Remy laughed again. “Honey, no one’s grandmother would ever wear that top or those boots.”
I looked down, admiring the way my legs looked in the skintight black leather. Who cared if I couldn’t feel my feet? I looked fabulous, and after the shitty way I’d felt since dropping out of law school, I needed a few hours of fabulous. “Let’s dance some more.”
“Sounds good.”
We finished our drinks and ventured back onto the floor, but the crowd had grown and it was hard to find space to move. Bodies wiggled. Elbows jabbed me from behind. More than once an overly enthusiastic dancer bumped into me, and suddenly, without warning, my ankle turned. The next thing I knew I was hitting the ground. Hard.
“Vic!” Remy crouched beside me. “Are you okay?”
The room spun. For a long few seconds I could only see chair legs and ankles. I looked up, squinting into the lights. “What happened?”
“You fell.” She reached out, but just as I was scrambling to get my feet under me, Rafe picked me up from behind. Two solid hands planted themselves on my hips, and before I knew it I was on my feet, his palms steadying me in place.
The tiniest slip ofsomethingmoved through me.
“You all right?” he growled in my ear.
I nodded, but I wasn’t. I’d twisted my ankle on the way down, and now that I was putting weight on it a sharp pain shot up to my knee. I limped off the dance floor, reached for the closest stool and sat down. “I think I sprained something.”
“We should go,” Remy said. “You need to ice your ankle. Maybe have it looked at.”
“I’m not going to the hospital.” My head was pounding, and suddenly it was too hot and hard to breathe.
“Fine. But we’re not staying here.” She slipped my backpack over one shoulder and helped me limp outside. “Can you walk on it?”
I nodded. The fresh night air felt good against my warm cheeks. I took a few steps and then faltered.
“Vic, you’re hurt.”
“No, I’m not. I’m totally fine. Look.” I spread my arms wide and strutted along the sidewalk a half-dozen feet, at which point my disloyal ankle turned yet again. This time I yelped with pain. I couldn’t help it.
I heard Remy and Rafe talking behind me. Then my best friend said, too brightly, “Rafe’s gonna take you home and make sure you get inside without breaking anything, okay? And I’ll call you tomorrow to see how you’re feeling.”
“You’re leaving me?”
“Yes. It’s almost midnight and I have an early meeting tomorrow.”
“Fine.” I tried to give her the evil eye, but it was dark and my head still hurt and from where I was standing it looked like there might be two Remys instead of one, so I just waved and nodded. Then I headed around back to where Rafe had parked.
Except I didn’t get very far.
Before I’d gone more than a couple yards, he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. And not in any kind of gentle, chivalrous manner, but like a sack of laundry he had to get to the cleaners.
“Hey!”
“You’re not walking anywhere in those boots.” He marched down the sidewalk with me bumping over his shoulder. My curls got caught up in my mouth. The extra pads I’d stuffed into my bra got squished around until one was jammed up against my chin. My backpack slid off my shoulder and bumped against his leg. Only when we reached the parking lot did he put me down again.
“That wasn’t necessary,” I said, except it came out more liketha-want-nary.I shoved my fake boob back into place and spit out a mouthful of hair. He didn’t speak, but he did squint at my cleavage like there was an alien growing out of it. I wiggled and yanked until all my padding fell into the right places.
“Let’s go.” He unlocked the car and folded me into the passenger seat. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t speak to him. When we got back to my place I tried to march up the front steps with my head held high, but everything hurt, my pride most of all.
So when he put one arm around my waist to help me, I let him. I leaned against him, solid and silent and strong enough to carry me. Maybe I needed a bodyguard after all.
The townhouse was unnaturally dark, without a single light burning on Penny’s side. Even our street was quiet, with the neighborhood settling down into its slumber state. I handed Rafe my keys and he opened the door without a word. Then he took my arm and helped me inside. I limped into my living room and sank onto the couch. He walked past me into the kitchen, and I could hear him open the freezer. A few minutes later he reappeared with a towel filled with ice cubes.
“Thought you might have some frozen peas or something. They’re good to keep on hand for an ice pack.”
I shook my head and unzipped my boot, peeling it slowly away from my leg. I didn’t keep vegetables in the house at all, but he didn’t know that. He didn’t know me, period. In the light my ankle looked puffy but not bruised. Rafe ran one hand along the skin, and I flinched.
