Page 46 of Taking a King

She makes a face. “You’re no fun.”

Finn has one arm wrapped around Hannah who has also clearly been drinking, though she’s not as far gone as Claire. “Wild night?” he asks.

She leans against him. “Not too wild,” she says. “We drank, we danced, we told dirty jokes. It was a good time.”

“What about you guys?” Hope asks, looking pointedly at Wyatt. “Nothing too crazy?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. We were innocent as could be.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “I somehow doubt that.”

“We went to a bar and had a few drinks,” Finn says. “Ended up in some secret card game in a basement. I lost $100 to a guy named Big Larry and I’m reasonably sure I’m in the mob now.” He shrugs. “Typical bachelor party stuff.”

Van goes behind the bar. “Anyone want a drink?” he asks.

“I’ll have bourbon,” Mya says. She’s been silent since they got back. Wyatt looks at her and nods.

“Coming right up.”

“None for us,” I say. Claire is leaning against me, her eyes half-closed. “Seriously, what did you guys do tonight?”

Hope shrugs. “We pole danced for a while, made a few bucks. Then we rode to a club and drank and danced for a few hours. Typical bachelorette party stuff.”

I narrow my eyes at her, wondering how much of what she said is true. The other women don’t dispute her story, but they’re all being tight-lipped.

“I think I’m going to take Claire home before she falls asleep on her feet,” I say.

“You good to drive?” Van asks.

I nod. “I stopped drinking hours ago.”

“Be safe,” Hannah calls out.

“Thanks for tonight,” Finn says. “I had a great time.”

I smile. “Me too,” I say, meaning the words. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

It’s true I’d started out the night feeling awkward and slightly out-of-place, but I’d quickly relaxed around the others. They’d let me become part of their group. Even though their lives are all vastly different from my own, we’d gotten along great and found plenty of common ground.

Finn smiles and offers his hand. “Any time.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Claire

I wake up far too early, my head pounding and the most disgusting taste in my mouth. Ugh. What the hell did I drink last night? And why had the others let me do it? I’m usually much better at knowing my limit when it comes to alcohol. I blame the champagne. I’m not used to it. The thought of the bubbly drink makes my stomach roll. Never again. I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take some aspirin before crawling right back into bed.

Garrett stirs slightly, shifting toward me. I remember the revelations from last night and a little sliver of fear shoots through me. How can I be in love with him? We’ve been together for all of two weeks. And what happens when he has to go back to the Marines? My head hurts too much for me to think about it right now, so I try to push it away for the time being.

“You okay?” Garrett whispers, surprising me. I didn’t mean to wake him. My heart pounds and I try to make my voice casual when I answer, afraid he’ll hear the truth I’m too afraid to speak.

“Need more sleep,” I mutter, closing my eyes as he pulls me against him. Everything in me settles when I feel his warm, strong arms around me. I feel like I’m home. Content despite my aching head, I fall back to sleep.

When I wake again, the sun is bright behind the curtains, making it clear that it’s late in the morning. I check the time and see that it’s nearly 10am. Thankfully, the aspirin and extra sleep seem to have done their job and I no longer feel like death warmed over. I still don’t feel great, but I’ll live. Garrett’s not in bed beside me. He must have gotten up earlier and decided to let me sleep. I’ll have to thank him for that. I reach for my phone on the bedside table and see a glass of water beside it. Garrett.

Smiling, I pick up the glass and down half of it in one go. The water makes me remember my bladder and I make my way to the bathroom. When I emerge, feeling closer to human, Garrett is there. He’s sitting on the side of the bed, a faint smile on his lips. He’s wearing a pair of gym shorts and nothing else. I take a second to admire his body. Damn, he’s sexy.

“How’s your head?”