Sweet Seduction (Sweet #3)(63)

"Not me," Faith said.

"Or me," Julie added.

"So we just lie here. Works for me," Serena said.

"What on earth are you girls doing on the floor?"

Julie's eye cracked open at the amused husky tone she'd spent the better part of the last three nights fantasizing about.

"Nathan?"

Chapter 27

Nathan looked down at the three women sprawled on the floor and tried like hell to suppress his grin.

He squatted down next to Julie. "I'm surprised you recognize me."

"There can't be that many gorgeous bald-headed guys running around Cattleman's, can there?"

He lost the battle with his twitching mouth and chuckled. "Had a little too much to drink?"

"Hi, Nathan," Faith said, holding her fingers up and waggling them.

"Hey, sweetness, is Serena conscious over there?"

Serena let out a sound that he couldn't quite decipher. It didn't exactly sound human.

He turned his attention back to Julie. "So how were you girls planning to get home anyway?"

"Cab."

"Ah. Well, I have a better idea."

He pulled out his cell phone, still chuckling. He got up and moved a few feet away as he punched in Gray's number.

"You're out late," Gray said as he answered the phone.

"So is your wife."

"Yeah, girls' night out. How did you know?"

"Well, I'm staring at her, Julie and Serena lying flat on the floor of Cattleman's," Nathan said with a chuckle.

"What? What the hell?"

"Relax, man, she's fine. They're drunk as skunks and having a good time as far as I can tell. They said they were catching a cab back to Damon's, but I didn't feel comfortable letting them pour themselves into a cab as drunk as they are. Thought you might want to come get Faith."

"Damn right. Thanks, man. Last thing I want is some joker to see three easy marks. What the hell was Damon thinking? I thought he was at least sending his mountain of a driver slash security guard."

"I'll let you call him to collect Serena."

"What about Julie?"

"I'll take care of Julie," Nathan said softly. He'd been waiting for his chance to pin down the little escape artist.

"Do you mind hanging out until I get there?" Gray asked.

"Of course not. I'm not going anywhere. I'll hang out, keep an eye on them until you and Damon show."

"I'll be right over."

Nathan hung up and walked back over to where the girls hadn't moved.

"You ratted us out, didn't you?" Serena said accusingly.

He winced as he squatted back down to their level. "Sorry, sweetheart, but I did just that. Guy's code and all that. When your girl's in trouble, you expect your buddy to call. Just looking out for three very special women. I don't want y'all climbing into some strange cab or have some stranger take advantage of you."

"Aw, that's sweet," Faith slurred.

"Yeah, kinda hard to be mad when he says shit like that," Julie mumbled.

He tweaked Julie softly on the nose. "You three sure are cute when you throw a drunk. But next time do it at home. If you don't want the guys around, banish them for the evening."

"Yes, big brother," Serena snorted.

"You, I'll let get away with that crack," he said. "You, however, better not ever even think of me in that capacity," he said to Julie as he touched her cheek.

She grinned. "I think we've already established that there is nothing fraternal about our relationship."

Nathan hid his triumph. At least they were getting somewhere. She might be drunk, but at least she'd acknowledged something was going on between them.

"So, uhm, who's coming to get us?" Faith piped up.

"That would be me, the husband," Gray said from behind Nathan.

Nathan stood up to see Gray standing with his hands shoved into his pockets, a wide grin across his face.

"You didn’t use to be that big, did you?" Faith squeaked as she looked up at her husband.

He squatted down as Nathan had done and smiled at her. "Better?"

Faith scrunched up her nose. "Are you here to take me home?

I can't be the first to go home. Would be embarrassing. Like I'm an old married lady or something."

Gray chuckled. "But you're my old married lady, and I'd like to have my old married lady in bed with me. It's sorta lonely without you."

Nathan watched in amusement as Faith melted into a gooey puddle on the floor.

"Oh, that's nice," Serena sighed.

"Want help up?" Gray asked as he ran a hand over Faith's shoulder.

"I'm worried," she muttered.

"About what, baby?"

"If I become upright, I might puke."

Nathan chuckled and Gray's shoulders shook.

"Tell you what. I'll lift and get you back onto the bar stool." He glanced up at the bartender who waved a large plastic basin from behind the bar. "If you need to puke, there's a nice big puke bowl on the bar."

"Ugh," Faith moaned. "Like I want to puke in front of everyone?"