Page 19 of Desperate Pucker (Denver Bashers #6)

Ryker

Iwatch as Maddy knocks back her third whiskey and Coke.

She sets the empty glass back on the table and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Her pale skin flushes pink. I’ve noticed that her skin almost always flushes when she drinks alcohol.

She slow-blinks at me. Her gray-blue eyes are hazy from how much alcohol she’s had over the past couple of hours.

She licks her lips and points at me. “You’re brilliant.”

I fight a smile. “Am I?”

She nods, then grabs a cube of ice out of her cup and drops it in her mouth. She crunches it between her teeth. “Yeah. Whiskey and Coke is the best drink ever.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

She crunches on another ice cube and brushes her hair out of her face. It falls back in her eyes, and she frowns. I hold back a laugh at how fucking adorable she is when she’s drunk.

“I don’t think you can say something is the best drink ever unless you’ve had all the drinks in the world,” I say, my tone on the edge of teasing.

Her eyebrows crash together like she’s deep in thought. She’s too drunk to realize I’m kidding.

She nods once. “You’re right. I should drink more. Where’s the server?”

She looks around for him, but I slide over a glass of water.

“No more alcohol for you, princess. Just water from now on.”

She sticks her bottom lip out and crosses her arms, but a second later, she drinks the water I gave her.

“Don’t call me princess,” she says when she puts the empty glass back down on the table.

“You love it.”

“I hate it.”

“Madeline! It’s picture time!” Ingrid slides over to hug Maddy. She presses her cheeks against hers, and they both smile. Sophie snaps a photo, then the three of them take a selfie together.

I glance around. Half the table is drunk.

“We’re going to call it a night,” Blomdahl says before standing up and helping Bella out of her chair.

“The ladies hit the wine pretty hard, huh?” I say.

Blomdahl chuckles. “Yup.”

They leave cash on the table for their drinks, then wave goodbye before taking off. Del, Ingrid, Theo, and Maya do the same a few minutes later.

The rest of us at the table settle up our tabs, then get ready to leave.

Maddy wobbles as she stands up from the table, almost dropping her purse.

I step over to her and gently grab her arm. “Let me help you.”

She frowns up at me. “I can do it. I’m an independent woman.”

I try not to laugh. “You absolutely are. But just let me help, okay?”

She blinks, and her eyes turn sleepy. “Okay.”

I grab her purse and walk her out of the bar.

“You’re carrying my purse.”

“You sound surprised.” I glance down at her. She’s staring at her purse in my hand. “I’m not gonna steal it, Maddy.”

“I know,” she says softly. “My ex never carried my purse.”

I take in the sad look in her eyes. “Not even when you were drunk?”

She shakes her head. “I think it made him feel uncomfortable. He was weird about stuff like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He didn’t like to wear pink. And he refused to get his hair cut by a male hair stylist.”

“Seriously?”

She nods. “One time I was sick and needed to throw up, I asked him to hold my purse while I went to the bathroom, but he refused.”

I loop the strap of her purse over my shoulder, annoyed at what a selfish, insecure prick her ex sounds like. “Screw him. Real men wear purses.”

She giggles. Something light flickers in my chest. I really, really like the sound of her laugh. And I like seeing her like this—her guard down, talking to me like I’m her friend.

I just wish she didn’t have to be drunk to do it.

When we walk outside, a rush of cool air hits us.

“Can you believe it’s this warm at the end of February?” Sophie says.

Dakota shivers. “It’s still so cold.”

Sam takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders, then kisses her forehead. Dakota gazes at him adoringly.

“Everyone have rides home?” Sam asks. We all say yes.

Camden’s rideshare pulls up to the curb. He waves at us, then hops in.

“How’d you get here?” I ask Maddy.

“Uber.” She yawns. “Hey, can you pull my phone out of my purse and request a ride for me?”

The thought of Maddy catching a ride from a stranger this late at night when she’s this drunk makes my stomach churn.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.”

She sighs and looks away. I catch Sophie smiling as she looks between us before she and Xander tell us good night and head to their car.

