"Drunk," I decided. "But not so much that she can't say no." And I lifted my brow to make the point.
He nodded. "I can do that. Hold down the fort."
So I just watched them. Somewhere in the middle of the song, their mouths met. Violet didn't seem to care at all about the attention she was getting. I heard someone in front of me grumble about the whore, and I was pretty sure they meant her, but I didn't actually care. That was the strange thing: I heard the jealousy more than the judgement.
And it didn't fucking matter. Nothing they could say would tear down those two. Their words were empty, because Violet and Ash didn't give them any power. Cy was the same when it came to people calling him a fag. I wanted to be. Seeing these amazing people out in the "real world" was making me realize just how well-trained I'd been all my life, and I was fucking done with it.
Maybe that was the beer talking. Maybe it was me becoming a better man. I wasn't sure, but I liked this. When the song ended, the pair came back for a few more drinks. We all sat down for a bit and talked, laughing at whatever caught our attention, then we drank some more. Cy nursed his Corona, but he kept up, and slowly but surely my thoughts became a little blurry around the edges, and we danced.
Like the others, I kissed Violet when it was my turn. She laughed each time I spun her. The lights had a nice halo around them, and I was getting a little warm from the combination of beer and dancing. I noticed the guys started patting my back and clasping my shoulder just a bit more. Nothing that could be called out, but each time they touched me, I was hyper-aware of it - and I loved it. I loved this.
Fuck, I just loved being with them.
But the night couldn't just be perfect. Violet was drunk enough to be giggly, and her lipstick was long gone. She asked for the tubes I was holding, then excused herself to the bathroom. I decided that was a good excuse to buy another round. I was almost to the bar when I caught her pastel hair in the middle of the crowd. A smile found my lips, but it fell when a guy stepped into her path and slipped his arm around her waist.
I was moving before I knew what was happening. Twisting, I ducked between a pair of guys waiting their turn to get beer. I excused myself as I pressed around a pair of girls, but my eyes never left her. The look on Violet's face was not amused. That glint was in her eyes, the one that said she was going to make him pay.
Then the idiot grabbed her by the back of the head and tried to kiss her.
I was right there, shoving him off before their mouths met. "Back the fuck off, bud," I warned, catching Violet's hand to pull her behind me. "You ok, Vi?"
"Little drunk," she said.
"Don't worry, I got ya, babe," I promised, watching as the asshole smoothed his shirt down and turned to me.
"Lady's with me now," he slurred, proving he was well and truly drunk. "She's making out with half the room, and I want a turn."
"Not how it works," I warned him. "Hands off my girl."
"Fuck," he scoffed, shoving into my face. "I'll put your ass on the ground, boy."
People were starting to gather, and this guy wasn't about to back down. I knew, because I wasn't either. Instead, I let go of Violet and braced to make this fast. Sure enough, the fool shoved at me. Again, I shoved back - and then the guy just stopped.
From the corners of my eyes I saw Cy brace up on my left and Ash ready to throw down on my right. Like a wall, they stood beside me, and there was no doubt that they were on my side - Violet's side. All three of us were willing to fight for her.
Like this, I felt fucking invincible.
My boyfriends flanked me. Our girlfriend waited behind us. The idiot who thought he'd had a chance stared, trying to calculate his odds, but it didn't fucking matter. In that moment, I finally felt like a Shade of Trouble. We might blend. We could be easily overlooked. Still, we would always stand together. A smile claimed my face, and it wasn't the nice kind.
"Yeah, she's with us, dickhead," I told him.
Just to prove the point, Violet stepped up, draping her arm over my shoulder, yet she pulled Cy in to wrap her arm around his waist. Then Ash reached up to take her fingers, not caring that it put his hand right beside my neck. My smile was just getting bigger, because this? Yeah, this was us. This was what I'd been wanting. I didn't fucking care if anyone in here liked it, but we were together, and I was damned proud of that.
Then Violet pressed her lips beside my ear. "Oh, I think it might just be time to go home now, because you three just got my panties wet."
Yep, she was drunk, and no, she wasn't any less deadly like this. Damn, it was definitely time to go.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Ash and I ended up in the back seat for the ride home. Cy drove, with Luke sitting beside him. I noticed when Cy reached over for Luke's hand, but Ash kissing the back of my neck was a little distracting. Seeing Cy's eyes glancing back in the rearview mirror was hot. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the teasing kisses became more, seatbelts were lost, and the pair of us ended up sprawled in the backseat, grinding just a little too much.
Because seeing my men step up like that? I'd liked it a little too much. Luke had been leading the charge, but having Ash and Cy willing to follow him? Yeah, fucking sexy. I pulled Ash over me, not caring when Luke turned to enjoy the view. I wanted to tell them, but I couldn't keep my mouth off Ash, and before I knew it, we were home.
"Yeah, my turn," Cy said as he parked the truck right in front of the house and got out.
Then he opened my door, Ash leaned back, and Cy all but pulled me out. His mouth took over where Ash's had just been, and I tried to cling to him. I didn't need to be good tonight. I didn't have to worry about getting caught or who might see, and damn, but I wanted to watch my men together. Evidently Cy agreed, because the moment his mouth left mine, he lifted, tossing me over his shoulder like I weighed absolutely nothing.
"I need a bed, like, yesterday," he grumbled, marching toward the house.
