Chapter 13
Ryan
* * *
She was quiet the whole journey, quiet and reserved, different than what I’d seen of her.
I arranged for Aaron to get her car back to the house so she could ride with me. When we got to her place, I went inside with her because her mood had worsened.
“If I asked you what was wrong, would you tell me?” Something was clearly wrong, something that had sent her to the bar by herself.
She shook her head then gasped when she turned to face me. “Oh my gosh your eye.”
I knew it was swollen. I could barely see out of it and knew I’d have a shiner in the morning.
“I’m good—I’ve had worse happen to me.”
“It’s my fault.” She brought her hands up to her cheeks. “I’ll get you some ice.”
She dashed into the kitchen and returned moments later with an ice pack. Since I felt I needed it, I took it from her and placed it over my eye. The coldness instantly soothed the stinging sensation.
“At least sit down.”
“Honestly, you don’t need to fuss over me.”
“If not for you, I could have been that asshole’s love slave.” Her voice slurred a little and she swallowed hard then blinked several times. “He looks like the kind of man who would kidnap a person.”
She wasn’t wrong about that. Jackson had been in a few times for attempted rape. When I’d seen him with her at the bar, I’d already been moving to the rescue before she’d seen me. I’d made up my mind that even if she protested, I was stepping in, because she didn’t know what Jackson was capable of.
“You just need to be careful.”
“Ryan, please sit.” She tugged on my hand and pulled me over to the sofa.
I sat down and she went back into the kitchen to grab a bowl of water and a cloth.
“Do I look so bad I need a sponge bath?” I tried to joke, but she shook her head at me.
She wet the cloth and dabbed at the corner of my mouth.
“There’s dried blood there. God, what a day.” She huffed.
I caught her hand before she could continue. “How drunk are you?” I knew she’d had enough alcohol to fail a breathalyzer, but that didn’t mean she was wasted. She didn’t look wasted.
“Not drunk enough,” she replied sadly.
“Do I have to tell you getting drunk by yourself in a town you barely know is dangerous?”
She sighed and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “Could you just be normal for five minutes and not in cop mode or dad mode? You’re so much sexier when you aren’t like that.”
Maybe I was wrong. She was probably wasted and just doing a good job of hiding it, or it could be her trying to shock me.
Whatever it was, it was her calling me sexy.
“You think I’m sexy?”
“How do you know what’s in my brain? Did I say that out loud?” Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Brooke, you should probably go to bed. Go sleep it off, and I’ll come by to check on you tomorrow.”