Dakota hugs Maddy goodbye before she and Sam head home. I’m about to lead her to my car when she looks past me and gasps.

“Ooh! Hot dogs!”

She runs over to the vendor and orders a foot-long hot dog. “With extra mustard, sauerkraut, and relish, please.”

I walk over and hand him cash.

“That’s a top-tier drunk food order. Well done.”

She flashes a proud smile. The vendor hands her the hot dog. I lead her over to a bench nearby and help her sit down. She takes a massive bite of hot dog and smears mustard all over her chin.

I stare at her, fighting a smile. She looks up at me. “What?” she asks with her mouth full.

“Hang on.”

I head back to the hot dog cart to grab a napkin. When I turn back around, I see a guy standing above Maddy, a creepy grin on his face.

“I love redheads.”

She rolls her eyes as she takes another bite of hot dog.

The look in his eyes turns predatory as he smirks down at her. “I’m dying to know, babe. Does the carpet match the drapes?”

She stops chewing, a stricken look on her face. Anger roils through me as I stomp up to the guy. When he looks up and sees me, his eyes go wide.

“Uh, hey…”

I glower at him. “Say that to her again and I’ll rearrange your fucking teeth.”

He holds up his palms like he’s surrendering and stumbles back. “S-Sorry.” He scurries off, and I turn back to Maddy, who’s gazing up at me, her stormy eyes wide.

I reach down and wipe her mouth and chin.

“You’re very intimidating,” she murmurs.

“Only when I need to be.” I sit next to her on the bench. “Sorry that creep bothered you.”

She shrugs. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You shouldn’t have to deal with that shit.”

She picks at the bun of her hot dog. “You surprise me, Ryker,” she says after a quiet moment.

“In what way?”

She looks at me, thoughtfulness in her gaze. “When I first met you, I thought you were a jerk. Your face was all mean and grumpy too.” She’s quiet for a long moment. “But you’re a really good guy.”

I take in the softness in her gaze as she looks at me.

“That means a lot coming from you. Thanks,” I say.

She hesitates for a second, then she says, “I think about you sometimes.”

I’m about to ask her what she means, but she turns away, like she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. She finishes her last bite of hot dog.

“Want me to take you home?” I ask. She nods.

I help her up, and together we walk three blocks down the street where my car is parked. I help her into the passenger seat, buckle her up, hop in the driver’s seat, then plug her address into my navigation app.

The whole drive, she’s quiet as she gazes out the window. I almost ask her what she meant when she said that she thinks about me. I want to tell her that I think about her too. A lot. But I don’t. She’s drunk. She’s probably just saying random stuff. I don’t want to make it weird.

I pull up to a luxury apartment building on the edge of downtown Denver and park in one of the fifteen-minute spots out in front.

I hop out of the car and help her climb out of the passenger seat.

“I can walk from here,” she says. I study her eyes. They’re clearer than they were earlier, but I can tell she’s still a little tipsy.

“No. I’m taking you all the way to your front door.”

I expect her to roll her eyes or fight me, but she just nods. Together we walk to the entrance. She scans her key fob to enter, and I hold the door for her.

I glance at the elevator bank at the far end of the lobby, but she doesn’t even look at it. She just walks past it and goes straight to the stairwell. Gently, I hold her arm as she makes her way up to the third floor.

When we reach the door of her apartment, she unlocks it and starts to open it, but before she walks in, she turns to me.

I expect her to tell me goodnight, but she doesn’t. Instead, she gazes up at me, those gray-blue doe eyes bright.

“What we did in the elevator…” she rasps. “Do you ever think about it?”

“All the fucking time.”

Her eyes widen the slightest bit, and her mouth parts open. She lets out a shaky breath as she gazes at me.

Heat races across my body as I stare at her and breathe in her perfume. I’m aching to kiss her until she’s breathless and clawing at my body. I’m not going to though. Not when she’s drunk.

I step back. “Goodnight, Maddy.”

I hear the door close behind me as I walk off. I turn around to make sure she’s inside, then I walk back downstairs. When I make it to my car, I huff out a breath, my head spinning.

Well, this was one hell of a night.