Broken Wings (Dark Legacy #1)(34)
“You stupid, stubborn shit,” he said with an angry growl as he grabbed my arm in that bruising grip that I was coming to love just as much as I hated it. “Come on.”
He started dragging me away from the bar, but I wasn’t anywhere near drunk enough to just let him manhandle me like that. Everyone knew it took a solid twenty minutes for alcohol to really kick in, so if he thought I’d be compliant he was severely mistaken.
“Take your hands off me!” I yelled, deliberately trying to make a scene as I wrenched my arm out of his grip. My raised voice brought far too many eyes down on us, but the moment they saw it was Beck, everyone scattered.
Beck’s jaw clenched, and I imagined I could hear his teeth grinding as he let me step away. Over his shoulder I could see Evan waving him down, and I jerked my head in that direction. “Your friend needs you, Sebastian,” I said, my words sounding a little slurred already.
He took his focus off me for a split second, and it was enough time for me to turn and not that gracefully slip away.
I made it out near the pool. “Hey!” I shouted, spotting my missing friends beside the Jacuzzi. They were both holding drinks and dancing close. Really close. “What the hell, you guys? You just disappeared on me!”
“Riles! There you are!” Eddy beamed and threw her arms around me in a drunken hug. “We were looking for you everywhere. This house has a really shitty layout, but I guess that’s what you get with these new-money builds.” Her breath held so much alcohol I suspected it was a fire hazard, but then mine probably wasn’t much better.
“Uh huh, really looks like you were looking for me,” I replied with light sarcasm, glaring at Dante. The look he gave me back was... confusing. Way too complex for my tequila fuzzed brain to figure out, so I shrugged it off and let Eddy coax me into a swaying dance with her.
Soon, Dante joined us and the three of us danced together while the pounding beat of the music reverberated through us. Hands seemed to be everywhere, but it wasn’t until Dante’s lips brushed the back of my neck in a light kiss that I became uncomfortable. Was that a platonic friend-kiss? Or something more?
“Um, I think I need to pee,” I told them, and started weaving my way over to the pool house where I imagined there would be a bathroom. It was just on the opposite side of the pool, so I waved away their half-hearted offers to accompany me. It was pretty obvious Eddy was into Dante, so maybe they needed a bit of alone time.
Who knew, maybe there was something sparking there? I hoped so. Dante deserved to be happy.
10
After I’d taken my sweet ass time peeing in the pool house bathroom, then spent twice as long struggling to resituate my lace G-string and skin tight dress, I was exhausted. Instead of heading back around the pool to join my friends again, I sat down on a sun lounger to people watch for a few minutes.
At least, that had been my intention. I could only assume I passed out, though, because I awoke to huge, strong hands picking me up and cradling me into a broad, muscular chest.
“Sebastian?” I mumbled, trying to squint up at the person carrying me. My tongue was slow and fuzzy. Damn tequila. “Where are you taking me?”
When he didn’t reply, I started struggling to get out of his grip. It was about as effective as an insect thrashing for freedom after being pinned to a board. Or a butterfly, perhaps...
“Stop it,” he ordered me. “I’m taking you home.”
Desperately trying to work some saliva into my dry mouth, I looked around us. Dante and Eddy were nowhere to be seen, but the party was still raging.
“I don’t need your help, Sebastian. I can handle myself. Just put me down.” I wiggled a bit more, but he didn’t seem bothered. His steps didn’t even falter as he carried me farther from the party and out to the drive where expensive cars were parked all the way back to the front gates. Of course his sexy as sin Bugatti was right by the front door. God forbid Sebastian Roman Beckett be expected to walk any great distance. Lazy prick.
“Stop muttering curses at me under your breath, Butterfly,” he said. “It’s annoying.”
I squinted up at him, but the fucker had somehow perfected the art of standing directly in front of the moon, so his face was in shadows. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, the distinctive sound of his car unlocking beeped, and he slung me over his shoulder while he opened the passenger door. I’d barely managed to squeak a protest before he manhandled me into his car and clicked the seatbelt into place.
“That was brave,” I slurred when he took his seat and slammed the door shut. “I could have happily vomited down your back right then.” Even as I said it, my stomach roiled and lurched. I’d been joking, but come to think of it...
Beck leveled a serious glare at me as he started the ignition. It gave a throaty purr and I relaxed back into my seat with a sigh, totally ignoring Beck’s glare. What was he looking at me like that for anyway?
Whatever it was all about, he kept his trap shut and rolled the sexy beast of a car down the driveway then hit the accelerator when we turned into the street.
“Fucking shit,” I moaned as quietly as I could handle in my inebriated state. It was all just becoming way too much for me. Between the booze, the car, the speed... Beck... I was quickly losing my tenuous hold on dignity and resolve.
Almost like he could read my mind, Beck pushed the car faster. He threw us around corners so fast the scenery was a blur outside my window. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to the elbow, and somehow my eyes became glued to the muscles in his forearm flexing and moving as he handled the powerful car with ease and confidence.