Back in the Saddle (Jessica Brodie Diaries #1)(57)

But then, he had a penis. I should have seen it coming.

“Joking,” Adam said as he bumped shoulders. “No, I wasn’t hittin’ on ya. God knows there are enough men here to do that without me adding in, but I know there’s sum’in wrong.”

I relaxed. Definitely friend category.

“Just missing my girlfriends, is all. I need to liven up a little.”

“You swing that way?”

“Har har. I swear you boys have all the same jokes.”

“Ah now, that ain’t fair.”

“Adam?”

“Yup?”

“What is with the boobie twins?”

He hesitated, not looking over his shoulder where a few guys were chatting them up. “What do you mean?”

“Well, they aren’t beautiful. I mean... sorry, they are pretty, but a little store bought, you know?”

Adam shrugged. “Any girls’r better than a sausage fest.”

“Why not some cuter girls?”

“There’ll be others. Those girls’ll be taken down for a dance right quick. Then they’ll probably get left behind and new girls brought up. Same ol’ story.”

“Ah. That makes more sense.” It did, too. Boys will be boys, after all. And these boys were on the prowl. Best to steer clear of those interested in the blonds.

A lightning bolt struck. “Wait. Am I one of those girls? If I go down to dance, is that it for me?”

Adam nodded soberly, waited until I shriveled, then laughed and pulling me into a one-armed hug. “You’re a world’s fair ass, you know it? You are one of the boys. Prettiest one, but one in the same. Besides, if we left you down there, you’d just spit n’ yell and find your way back up.”

It was only funny ‘cause it was true. That, or Candace would freak out and drag Ty down to find me. I was happy that at least I had some backup.

We watched the dancers in silence for a second before I felt another presence. My intestines tightened up. Must be William.

“Adam, I think it’s about time to discuss the rules of the dance off.”

I took a step back, angry but unsure why. William’s eyes, filled with humor, followed. His elation melted. “You okay?”

My hands curled into fists. I suddenly wanted to take out my life’s troubles on someone, and he was enemy number one. He was the reason I was completely ass backwards. Happy, sad, aggressive, left by my date! It was all his fault, I was sure of it.

Blue eyes drifted over my face, then down to my tense arms. He held out his hands slowly, as if dealing with a rabid creature. “What’s the matter? What’d I do?”

Georgie’s coon hunting comment came back to me. In a whoosh, I let out the breath I was holding and sagged against the banister.

Except, it was farther away than I originally thought.

In the next second I was falling, arms flayed, worried I would crash through the railing and plummet to my death on the dance floor. I’d thought it millions of times in my life, but this one could actually be a reality.

William stepped forward gracefully, scooping me up before my shoulder and head hit the top of the railing. My champagne glass went flying.

“Oh shit!” I breathed, held by William.

We all watched the progress of the glass, flying end-over-end, to the hard ground below. It sparkled a second before it hit, waving good-bye, before it shattered, glass and liquid splattering the dirty carpet.

“Hide!” I shouted, trying to get out of William’s grasp.

“That could’ve been bad,” William said, not letting me go despite my efforts. He was being an adult about all this, watching to make sure no one stepped in the glass. He motioned for a security staff member on the ground to check into it.

“Missed everyone. We ain’t over a walkway.” Adam looked out as far as possible to get a glimpse under the overhang of the balcony. “Good thing it ain’t more crowded.”

Both guys turned to look at me. In that moment, I realized that the problem wasn’t William, it was that I was drunk. Champagne can really sneak up on a girl.

“What?” I asked, looping my arms underneath William’s so I could put my fists on my hips. “Someone moved that railing—that wasn’t my fault!”

They continued to stare.

“I’m drunk so it didn’t count as a failing?”

Adam blinked. William’s lips were curling upward slowly, as if he couldn’t believe a person like me existed.

“Okay, okay—you got me--it was the drink's fault. Seriously, William, what do they put in that beverage?”

Laughing, William straightened me up, and made a show of gently leaning me against the banister. He removed his hands, palms up in the air, as if stacking a card house and worrying that it might fall over.

“Oh, give over. What about this dance off?” I asked, waving my hand away. “Also, someone stole my drink. I need another.”

Adam finally broke, clutching his chest and laughing. “Are all California’s this ass-crazy?”

I shrugged. “I’m not crazy, I’m fun. Pity you Texan’s can’t tell the difference.”

When I looked back at William, his face had closed down again. All blank. Staring. Even slightly hostile. The man had worse moods than a woman in the height of PMS!