Page 30 of Impulsive Saint
“You’re what… twenty-two?”
“Twenty-three.” she corrected, holding a finger up to further emphasize her point.
“So you’re twenty-three,” he amended and tried not to laugh when she nodded proudly as if that was some sort of accomplishment. “And you’ve never been drunk? How is that possible?”
“Ummmmm, Senator’s daughter here.” She raised her hand above her head and used her finger to point down at herself this time.
“So you were wildly unpopular and never invited to any parties in high school or college.” he teased just to see if she would react and she didn’t disappoint.
“Hey!” She threw her second boot at him as she finally succeeded in peeling it off. “Don’t be rude! I’ll have you know I was very popular.”
“Sounds like it.” He bit his cheek to hide the smile that wanted to form.
In the bar, he’d thought that grin of hers was adorable and sexy. Now it was just adorable. Drunk women, in his experience, were always either adorable or intolerable. He was happy to note that Ashtyn was the first. Sweet, funny, naïve and adorable, he really wasn’t as surprised to find out she’d never been drunk before as he should have been.
“Senator’s daughters are scriltinzed… scrult… scrutilized… scrutinized… more than people think.” she harrumphed, glaring at him when she finally found the word she wanted. “I had to always put my best foot forward. No drunk party pics on social media. No hooking up or any of the other fun stuff on my bucket list. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not for me.”
Tyler frowned, “Hooking up is on your bucket list?”
“Duh.” She looked at him as if he was stupid. “Everyone deserves a one-night stand. Even Senator’s daughters.”
He shook his head as her words sank in, “This little road trip we’re on, that was part of your bucket list too. You think you’re going to knock all the items off your list along the way, don’t you?”
Her grin was big, wide and mischievous again and she clapped, “Ding. Ding. Ding. Give the man a cookie.”
Tyler pushed up from the wall he’d leaned again, “Well, I hate to break it to you, princess, but that’s one item you’re not crossing off your list. No one-night stands. Not on my watch.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to look serious, but the grin wouldn’t give her any credibility, “That’s fine.”
“Oh yeah?” He tilted his head, curious to know what she was thinking.
“Yeah… totally. I won’t have a one-night stand on your watch.” She shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder, “I’ll just wait until you go to sleep again.”
He growled audibly and she cracked up laughing again.
“You should see your face right now.”
“You should see yours.” he shot back.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Like a child. But he supposed his comeback had been childish in the first place.
He forced himself to focus. She was drunk. Talking to her might be entertaining but it wasn’t going to get them anywhere. It was late and they had a long day tomorrow. He actually smiled a little as he thought of what was to come.
“You’re going to be hungover tomorrow.”
She shrugged and he was the one to laugh this time.
“Bet that wasn’t on your bucket list but it’s as good a lesson as any. Actions have consequences, princess.”
She rolled her eyes and his grin widened.
“I’ll get you some water and Advil.” He went into the small motel bathroom, as much to get away from her for a few seconds as to grab the items he’d offered. If he was an asshole, he wouldn’t have offered her either and would have taken pleasure in seeing her pain in the morning, hoping it made her rethink this entire journey and decide to go home. But he’d had his share of hangovers and riding on a bike all day with someone who was likely to throw up after every turn wasn’t his idea of a good time, or even good torture.
He filled one of the small paper cups with water from the faucet and downed the cool liquid before putting it under the tap and refilling it. He returned to the room and opened his mouth to tell her the Advil was in his pack, which was still on the motorcycle but he stopped in his tracks again. He stared at the figure lying on the bed but she didn’t move and he slowly sighed with exasperation.
She was asleep already. Passed out was probably a better term for it. And she’d gone to sleep without drinking any of the water or taking anything for the headache that would loom large tomorrow. He contemplated waking her up to give her the medicine but instead he just put the water on the bedside table next to her and then quietly went out to his bike to retrieve his stuff.
She was snoring slightly when he let himself back in. He put the Advil on the table next to the water, hoping she’d wake up at some point in the middle of the night and think to take it. Then he went to take a shower, wash the long day off and try to mentally prepare himself for day two of dealing with the mess of a woman that confounded him at every turn.
