Page 66 of Live for Me

She’d never been to a bar just to drink for fun. She’d never gone out for girls' nights or spent an entire day eating greasy cheeseburgers to try and recover from a hangover that she didn’t even remember drinking herself right into. She’d never been in a position where she felt safe enough to just drink until she wasn’t in control anymore because she knew the person with her would make sure she was still going to be where she belonged by the end of the night.

All of that also meant she’d never had sloppy drunk sex to further the intoxication right into euphoria.

But again, this night wasn’t supposed to be about sex.

Fuck.

“Told you,” Indy whispered and slapped me on the shoulder to bring me back to the moment.

“Is this okay for wherever we’re going?” Memphis asked and looked down the front of her own body.

Indy laughed. “You’re going to get him into a world of trouble. It’s perfect.”

“What’s that mean? Should I go change?” she asked and took a step backward, like she was about to sprint back down the hallway.

“You can wear anything you like, sugar. If I have to break a jaw or two, so be it. Don’t worry your pretty head about it. That’s why I’m going with you,” I said and motioned with my hand for her to come with me. She looked away from me in an instant when the tiniest hint of red crept up her very exposed cleavage toward her neck.

“Leave your phones on so I can keep an eye on everybody,” Indy said as I ushered Memphis toward the door. “Call me if you need a ride later.”

“We don’t have to do this if you won’t have any fun,” she said when I opened the truck door for her and held out my hand.

“Something tells me I’ll enjoy this night way more than you will.”

She glared at me for a second before she took my hand to climb up into the cab.

That tiny hand was both freezingandsweating.

And I couldn’t do shit about the smile that took over my entire face because of it. I had to put genuine effort into wiping it back off my face before I got into the truck myself.

“Indy said you were talking to Triss. How is she?”

“Jersey lookssogood,” she whispered.

I spent a couple seconds wondering what I’d asked, because apparently, that wasn’t really the kind of phrase that I enjoyed hearing about other men when it came from her mouth. But she shook her head and continued anyway before I could even ask for clarification.

“I didn’t even realize hownot wellhe looked before, because I’d only ever seen him the one way, you know? And he keeps telling me that he’ll come back here. Even if it’s for no reason other than just me wanting him here. But how could I ask him to come home when he lookedthatway when he was here, knowing that he looksthisway now that he’s somewhere else? Somewhere better.”

“I think it’s probably his brain making the changes, angel. Not the location. Or maybe it’s Trista. Who Ithinkis the one I was actually asking about?”

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “I know you guys don’t like each other. It was just nice to see him that way. I never did in person. I guess I just?—”

“You miss him,” I finished for her.

She looked over at me for just a split second before she looked back down to her lap. The world of hurt in those green eyes cut right through me in a way that wasn’t going to let me forget about it until I’d found a way to take that pain right the fuck away from her.

“Things just felt easier when he was here,” she said.

“Did they?” I asked with a laugh. “I don’t feel like I remember anything but tension and fighting and threats aimed pretty squarely at Indy and me.”

“I mean, I know there were still issues,” she said and giggled a little. “There were just different kinds of problems. It was easier to focus on him. Just telling him what to do all the time, working all the time. It didn’t leave much room for worrying about anything else.”

“Anything else,” I repeated. “What is it that bothers you now? You still seem to do a fine job at bossing the rest of us around.”

She smiled at me that time.

A real smile.

The same emotion that had those flawless teeth on display sparkled right through her eyes too.

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