Rule (Marked Men #1)(22)

I lifted my head up and swiveled around on the stool practically kneecapping the leering football player. I looked around, craning my neck to see what had my skin suddenly feeling too tight but all I saw was the regular bar crowd mixing and mingling. Football player was trying to get my attention back by running a finger up and down my bare arm, I guess it was supposed to be sexy, but now I was drunk and unnerved so I wanted to go. I wanted to tell him to get lost so I could find Ayden and get someone to call us a cab but before I could any of those things a warm hand slid under the heavy fall of my hair to settle on my neck and a deep voice growled in my ear, “How in the f**k did you get in here, Casper?”

Football player’s eyes went huge because well, Rule was Rule. Gone was the dark hair spiked up in a crazy mess, now he had it all shaved on the sides and bleached out into a startling white mohawk that was several inches tall. He had on a tight black shirt with a flaming skull in a Viking helmet on it and a pair of black jeans that had a hole in the knee. Both his full sleeves of tattoos were on optimum display, so was the chain he wore from his wallet to his belt as were his heavy black motorcycle boots. He should look sloppy and unkempt next to the V-neck sweater wearing footballer, but he didn’t. He looked hot and rumpled and clearly not to be messed with because footballer pushed away from the table in a hurry and vanished into the crowd.

“And what did you do to your hair?”

I was drunk, admittedly probably not the best state to try and go toe to toe with Rule in after getting a two week break from him, but I liked my hair and he wasn’t going to rain on all my birthday vibes, especially since he clearly didn’t even know what the day was. I shook his grip loose and sucked back the tart drink in one swallow.

“What are you doing here?”

He lifted an eyebrow at me and took up the same spot football player had vacated, looking down my low cut top and all. “This bar is right around the corner from the shop. Nash and I stop by all the time after work. I just finished a client. I know they Id at the door, how did you get in?”

I flipped my hair over my shoulder like I had seen endless annoying girls do only I practically fell off my stool because suddenly that last drink was letting me know just how bad an idea it had been to chug it. I grabbed the edge of the table and Rule reached out a hand to steady me. I felt like it burned where he gripped my upper arm. Definitely should have listened to my flight response a minute ago. I put a hand on my forehead it was warm and suddenly clammy. “I need to go.”

I tried to climb to my feet but the room started to spin around all crazy. I was so glad I opted for my boots instead of heels because as I involuntarily grabbed onto Rule’s biceps to stay upright I knew I would have ended up on my face otherwise. It was too hot, too loud and if I didn’t get out into some fresh air like yesterday I was pretty sure I was going to puke everywhere.

“Who drove?” Rule’s voice was coming from far away and he smelled really good. With a sigh I leaned into him and buried my nose in his throat. He was so tall I had to use my leverage on his arms to reach. “Seriously Shaw, how did you get here?”

“Ayden and I, we took a cab.”

“Where is she?”

“With a banker. I need to go home.” I feel my boozy legs start to wobble and his locked a heavy arm around my waist to keep me anchored to his chest. It was nice. Not bothering to think about it I wrapped both my arms up around his neck. He felt as good as I always knew he would.

“Her roommate is running around somewhere; wanna see if you can grab her. I’m gonna walk her to our place.” I wasn’t sure who he was talking to but a familiar voice rumbled an affirmative and the next thing I knew I was being half marched, half carried out the front door of the bar. The cold January air made me snap my head back as Rule moved me from his front to his side and secured me with an arm around my shoulders. I hooked an arm around his lean waist and cuddled into his side. I knew logically it was the vodka making me act crazy, but I couldn’t stop it.

“We’re only three blocks from my place. I’ll pour a gallon of coffee down your throat and shove some chips or a frozen burrito in your face and get you a cab. You’re even paler than normal and if you try and get in a car right now you’re gonna puke everywhere. Why are you drunk and dressed all sexified tonight anyway?”

I shivered a little as the wind breezed across my bare legs. I turned my cold nose into his ribs and inhaled. He smelled like the antiseptic from the shop, like cigarettes from Nash, like the hair product in his mohawk and underneath it all the warm, earthy smell that was all just Rule. In eight years I had never been this close to him for this long. It was enough to send my deprived and alcohol soaked system into overdrive.

“You think I look sexy?” That seemed like the important part of the conversation. We stopped at a stop sign and he looked down at me with exasperation clear in those pale eyes.

“Shaw, every guy in the bar was circling you like you were bait in the water during shark week. You know you look good, what I think shouldn’t matter. What should matter is why your suddenly dressing, looking and acting like a different person? What’s going on with you?”

I wanted to scowl up at him but that seemed too hard especially when his t-shirt rode up in the back and my arm was brushing against nice, warm skin. I stumbled off the curb as we made our way down another block and a familiar Victorian came into sight. He pulled me in tighter to his side and I didn’t even try and hide the soft sigh that fell out of me. “Everyone thinks I need to act a certain way, you, my parents, your parents, the girls from work, Gabe. Everybody always wants me to be this, do that, walk this line, toe that line and I’m sick of it. Maybe for just once I just want to act how I want, feel how I want to feel without someone judging me and expecting something from me.”