She wasn’t.
“He’s out and about. Probably on the yacht with his newest fling.” As he said this, he eyes trailed over Shannon in a way that made me uncomfortable. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” he asked her.
She smiled up at him and shook her head. “I don’t I think so. I’m sorry.”
“You look awfully familiar.”
“I hear that a lot.”
He turned back to me. “Coming over to shut the night down with us?”
We usually ended our nights out on the yacht, passing out in one of the rooms below deck. “Not tonight, but maybe next go ‘round.”
Again, his eyes moved over Shannon. “Yeah. Maybe. Okay, man, have fun. See you later.”
“You too.”
Their interaction seemed strange, at least on Curtis’s end. Shannon was oblivious to him and his new fling, focusing more on the sights around her and the million-dollar view.
“This is beautiful,” she said, taking it all in.
“Agreed.” But I wasn’t looking at the view; I was looking at her.
She turned my way and blushed when she realized my eyes were on her.
The night was great; Shannon drank and laughed. She chatted with my friends when they stopped by as if she had known them her entire life, and they seemed to like her. She wasn’t usually so open and excited, but every time she lifted her cup to sip her drink, I knew it was the alcohol talking.
The more she drank, the happier she became. She moved closer and her hands explored my knee, working its way up throughout the night until she was leaning against me, snuggling into my side, and kissing me sweetly on the neck.
I had stopped drinking an hour in after seeing how heavily she was drinking, so I was sober. And while I was thoroughly enjoying her attention, I knew she was drunk.
“How about we get you home?” I said, rubbing the top of her hand as she ran it beneath my shirt.
“Your stomach is so flat,” she said in awe.
I chuckled.
“It’s so …” She ran her fingers over my ab muscles, and I swallowed hard, trying to ignore how wonderful her fingers felt against my skin. “There are all these ripples and muscles. It’s really sexy, Matthew.”
She was whispering in my ear, her voice effectively traveling down my body and landing in my balls. My cock was already standing with her attention, but I knew I couldn’t let it go anywhere. Not while she was drunk and unaware of what she was doing.
Her hand shifted lower, and I covered it with mine, pulling it back up and away from my dick.
“I definitely think it’s time to go home,” I said, pulling away a bit and grabbing her hand.
Her glassy eyes lit up, and she grinned. “I agree. Take me home. Take me and show me what it is you do to make women fall at your feet. Loosen me up, Matthew. Make me fall at your feet and forget it all.”
Her words stopped me. “What are you trying to forget?”
I was definitely missing something.
She waved her hand and giggled. “Nothing.”
She stood from her seat and leaned against me, making me laugh.
“You’re drunk. Come on.”
“I’m coming. I’m coming,” she muttered, tripping over her feet a little. “Oh, wait. No, I’m not coming … yet.” She laughed at her own joke, making me chuckle.
“Silly girl.”
I started walking her toward the exit. The quicker I could get her in my car and home, the better.
“I’m not a girl, Matthew,” she said, tapping the tip of my nose with her finger. “I’m a woman. Look at all this womanly-ness.” She made a sweeping gesture over her body with her arm and then grabbed her breast.
Thankfully, we were already in the parking lot and no one got a view of her grabbing herself. Honestly, if she wasn’t wasted, I would have enjoyed the view, but I knew she wasn’t herself.
“Yes, you’re all woman, baby. Trust me. I know.”
“Aww, you called me baby. That’s so freaking sweet. I like it when you call me sweet names.” We stopped at my car as I dug out my keys to open the passenger side door for her.
She stopped me, reaching up and grabbing me by the face with both hands. “Did you hear me? I said I like you, Matthew.”
I looked down at her, wishing she meant it and that it wasn’t just the alcohol talking, but I could see in her glazed red eyes and hear in the slur of her voice that she had no idea what she was saying.
Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, I leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
“I like you, too, Shannon. So much.”
With those words, she pressed against me, pulling me in and kissing me harder than she ever had. Losing her hands up the front of my shirt, she ran her fingers up my chest before moving them around my back and down to grab my ass.
I pulled away from the kiss. “Whoa, babe, let’s slow down and get you home.”
She pouted. “Why are you stopping this? I want you.”
I chuckled, knowing she was out of it. “Yeah, well, we can’t do it here against my car in the middle of the parking lot, now can we?”
I wasn’t going to have sex with her when she was drunk. I wanted her—there was no doubt about that—but I wanted her to know I was inside her when it finally happened.
My words worked, and she let me put her in the car and buckle her in.
By the time I was halfway across town, she was snoring in the seat beside me. I wanted to take her back to my place, but something told me that wasn’t a great idea. I wasn’t a weak man, but Shannon made me that way. I wasn’t sure I could continue to push her away every time she drunkenly threw herself at me, and I didn’t want to take any chances.
I shut my car off when I pulled up to her apartment building, and before waking her, I sat and watched her sleep soundly for a bit. From the flutter of her lashes against her cheek to the sleepy pout on her soft lips, she was winning me over. I could hardly believe it, but I was done for.
Reaching out, I slipped my fingers through her hair, cupping her chin and running my thumb over her cheek. I wanted her. Not just sexually, but completely.
Her eyes opened a bit, and she yawned. “Are we there?” she asked, her voice still slurred from too many drinks.
I nodded. “We’re at your place. Let’s get you inside and tucked in, okay?”
Lilly and Devin weren’t there, as usual, so I took Shannon into her room and sat her on the bed.
Her room was simple and clean with white bedroom furniture and gray walls. There were pictures of her and her friends and a vanity with lotions and sprays. Sheer curtains hung from the two windows, moving with the breeze of her ceiling fan. Her closet door was open, allowing me to see the loads of clothes, shoes, and purses she had.
It was all Shannon. It even smelled like her.
I pulled her shoes off her feet and helped her onto the bed. Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, I pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.
“Call me tomorrow.”
She nodded with closed eyes.
I turned away, ready to leave her and go home, but just as I was about to leave her room, she called out my name.