Deep (Stage Dive, #4)(28)

“Great.” He chuckled.

“I’ll go first,” said David, directing the three of us sideways so we’d fit through my bedroom door.

“Okay. Go slow.”

“Yep.”

Operation Haul the Drunken Baby Daddy into Bed was going well. Except when Ben kind of stumbled halfway through. He surged forward, his forehead cracking into the doorjamb. I swear I felt the building shudder. There was definitely an indent in the wooden frame.

“Ow,” he said, sort of contemplatively.

David just laughed.

“Crap. Are you all right?” I asked, trying to push the hair back from his face to see, while keeping him upright and hopefully safe from further harm. “Ben?”

“He’s fine. Dude has the hardest head I’ve ever seen. One time when we were kids we got stoned up on the roof of my house. Ben walked straight off the edge. We were all freaking out, but by the time we got down there he’d already gotten on his bike and headed home. The big idiot’s basically indestructible.” David directed us toward the side of the bed. “Okay, let him go.”

I did so, and the father of my unborn child toppled face-first onto the mattress. At least that had to be a soft landing. Still, he lay there completely unmoving, apart from the rebound of the springs. God, I hoped we hadn’t accidentally killed him. If we had, at least the neglect wasn’t willful.

I grabbed one of his sneakers and gave it a shake. “Ben, are you still breathing?”

A groan from the man on the bed. Not too bad, as signs of life went.

“Don’t worry,” said David. “He’s fine. Just let him sleep it off.”

I nodded, still frowning just the same.

“You right with him?” asked David, hands on his hips. “I can send Sam over if you like. He’s finished babysitting Mal from what I hear.”

“No need, thanks. Is he all right? Mal?”

He gaze softened. “Passed out just like this one, apparently.”

Seriously, such a mess. Anne and Mal would probably never talk to me again. Well, Anne would, but she was my sister, so she had to forgive me eventually. Mal was another situation entirely. The thought of losing his high opinion and easy affection bit deep. Consequences were a bitch. Realistically, however, I couldn’t imagine myself having done any differently even if I’d known Mal and Anne would be pissed. I mean, I’d already known that and it didn’t even make me pause. Fewer star-crossed lovers and more adults should be allowed to date who they wanted.

Maybe if I’d known the night would result in the bean … I don’t know. There was only one thing I was sure of: sex equaled nothing but chaos and confusion. It was official.

I squeezed my eyes shut. “You must hate me.”

David’s brow wrinkled up. “What? Why?”

“For causing all this trouble.” The urge to flail was huge, but I restrained it. For now. Instead, I got busy wriggling Ben’s shoes off his feet. No way were they making contact with my sheets.

“I’m assuming you didn’t have to hold a gun to Ben’s head to get him to f*ck you?” The guy watched me unblinking, face dead serious.

“Um, no.”

David shrugged. “There you go.”

“Isn’t that taking a slightly overly simplistic view of the situation?”

He smiled. “In my experience, shit usually is pretty simple when you get right down to it. When it comes to matters of the heart, you decide where you belong and you go be there. Simple. Ben wanted to be here. Don’t think I didn’t try to talk him out of it, either. The bastard insisted.”

Maybe. “Wonder what his new girlfriend would make of your theory.”

“Yeah.” He winced, his mouth widening in imagined pain. “I’ll leave that one up to you two to sort out. But try not to stress. Can’t be good for Ben junior.”

“Right.” I rolled my eyes and dropped Ben’s shoe on the floor. “But how is this going to affect the band, the two of them fighting?”

It took him a long time to answer. “I honestly don’t know.”

Fuck.

“Night. I’ll lock the door on my way out.” He raised a hand in salute. “Call Ev if you need anything.”

“Thanks, David.”

The front door clicked closed behind him, leaving me alone with Ben. He lay passed out sideways across my queen-size bed. Ben was in my actual bed. Holy hell. I didn’t quite know what to do with that information. A pity there was nothing but boxes and junk in the spare room. Not that I didn’t want him near. My heart wasn’t so sensible. It was just time for me to start taking the safer option when it came to him. Past time even.

“Hey.” I leaned over the mattress, giving his leg a shake. “Roll over.”

A moan.

“Come on, big boy. Move it. You’re taking up all the bed.”

Incoherent muttering.

This was not working, and like hell I’d be sleeping on the love seat. I pulled off a sock and tugged on his big toe. “Ben. Wake up.”

In slow motion, he stirred, lifting his shaggy head and looking around.

“Roll over.”

“Wha—” He turned, easing himself up and over, as requested. He blinked and grimaced and looked generally displeased with the world. A lumpy red line bisected his forehead. Whatever David said, that had to hurt. “Lizzy?”