Page 13 of Falling for Nicole
“You might not like it, Gingernut, but you needed me last night. Fuck knows how you’d have ended up if I didn’t rescue you.” He’s so close I can feel his breath on my neck. Goosebumps prick my skin and I feel my nipples once again press against the cotton. “You needed saving from yourself.”
I swallow down my regret, firstly for drinking so much and secondly for whatever it is I don’t remember I did. I knew coming to his barbeque was a really bad idea.
“Where are my clothes?”
“Over on the chest of drawers, clean and dry.”
“Why did they need to be cleaned?” I ask through gritted teeth, because I’m fairly sure I don’t want to know. I haven’t drank in months, and it seems that I still go slightly crazy when I’ve had a few too many.
“You puked over both of us. I had to put you in the shower to clean you up.”
“Youput me in the shower?” Embarrassment floods me as I think about him stripping and washing me.
“Someone had to do it.”
I’m fucking mortified.
* * *
“Oh my god, that smell,” I say as I meet Dec and his two housemates in his kitchen thirty minutes later.
“Liam’s the house cook,” Dec says, looking me up and down.
I’m once again in my own clothes and feeling a little more like myself since having a shower, but what I really want is to relax back in that huge bath at Lilly’s.
“Declan, you kept that one quiet. You should have told me you wanted her from the off.”
“Fuck off, BJ. I don’t want her.” His voice drips with disgust. I hate that tears sting my eyes, but his comment hurts.
“I’ll be leaving, then.” I try to make my voice as strong as possible but even I don’t miss the waver.
“Stay and have something to eat,” Liam offers, handing over a plate.
I look down at the bacon sandwich and my mouth waters. Declan’s death glare almost has me refusing until he opens his mouth to say something.
Holding my breath, I wait to find out how badly his words are going to cut this time.
“Eat that, then I’ll take you home.”
My mouth drops open at his offer. I was going to walk, so I’m more than grateful.
“Thank you.” I keep my eyes downcast, unable to look Dec in the eye knowing he saw me naked mere hours ago.
* * *
“Here’s the dirty stop out,” Lilly announces with a laugh when I walk into her kitchen later that morning. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than first thing. Liam’s cooking helped.”
Lilly looks almost impressed. “You mean Dec didn’t kick you out the second you woke up?”
“Not quite. At times he was almost civil.”
“I thought you’d be too embarrassed to stay.” Her words remind me that I still have no idea what happened last night.
“I DID WHAT?!” I squeal after Lilly reveals the events of the night before.
“I’m so sorry. If I knew, I’d have stopped you, but I was chatting outside. Dec sorted you out though.”
