Page 32 of Not So Goode

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

She tilted her head. “What, Charlie? You’re thinking something you don’t want to be thinking.”

How could she tell? My brain was swirling, whirling. Tumultuous and chaotic.

I ground my teeth, but the thought wouldn’t dissipate or recede back inside, no matter how hard I tried to shove it down. “It’s dumb.”

She smirked. “I bet I know.”

“You couldn’t possibly.”

“You think it washot. You being in trouble, and him saving you.” She grinned wide and bright. “You think you should be more shook up by what happened, but all you can think about ishim.”

“Shutup!” I snapped. “You don’t know that.”

She just laughed. “Oh, I do now, girlfriend. You are turned on like a motherfucker.”

“I am not.”

She slid closer. “Own it, Char-Char. Nothing seriously bad happened to you. It was gross and scary, but he stopped it before it got bad. And yeah, he’s fuckin’ hot as hell, in a big bad wolf kind of way.”

I let my head sink back against the couch cushion. Groaned. “It’s so dumb.” Another groan. “I’mso dumb. I was such a drunken idiot, Lex. The things I said, god, I won’t be able to look him in the eye.”

Lexie cackled. “Newsflash, darling, you’re still drunk. How you’re even awake right now, I’m not sure.”

“Me either. I shouldn’t be.” I tested my legs, pushing against the floor, and got nearly to what my yoga teacher would call a sloppy version of chair pose. Fell back, dizzy from the effort. “Nope, I will not be upright any time soon.” I held my head in my hands as the world spun like a top. “Still very, very drunk.”

“Yeah, you’re not sobering up that fast, baby girl. It just doesn’t work that way.”

I’d finished the water, both bottles Crow had left—and even his name was sexy. It fit him: he was dark and sharp and intelligent and cunning and predatory and sleek.

“I wonder where he got the water,” I said. “I want to be more sober faster.” That didn’t sound right, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I had my eyes closed, felt something cold and wet pressed against my cheek. “Here.” A low, powerful voice, smooth and dark.

I opened my eyes, and Crow was there, kneeling in front of me, his chest against my knees. Pressing a bottle of water to my cheek. His eyes were pools of inky darkness, swallowing me. I could just see his throat in the shadows, and could almost make out his pulse. Was it beating as hard as mine?

“Thanks,” I said.

“How the hell’re you awake right now? Thought for sure you were done for the day.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t sleep easily, even drunk, it seems.”

“Don’t fight it,” he murmured. “Just let it all spin around you. You’re safe.”

“Don’t like being out of control.”

Lexie was watching the exchange, biting back a smirk, but remaining silent.

He nodded. “I know what you mean. Feel the same way.” He glanced at the stage, listening. “Song’s almost over, gotta go. Guitar change. Just wanted to check on you.”

I just nodded, as gently and shallowly as I could manage, to keep the world from spinning off its axis. “Okay,” I whispered, dumbly.

He went, and I watched him go. The man had a beautiful ass. The jeans wrapped around it, seemed to cradle the taut hard globes.

“Man’s got a great ass,” Lexie muttered.

I laughed, feeling myself blush. “Yeah. I noticed.”