“Great,” Blake said. “She goes crazy when she has tequila.”
“I do not,” she said like a little kid and then giggled. “If you’re talking about that one time when we went to Mexico and—”
Blake put his hand over her mouth. “That story isn’t for public consumption. Andy, why don’t you head out so your babysitter can go home? I’ll see that Nat gets home safely.”
“I can get back home fine,” she told them, leaning against Blake’s solid chest.
“Did you drive here?” he asked her.
“Oh, crap.” There were two of him, and both faces were so pretty she reached up and pinched his cheeks.
“That’s what I thought,” Blake said with a grumble.
“She picked me up,” Andy said.
“Then take her car. We can figure the rest out tomorrow when she’s sober.”
Blake signaled for something with his fingers, but Natalie couldn’t make it out. Moments later, Jordan appeared with a grin and a glass of water. He thrust it out and bent at the waist.
“My lady,” he said in a British accent, making her giggle.
“Jordan, you have lost your mind.” Blake ran his hand through his hair and cursed. “Damn mousse. Is everyone like this?”
“Pretty much,” Sam said. “I’m glad you and I refused to drive into town in that monstrosity Jordan rented. You take care of Nat, and I’ll herd the rest of the cats into the Hummer. Grant’s cuing up to sing the Notre Dame fight song.”
“Gee, that sounds like fun,” she said, looking for her singing buddy.
“If he gets going, we’re doomed,” Blake said. “You’d better stop him, Sam.”
With that, the man walked off. He was so serious all the time.
“Are you sure you have her?” Andy asked with a dark frown.
She patted his chest in her best imitation of patty-cake. “Don’t you know anything, Andy Cakes? Blake has always had me.”
The men shared a glance.
Her laughter snorted out. “He had me at hello. Get it.”
“Oh, brother. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning,” her brother said, kissing her cheek.
“Wait,” she cried out, grabbing a hunk of his shirt. “Did you find anyone to talk to tonight?”
He glanced upward. “Yes. Blake was most helpful. Her name is Valerie. I’ll tell you more later when you’re guaranteed to remember.”
“Blake is the best friend ever,” she said in all seriousness and then gave a gigantic hiccup.
“Yes, he is,” Andy said agreeably. “Hiccups signal—”
“I know,” Blake said. “We’re out of here. Catch you later, Andy Cakes.”
Her brother shot him a look. “If you hadn’t been such a good wingman…”
As Andy walked off, she snuggled closer to Blake. He was warm. “Have they turned on the air conditioner or something? It’s freezing in here.”
Blake swore softly. “First hiccups and now the chills. I know what comes next. We need to go, babe.”
She pressed her hand to her skull, which was starting to hurt. “What comes next, Blake? I can’t remember.”
He hustled her out of there with the help of that giant bouncer man, the other guys trailing after them. The camera flashes made her eyes turn to dry balls in their sockets, she blinked so much. Her stomach started to churn. When Blake buckled her into the passenger seat of his SUV, she moaned.
“Hang on, babe.”
The sound of the car door slamming made her wince. Her head rolled over on the seat as she turned her head to look at him. He was so darn pretty. Tonight all she wanted to do was fall back into the world they had once shared. The one where they’d always been there to take care of each other, to love each other. She was such a sap.
“I love it when you call me, babe,” she said after he was settled in the driver’s seat.
The sigh he released was harsh in the quiet of the car. “Now you tell me? Your timing sucks.” He turned the key in the ignition and started to drive.
She closed her eyes. “You said it wrong.”
“Huh?” The car was picking up speed, and her skin started to turn to fire.
Then she realized Blake was the fire. He’d always blazed larger than life. Why else had she been so attracted to him? He helped keep the cold inside her at bay.
“Your timing sucks, babe.”
He didn’t respond, and she cracked her eyes open to look at him. There were still two of him, and each one looked bigger than Hercules.
“Ah,” he finally said. “How could I forget?”
“Don’t know,” she mumbled. “You never forget. Not even things like my birthday or our anniversary like some other guys. Are we almost home?”
“Yes, babe. We’re almost home. Go to sleep.”
“I’m not tired,” she said, feeling like she was sitting around a big, happy bonfire on a quiet stretch of beach. “Let’s sing a song.”
He groaned. “Please, babe. Go to sleep.”
“No. How about ‘You Are My Sunshine’?” It seemed appropriate. Hadn’t she just been thinking about firelight? Wasn’t the sun the biggest, baddest ball of fire in the universe?