Well, someone’s had a bit too much to drink.
I fight the urge to laugh, giving her a placating smile. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
She nods, her eyes glassy. “The jungle juice is really good.”
“You know,” I say, curling my arm around her waist when she stumbles back a step, “I think this little monkey has had enough of the jungle for one night. Why don’t I take you home?”
She considers me for a moment, scratching her chin. “Sleepdoessound nice,” she concedes, her words slurring.
“I agree. Let me just…” I trail off, searching the surrounding faces as I steer Blondie through the crowd of fellow partygoers in the general direction of the front door. As we take a detour through the kitchen, I glimpse a familiar blonde wig by the patio doors leading out back. “Andie, hey,” I call to her, crossing the space as quickly as escorting an inebriated drunk allows.
When she turns, I forget what I was going to say, my focus homing in on her costume…and the outfit her boyfriend is wearing beside her.
“Wait, what are you two supposed to be?” The words come out somewhat accusatory, prompting Andie to give me a curious look.
“Legolas and Gimli,” she answers as Eli nods at me from behind a large braided fake beard, holding up a prop ax for me to see. “FromThe Lord of the Rings.”
Excitement ripples through me, and I turn to Blondie, about to joyously shout, “Couples’ costumes! See? It’s a thing!” only to realize she’s practically half unconscious at this point and likely wouldn’t remember it.
“Cool, cool, cool. You guys look great,” I say instead, a rising disappointment extinguishing my glee. “Anyway, could you do me a huge solid and inform your cousin, Satan, the lord and ruler of Hell, that I took Lexi home? To clarify, I mean to her house. Where I will make sure she’s settled and safe and then proceed to go back to my own dorm.Alone. I feel the distinction is important here.” I glimpse a flash of red hair out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn to look, it’s gone, leaving only a shiver of dread in its wake. “I’d tell her myself,” I stage-whisper, “but I think she might be hiding a shank in that scrap of a dress, and I don’t really feel like getting stabbed on this particular evening.”
Andie presses the side of her fist to her mouth, suppressing a laugh. “I’ll tell her,” she promises just as Eli says, “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
I give him a knowing glance, bro to bro. This guy totally gets it.
“May the force be with you,” Eli adds with an encouraging nod at Blondie, who giggles again and boops me on the nose.
“Wrong universe, dude!” Andie frowns, lightly elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs. “Good lord, it’s not even the same genre!”
Shaking my head, I carry on, making it roughly halfway to the front door before I feel a light tap on the back of my arm. I turn, shuffling Blondie, who stumbles a little, only to find Andie standing behind us.
“Ronnie means well,” she says, her expression apologetic. “Try not to take it too personally, okay? She—we’re—just worried about Lexi.”
We both look down at Blondie, who’s discovered a newfound fascination with the tail sewn onto the back of her costume.
“I know,” I mutter softly, but what I really want to say is,So am I. “Though, I think, for tonight at least, the only thing we have to worry about is the wicked hangover she’s going to have tomorrow.”
Andie flashes a kind smile at me, then nods and retreats back into the party.
With a sigh, I guide Blondie the rest of the way to the front door, and lead her outside into the biting night air. As the chill rips through me, I find myself peering down at her bare chest and legs, and wishing I had a jacket to offer her. But if Blondieiscold, she doesn’t complain. If anything, all that alcohol in her system is doing a damn good job keeping her warm.
I keep an eye on her fumbling steps as we pass a couple fucking on the grass by the side of the house and at least four separate people passed out in and around the bushes out front.Jeez, less than two months away from the party scene and I forgot how sloppy Conwick students can get.
Yup. I am definitely ready to call it a night.
Blondie’s house isn’t far from campus, but it’s far enough that it will take forever to get there if we continue at the glacial pace she’s setting. Stopping her with a gentle hand on her upper arm, I step in her path and turn in place, bending my knees until I’m squatting on the sidewalk in front of her.
“Come on, spider monkey. Hop on.”
When she doesn’t immediately move, I pat my lower back for clarification.
A shiver rolls up my spine when she lightly trails a fingertip over my shoulder. “I recall telling you I wouldn’t climb you like a tree, Mr. Giant Banana.”
I snort, peering back at her. “I think that wasbeforeyou drank a gallon of Everclear. Come on, I’m just helping you home.”
That’s all the convincing it takes. And I instantly regret it.
Blondie climbs onto my back, hooking those mile-long legs around my waist, and I swallow at the warm press of her breasts to my back and the heat of her breath on the side of my neck. I’ve never been more aware of her body, which is just so fucking typical when I’m trying to do the gentlemanly thing and take her home. She’s drunk out of her mind, for fuck sake. The last thought on mine should be how it would feel to be inside her again.
