Rule(23)

We ran back to the house to get dolled up for dinner.  I put on one of my new outfits, a super tight pencil skirt and a sheer blue top with a black cami underneath.  I curled up my new hair, put on more makeup than I normally wore and decided just for the hell of it I would wear my awesome black boots.  They looked like something a Harley Davidson model would wear, but I loved them and they gave my look a certain edge that I was feeling after a day of letting the real Shaw off her perpetual leash.  Ayden put on a slinky red number that made her long legs look endless and set against her dark hair had our waiter at the restaurant practically drooling into our water every time he stopped by to refill our glasses.  She made me try out my new Id by ordering a drink, it worked like a charm and before I knew it we were both feeling no pain and having a great time bouncing from bar to bar and club to club in LoDo and even after a few hours making our way back up towards Capitol Hill and some of cool dive bars up there.  I was surprised that I didn’t even need to show the fake Id at most places, turns out a tight skirt and exposed breasts work just as well.

I was laughing hysterically at Ayden doing some impression of a guy failing around on the dance floor, we had drawn our fair amount of attention everywhere we went tonight and had had to pay for very few drinks.  At the moment a guy from CU Boulder was trying to tell me all about his illustrious football career or rather he was telling my boobs about it since I don’t think he had looked up from the girls once.  Ayden was rolling her eyes and trying to avoid some guy in a banker suit that was offering to do her taxes for free if she gave him her number.  It was silly and fun, I didn’t have to work hard at the flirting or being charming.  I was well past my way to being wasted so conversation was out.  All I had to do was smile and sit prettily on the bar stool, two things I was apparently really getting good at.  Another Cosmo that I definitely didn’t need appeared before me and Mr. Football was leaning even closer to me when some sixth sense, maybe it was my fight or flight response suddenly kicked into over drive.

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*ck 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.