"Wait!" I call, and Buddy hesitates, glancin' at me over his shoulder with an evil grin. "Tucker is still out there with her?"
"Oh yeah. Penny's hangin' all over him." He whistles lowly. "He's gonna getlaidtonight," he says, emphasizin' the words loudly.
I stand up quickly, knockin' my chair over in the process. "Like hell he is," I hiss as I storm out of the office, pushin' past Buddy on my way out.
Buddy is hot on my heels as we walk to the front room. Just like he said, Penny is hangin' all over Tucker with two empty shot glasses and three empty plastic cups in front of her. I turn to Buddy. "Why did you let her drink so much?" I chide.
"I didn't know she was such a lightweight," he says defensively.
I walk over to the Penny and Tucker, seethin'. "Penny," I say quietly.
She turns to me and smiles, and my heart instantly skips a beat.Damn it.
"Barkeep, two more sssshots of tequila, pleassse," she says with slurred words and a giggle.
"I'm not servin' you anymore, Penny."
She pouts, and it's so damn cute that I have to struggle to keep a smile from formin' on my lips. "Where's Buddy?" she asks. "He'll ssserve me."
"He ain't servin' you either."
She suddenly grabs Tucker's hand. "Tucker, do you…do you have a tequila at your houssse?"
He hesitates. "I have whiskey. No tequila."
Angrily, I reach across the bar and grab Tucker by his shirt collar. I haul him up out of his seat until our faces are only an inch apart. "You can't see that she doesn't need more alcohol?" I hiss at him.
"I wasn't actually going to give her any!" Tucker quickly says defensively. "I was just answering her question."
Buddy hauls me back over the bar, and I reluctantly release my grip on Tucker's collar. "Enough, Colt. Why don't you see that Penny makes it up to her apartment safely?" He eyeballs Tucker. "Bar's closed. Come back another time, Tuck."
Tucker begins to protest, but Buddy glares at him. Tucker then holds up his hands in defense and nods. "All right. Fine." He turns to Penny and kisses her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Penny. I had a great time. As usual," he says and shoots her a big smile that seems to melt Penny on the spot.
Suddenly, Penny stands and wraps her arms around his neck. Her pouty lips meet his in a kiss, and I have to look away. "Me too," she says with a dreamy sigh.
I walk around the bar once Tucker leaves and grab Penny by her hand. I'm fumin' from their little exchange. I didn't realize how jealous I would get from seein' Penny with someone else. Apparently insanely fuckin' jealous. "Get your purse. You're goin' home," I say sternly.
She barely has a grip on the handle of her bag before I start pullin' her behind me. Her heels click rapidly against the floor as she struggles to keep up. Once we're outside, she pulls back on my grip. "Wait, Colt. Wait. I…I can't walk in these heels very fast," she whines.
I stop walkin' and turn to her. "Well, maybe you shouldn’t have drank so damn much!" I snap at her.
Her lips pinch into a tight line as she glares at me. She's smart to not say anything in response. Frustrated, I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. I peel off her high heels and hold them in one hand while my other hand pins down her flailin' legs. "Put me down!" she screams, poundin' on my back with her tiny fists.
"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that," I tell her, frustratingly, while I ascend the steps to her apartment.
Once we're at the front door, I reach above the doorframe and grab the spare key that only Buddy and I know about. I unlock the door, walk inside and slowly ease her down into a kitchen chair. She slumps in the seat while I fill up a tall glass of water at the sink.
"Drink," I demand, settin' the glass in front of her. "The whole thing."
She scrunches up her nose, but drinks the water anyway without so much as a peep. Her hair is disheveled and her makeup is smudged, but she never looked more beautiful.
I tear my gaze away from her and pace the kitchen floor as I wait for her to finish. Then I hold out my hand to her. She looks at me out from under long golden lashes. "You're goin' to bed," I state.
She shakes her head, but I grab her hand and haul her up out of the chair. She loses her balance and crashes against my chest. The closeness of her is sudden and unexpected, but I feel my arms wrappin' around her, not wantin' to let go. I stare down at her as she turns her gaze up to meet mine.
"Colt," she whispers softly. Her fingertips run over the stubble on my jaw. "I miss you," she says with a hauntingly sad tone. Her fingertips trail over my lips. "I miss everything about you. I missus," she confesses quietly.
I close my eyes and breathe in her soft scent. She feels so right in my arms. I get this overwhelmin' feelin' that my heart knows somethin' that I don’t. I wish I wanted to remember her.
