Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(69)

“I should go,” Krista said softly.

Sean’s pupils dilated, the girl with the short dress forgotten.

Krista took a step away, stepped wrong on her heel, and pitched toward the ground. Sean grabbed her arm to keep her from smashing her face into the rug. She twirled around like a Ninja, her dress coming up to her mid-thighs, using Sean’s grasp to swing her body so her back hit the ground first, her glass up in the air, still righted.

“You planned to land on your face to save your empty drink?” Sean asked incredulously.

The peppy bartender came sprinting up and helped Sean right Krista.

“That was great!” The bartender exclaimed, taking the glass. “I wish I got that on video! You would have saved the drink! I’ll buy you one!”

“Habit,” Krista said, making sure her dress was intact.

“She’s had enough,” Sean told the bartender in such a way that wiped the smile off the man’s face and had his feet carrying him away before he knew it wasn’t his idea.

Krista, disentangling herself from Sean’s fabulous limbs, copping a feel when she could, said, “Sorry.”

It would have been fine, but then her stupid legs got weak from the contact and her groin pooled with his lingering touch.

“Marcus said behave,” she squeaked. She turned to the girl. “I’ve made an ass of myself—sorry ‘bout that. Good luck!” The girl got a thumbs up.

Krista turned back to Sean. “Drank too much. Going to bed. Grab me a muffin or something tomorrow. I plan to sleep through breakfast.”

Krista stalked off, realized belatedly she was going the wrong way, about faced, saluted nobody in particular, and headed toward the elevators, still wobbly.

Half way to the elevator Krista felt a large hand on her arm. Then felt Sean’s body next to hers.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

“I didn’t mean to ruin your night,” she said as the crocodile tears started falling. Emotions were always close to the surface when she was drunk.

Sean guided her into the elevator. “You didn’t. Why are you going to bed so late?”

“That guy Ron talked to me for a while. Then everyone was gone. Oh, and I didn’t want to stop drinking.”

“I can see that. What did Ron want?”

“Oh, the usual. Would I consider moving? Why am I so loyal to McAdams? I’m sure next he’ll say I don’t get paid enough.” She was guided out of the elevator. “Sean, why did you hurt me so bad? Why didn’t you contact me? Am I not worth it? I thought we loved each other. I thought you were the one.”

She cried harder, her face in her hands, wringing Sean’s heart.

Sean opened the door to her room and guided her in. As soon as they were inside, he wrapped her up in his arms.

“Of course you are worth it, Krissy! Of course you are. More than worth it. I was a fool. A scared fool. I was so wrapped up in myself, I couldn’t see the hurt I caused…continue to cause. I don’t know why you continue to trust me. I am thankful, but I don’t deserve your loyalty.”

“Because I love you, Sean. I never stopped. Not for one day. I still haven’t. I think of you constantly. Ever since I left I’ve thought of you every day…” She cried into his chest.

He held onto her, rocking her, cooing in her ear to stop the tears.

Janice came out then. “What happened?” she asked in a panic.

“She’s emotional,” Sean answered.

“Sean, you need to go. It’s late. You shouldn’t be here. I’ll take her.”

Sean’s arms constricted around Krista. But knowing Janice was right, he kissed her on the head, sighed, and said, “Okay.”

Krista clung to him. “No, please. Stay. Please.”

“Krista,” Janice said in a reasonable voice mothers were great at, “he cannot stay here. Someone will find out, and then it will undermine all you’ve fought to do. You have to let him go.”

“I always let him go. He never stays,” Krista yelled hysterically despite Janice’s best efforts.

Sean sighed again, but he didn’t try to stop Janice pulling Krista away, walking her toward the other room despite her protests, and unceremoniously stripping off her dress.

“It’s going to hurt, Krista, but you have to be strong. This is not the place to break down. Those guys can sense vulnerability. You can’t let them see it. Be strong, then when you get home you can fall apart, okay?”

“Okay,” she whined. She let Janice put her into bed and cover her up.

In a daze, Krista heard Janice’s voice saying, “She’s fine. She might not even remember this in the morning. Stay the course. She’ll come around.”

“But she’s right. Everything she said is right. I keep hurting her. I shouldn’t have come for her.”

Sean sounded miserable. Krista’s brain was getting foggy as sleep started to tug. She tried to stay awake to listen, to hear the reason he stayed away.

“No, Sean. You should never have let her leave. But what’s done is done. Stay the course. She’ll come around.”

“I don’t think you realize how stubborn she is.”

Sleep was calling. She missed what Janice said as she slid into a drunken, dreamless sleep.