“Who the hell are you?” Ryan asked belligerently.
“I’m her man,” Sal glowered while tilting his head in my direction. “I assume you’re Ryan.”
Ryan nodded, looking slightly pale.
Sal wrapped a fist around Ryan’s shirt and pulled him closer. “You put your hands on her again and we’re gonna have more than words. Understand?”
“Yes,” Ryan swallowed audibly.
Sal’s eyes glittered with quiet fury as he looked at Ryan once more before his eyes found mine.
Crap, I really wished Cole could keep his mouth shut sometimes.
“I figured you’d need to cool off some more,” I commented tartly, sipping at the drink, which was apparently making me brave.
It was taken from me mid-sip and slammed back on the table.
“We’re going,” he commanded.
“You can go anywhere you want,” I retorted. “I’m staying here.”
“The hell you are. You either follow me out or I’m carrying you,” he declared.
Damn, I knew even in my drunken state he was probably seriousandI was wearing a skirt.
I glared at him with my arms crossed.
“You gonna test me on this?” he asked, seeming to enjoy the prospect entirely too much.
“Fine,” I huffed in resignation and turned to Jodie who was trying not to laugh. “I’ll see you soon. It was fun,” I told her with an eye roll.
“Totally!” she grinned.
“Enough, we’re leaving,” Sal said, putting a protective arm around me. He ushered me out of the apartment, shooting glares to anyone who got in our way.
“Drop me at home,” I mumbled as soon as he had me seated and buckled in his car.
It was a good thing he hadn’t brought the bike, I probably would have fallen off.
He grumbled something unintelligible and fired up the engine. The interior was spinning slightly and I winced.
I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I was being carried inside.
“Oh, god, put me down!” I rasped suddenly when he’d gotten me into his house. I was too worried about barfing all over him to be pissed that he’d ignored my request to take me home. I flew to his bathroom and reached the toilet just in time, emptying the contents of my stomach in a violent rush.
Wonderful.
I leaned over the toilet with my forearms braced on the seat, praying for someone to come in and kill me. I’d managed to keep things pretty controlled the first time around with Sal and me. Now, we weren’t back together long at all and already he’d seen me cry, met my mother, and watched me throw up. Terrific.
I felt a cool washcloth press to the back of my neck and closed my eyes. “Why didn’t you take me home?” I demanded into the toilet.
“Because I knew this was gonna happen,” he replied without hesitation. “And because you belong in my bed,” he added.
“That’s exactly it! I didn’t want you to see this,” I exclaimed, feeling much more lucid now that most of the alcohol I’d consumed was in the toilet. “This is humiliating,” I groaned in embarrassment as I flushed the toilet.
“It happens, Birdie,” he replied softly while handing me a glass of water.
“Yeah, and apparently so do tears and run-ins with my white trash mother,” I grumbled, sitting back from the toilet with my back against the wall. I moved the washcloth to my forehead and sipped at the water.