Taking her hand he pulled her back to a sitting position. “Come on, you lush. Let’s get you home.”
“I’m not drunk. Well, okay, I may be slightly drunk, but I’m no lush.” This pronouncement was made with her legs spread in a V on the dance floor, and her fingers digging into the top of her dress to adjust her bra.
“Uh-huh.”
It wasn’t easy, but using the strength in his arms and not his legs, Diesel managed to haul her off the ground without causing himself too much pain. Tuesday immediately tottered again in her spiky heels. “Maybe you should take your shoes off, sweetheart.”
“Why are you calling me sweetheart? You’re freaking me out.” But holding firmly onto his arm, she did lean over and pry off her shoes. There was a precarious moment where she almost went down again, but she held it together.
He had no idea why he was calling her sweetheart. To tell the truth, he hadn’t even been aware he was doing it until she’d pointed it out. Heat crawled up his neck and it wasn’t from the crowded ballroom. “I can stop if it bothers you.”
“Nah.” She stood straight up and looked him in the eye boldly. “I don’t want you to stop.”
Diesel almost groaned. She wasn’t going to make this easy. Sometimes being a decent human being sucked.
Fortunately, Evan and Kendall approached them. “You okay, Tuesday?” Evan asked.
“I’m fine.”
Kendall took Tuesday’s hand and said, “Excuse us, I need to talk to Tuesday for a second.”
They moved a few feet away, Diesel and Evan both watching them. “Hey, congrats again, man. Your wife is quite a catch.”
“Thanks. I am a lucky man, that’s for damn sure.” Evan cleared his throat. “Look, I have to be straight with you. Tuesday is Kendall’s best friend and I like you, you know that. I respect you and we’ve known each other a long time. But she’s shitfaced tonight and just needs a ride home, you get what I’m saying?”
Diesel tried not to be offended. Evan was just looking out for Tuesday. “That’s all I was planning to do. Unless you’d prefer I call her a cab.”
Evan clapped him on the shoulder. “No, that’s cool. I trust you. Just glad we’re on the same page. She’s had a rough couple of weeks, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.” Diesel knew that pain. Knew that desire to escape into alcohol or anything that would make you forget. He had fought that battle after he’d lost his mother, and his brother, and his cousin. Then again when he’d had his own accident and realized he’d never be able to drive again. “So she doesn’t have a boyfriend or anything, does she?”
It had occurred to him that maybe he should ask that before he thought too much about kissing those sexy lips of hers.
Evan grinned. “So that’s how the wind blows, huh? No, she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She was doing an online dating thing for a while, but from what Kendall told me, she had a lot of bad first dates and nothing more.”
“Yeah?” Diesel tried to sound noncommittal. He wasn’t really sure what he was thinking or what he wanted. He just knew he wanted the opportunity, if he chose to take it, of seeing Tuesday again sometime. Possibly.
“I’m sure you can take her out on a bad first date, too.”
Was that what he wanted?
Diesel studied the tall brunette in the pumpkin dress and thought he suddenly wanted that more than anything else right now.
“YOU need to drink some water,” Kendall said.
“I’m fine,” Tuesday insisted. God, she was just drunk. It wasn’t like that had never happened before. “Will you go off and bang your husband and not worry about me? I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” Glancing around the floor, she said, “Shit, what did I do with my shoes?”
“I think Diesel has them.”
Tuesday sighed. “He’s so f**king cute, Kendall. Would it be bad if I had sex with him tonight?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. That was not the answer she wanted. “Why? I bet he rocks the sheets.”
“I have no idea if he does or not, but you’ll be too drunk to appreciate it.”
It wasn’t possible to be too drunk to appreciate that hunk of man flesh. “Oh, please. So I’ve had a little too much champagne. That just means I won’t be trying to hide my dimply thighs from his view.”
It might also mean that she’d be slurring her words, because her tongue seemed a little larger than normal, but that could be worked around, she was sure.
Kendall put her hands on her shoulders. “Tuesday. Look at me. This is not a good idea. If you want to have sex with Diesel next Saturday after a date, you go for it. But tonight is not the night. You’re more likely to vomit on him than have an orgasm.”
Just the word “vomit” made Tuesday’s stomach slosh around a little. “I don’t know . . .”
“Picture his erection coming at you for o**l s*x. Do you want that in your mouth right now?”
Yikes. That was telling it a little too much like it is. Tuesday clapped her hand over her mouth, her gag reflex firing up. She shook her head. “No.”
“There’s a time and a place for everything. Tonight you need to sleep alone.”
Kendall might have a point. “Can I cuddle with him though?” She had this idea that those strong arms would feel really nice wrapped around her in bed, her head resting on his chest. It seemed like a super solid chest.
“Of course you can if he’s cool with cuddling only. Make sure you’re clear on that. But in my experience, most men don’t want to cuddle unless they’re guaranteed to get some.”
“This is complicated,” Tuesday complained. Getting naked would be so much easier. “I’m leaving.” Before her brain started to hurt. “Love you.” She leaned over and kissed Kendall loudly on the cheek. “Congratulations again. You know you’re a beautiful bride.”
“Thanks, you nuttyhead. I’ll see you tomorrow for brunch.”
Brunch. Eew. Tuesday did not want to sit around a round table with all the women in Kendall’s family, making small talk. The only bright spot would be the mimosas. “Right. See you then.”
With a wave, she walked over to Diesel, wishing that she could manage a slightly sexier walk. Instead, she just felt like she was working really hard to maintain a forward motion in something of a straight line, because her body wanted to pitch and weave in a zigzag pattern.