Page 8 of Knight With Benefits

I lifted my hand to wave it at him, but I was further gone than I’d thought because I started tipping again.

David was over the bar and holding my elbow before I could get a grip on the stool to stay upright.

“I’ll be fine.”

I tried to pull away, but he refused to release me, and part of me was glad he was keeping me steady since my eyes kept watering too much for me to tell if the lights were swaying, or if it was me.

“Nope. Either you wait here until you sober up, or I’m walking you home.”

A snort escaped, followed by a hiccup.

“The point was tonotbe sober. And you have a job to do, so you can’t just leave.”

I saw him glace around before shrugging.

“They’ll be fine for a few minutes. I’LL BE BACK. DON’T TOUCH MY LIQUOR.”

He bellowed the last part, making me flinch as I wondered how such a lean guy could create so much noise.

A chorus of voices answered him, good-natured complaints and threats following us to the door. The brush of cold air as he opened it and walked me through made me shiver, but it helped clear my head enough for me to be able to lift it and look around.

“I’ll drag you to the appointments myself if you keep skipping them. I know firsthand how much it helps, so quit being a jackass, Jackass.”

Carl’s deep rumble pulled my eyes to where he stood beside a younger alpha sitting on one of the motorcycles. Their outlines were blurry, but the light above the door was enough for me to see them despite the dark clothing they wore.

“Whatever. I need to go.”

The growl of the motorcycle cut off anything else that was said, but Carl’s body language showed his irritation. It was instinctual to hunch into myself and flinch away when he turned toward us.

“What’s going on?”

The betas I’d known before would have pulled away from me the moment we drew an alpha’s attention, but David remained steady, supporting me as my knees grew weaker when memories flashed through my head.

“I’m walking her home to be sure she gets there in one piece. She had a bit too much.”

Carl’s soft huff was enough to tell me he’d closed the distance between us, the wind bringing a heavy dose of his scent to flood my lungs. It reminded me of s’mores, chocolaty notes blending with sugar and the smokey smell of fire.

It made my mouth water and my core clench.

“I’ll take her. You don’t want to leave those idiots alone in there.”

A crash from inside the bar punctuated Carl’s statement, and David cursed under his breath. Gentle fingers touched my chin, turning my head until I met David’s dark eyes, and while there was a crease between his brows suggesting he was angry, I only saw concern in his gaze.

“Is that alright? I can always have Carl go in and deal with them while I walk you home.”

I was torn. The omega part of me was perfectly happy with having the alpha escort me. She’d let him escort me right into my nest, and that was the problem. Something about the big alpha had put me at ease and stirred a part of me I’d thought dead and buried long before my mate had been.

But David was responsible for the bar, and I was keeping him from doing his job. If he got in trouble for what was happening inside, it would be my fault, and I already had a heavy enough load of guilt.

“I told you, I’m fine. I can get home alone.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, brow arching as he let go of my arm and the world started tipping again. His expression said it all, even before a larger hand cupped my elbow and straightened the world for me.

Heaving a sigh, I flapped my hand at David, shooing him back inside. I could hold onto my wits long enough to get through my front door, and if the inner part of me was disappointed by the thought of shutting it in Carl’s face, that was just too bad.

“Fine. FINE.”

I rounded on Carl, stumbling as he lost his hold due to the quick movement. I would have ended up flat on the pavement if he hadn’t managed to catch me, thick arms pulling me far too close to his broad chest. His scent was too strong, too potent, with my palms pressed flat to the slabs of muscle under his shirt, and my breath caught as I stared at lips that smirked back down at me amidst the darkness of his beard.

---