Page 34 of On The Rocks

“We can finish cleaning up if you want to take him. You’ve been here all day.” Annette slipped behind the bar.

“No, I don’t want to leave you like that.”

Annette waved her off. “If you don’t, he’ll be on the floor in a minute.”

She sighed. “I suppose he is.”

“I’m fine,” I said and lurched off the stool.

“Hey, big guy.” Dean caught me by the belt, hauling me upright. “You don’t look so good.”

“I feel great.”

“I bet he does,” Lennon groused. “Dean, can you help me get him to my Jeep?”

“Sure thing.” Dean shoved his shoulder under my arm. “Hang onto me, idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot.” But my feet were really not working right.

“What the hell happened to him?” Dean asked.

“Hayes.”

“Ahh.” Dean chuckled. “Been there. He’ll learn not to take offerings from that sneaky bastard.”

“He really is.” I laughed, but it came out more like a slur. “Bastard.”

Lennon’s scent drifted my way as she came around the other side of me. She smelled like warm ginger and something else. Probably alcohol from flipping around her...stuff. Words weren’t working too good in my head.

I couldn’t even properly enjoy the fact that she was all tucked up next to me.

God, I hope I didn’t smell.

I turned my head to sniff but only got a lungful of ginger and girl shampoo. I wasn’t sure why girl shampoo always smelled so good, but hers was way good. “Excepshhunel,” I said with a sigh.

“Good grief,” she muttered. “Okay, let’s get him outside.”

“Want to go grab your Jeep? I can handle him.”

Suddenly, she was gone, and I frowned. “Hey.”

“Sorry, jackass. You’ll have to deal with me for a few.” Dean’s voice was far too amused. I was really going to hate this tomorrow.

Not that this was the first time I’d been walked out of a bar in my life. A few times, I’d even had the extra help of cuffs. I snickered at the memory of me and Marc being hauled out of a dive in North Carolina.

Dean gripped my belt at the back again. “Hi, there. If you go down, we’re both going down, and I don’t know if I can get you back up alone.”

The slap of cool air pushed away some of the haze. “I’m good.” I got my feet under me and swayed.

Dean hauled me over to the railing of the ramp and we shuffled our way down. “Nothing like a bit of cold air to clear the head, hey?”

I closed one eye, and he shimmered into one person. “Sure. I got this.”

Dean grunted as I crashed into him. “Thank God. There she is.”

I lifted my head and grinned at the purple Jeep waiting under the parking light. She hopped out of the driver’s side and hurried around the front of the car.

“You sure you can handle him alone?”

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