The Game Plan (Neighbor from Hell #5)(62)

“That bastard!” Danny bit out as they turned down the small hallway and spotted Darrin standing in line.

“I think I saw a pizza place down the street,” she said, tugging on his hand almost desperately to get him to stop.

She really didn’t feel like facing his brother after he’d caught her with her mouth on-

“I was here first,” Darrin said with a glare that was thankfully aimed at his brother, because at the moment she really wasn’t sure that she could make eye contact with him or handle him acknowledging her in any way.

“Too bad,” Danny said, ignoring her attempts to escape and pulling her in line right behind Darrin.

“You know the rules.”

“Yes, I do, but since you haven’t even paid yet this buffet is still up for grabs,” Danny said, getting in his brother’s face.

“There are plenty of buffets in this city,” Darrin said, standing his ground, “why don’t you go to one of them?”

“We’re not going anywhere.”

“Umm, I don’t mind grabbing pizza,” she offered, not at all surprised when the men ignored her.

“When you f*ck this up, and you will, you better not take me down with you,” Darrin bit out, staring his brother down.

“I’m not the one who’s going to f*ck this up,” Danny said, almost nose to nose with his brother now.

Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder, calculating the cost of a taxi ride back to the hotel when a throat cleared. “How many?”

She looked back to find the cashier eying the two large brothers nervously.

“One,” Darrin said tightly just as Danny bit out, “Two.”

Sighing, she rubbed her temples and accepted the fact that it was going to be a very long night.

*-*-*-*

“Tinkerbelle?”

No response.

“Sweetheart?”

She shook her head, but at least it was a sign of life. “Sweetheart, we have to leave. They’re closing up now.”

Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, she shook her head. He sighed as he knelt down in front of the booth and reached for her only to have her cringe away from him. He sighed heavily as he dropped his hand.

“Look, I’m really sorry,” he said, having absolutely no idea what to say to make this right for her.

“J-just give me a minute,” she said, licking her lips as she hugged her knees tightly against her chest.

“Sir? We’re closing up,” the waitress, one of the few waitresses who hadn’t run screaming when the shit hit the fan, said, shifting nervously next to him.

“We’re leaving,” he promised her with a smile that he hoped would reassure her that he wasn’t about to lose it like his brother and-

“Please leave now,” the waitress whispered, shifting back away from him.

Sighing, because there was nothing that he could say or do to fix this, he nodded as he reached for Jodi, who thankfully didn’t put up a fight when he scooped her up in his arms and carried her towards the door. She grabbed onto his shirt and held on for dear life as she buried her face against his chest and released a shaky breath.

“Promise me something, Danny,” she whispered against his chest as her grip on his shirt tightened.

“What’s that, Tinkerbelle?” he asked, kissing the top of her head as he walked down the sidewalk towards a line of waiting taxis.

“Promise me that it was all just a bad dream.”

“Of course it was, Tinkerbelle,” he said against the top of her head, wondering if a few shots of tequila would help her suppress the memory of what happened here tonight.

Chapter 30

“Morning!”

“Kill. Me,” Danny groaned as he turned over onto his stomach and released a muffled groan against the carpet as he tried to push himself up and promptly failed.

“Rough night?” she asked, biting back a smile when Danny turned to glare at her through bloodshot eyes.

“You did this to me!” he snarled accusingly as he blindly reached up and grabbed a pillow off the bed.

“Me?” she asked, frowning in confusion as she looked around the room, taking in the empty liquor bottles, beer cans and-

“I hate you both,” Darrin groaned from where he lay beneath the coffee table, making her wonder how she’d missed him.

“Exactly how much did the two of you drink last night?” she asked, a little startled when both men shot her accusing glares.

“How much did we drink last night?” Darrin repeated in disgust.

“Not half as much as you did!” Danny snapped, blindly reaching up and grabbing the blanket off the bed.

“I didn’t drink last night,” she muttered thoughtfully, although now that they mentioned it, she really couldn’t remember all that much about last night.

“I really hate you,” Darrin mumbled with a pained groan as he managed to crawl out from under the coffee table and get to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Danny asked as he pulled the blanket over his head.

“To my room where I can die in peace,” he said, stumbling his way to the door.

She turned her attention back to Danny to find him curled up in the fetal position. “Kill. Me,” he muttered pathetically, again, leaving her standing there wondering if now was a good time to mention that she had a craving for scrambled eggs.