightly swollen, and the look of lust in her eyes makes me want to say fuck it. But I can’t do that.
I’m not like Gareth.
“You’re drunk, love,” I murmur.
“So what?” she says, sounding disappointed.
I chuckle, gently swiping my thumb along her cheek. “So, I’m not that kind of guy,” I admit. I don’t want to say anything bad about Gareth out loud, but he and I are absolutely different when it comes to this.
Her eyes drop while she finishes putting on her shirt and slides back up the bed. She crawls under the duvet, and I help the best I can, pulling it into place around her.
She turns over, bunching the blanket in her hands and blowing out a slow breath.
I tilt my head, searching for the right words. It’s not that I don’t want to—because God , do I want to—it’s just… not right .
“Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
She nods but says nothing.
I rest my hand on her thigh through the blanket, my thumb rubbing slow circles.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I just… feel silly,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper.
I shake my head slowly. “Please don’t, Allie. I want to—believe me.” I chuckle softly. “Just… not like this. Not while you’re plastered.”
She rolls slightly, offering me a small smile. “So… if I weren’t drunk?”
I nod, returning the smile. “If you weren’t drunk, I wouldn’t have pulled away,” I admit with a shrug. “We can talk about it when you’ve sobered up if you want. I just want you to be clear-headed if we were to make that sort of step.”
She nods. “Okay.”
I slowly stand from the bed, taking one last look at her to make sure she’s okay before walking to the door.
“Jax?” The vulnerability in her voice makes me stop dead in my tracks.
My hand lingers on the handle while I turn around. “Yes, love?”
“Can you stay?”
If my heart explodes one more time tonight, I’m afraid there’ll be nothing left of it.
I press my lips together, suppressing the grin that wants to slip through. “Sure.”
Carefully, I kick off my shoes and climb into the bed, raising my arm so she can scoot closer.
Her head settles gently against my chest before she murmurs, “Thank you.”
I rest my chin on top of her head before muttering, “It’s my pleasure.”
And it really is.