Page 95 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“Right, giddy girl. Let’s see if we can get you home without a concussion.” His voice was teasing, but the protective way he held her suggested genuine concern beneath the banter.
“Here. I’ll even prove it,” she said, stopping mid-stride and planting her feet solidly on the sand-dusted pavement with the determination of someone about to attempt a high-wire act. Before Chad could say a word, she handed him her heels, pressing them firmly into his chest.
“Hold these,” she said. “Don’t let them run away without me.”
“I’ll guard them with my life,” he said with a light chuckle as he took the heels in one hand while keeping the other ready to catch her. “What exactly are you doing?”
“Proving I’m sober,” Daisy declared with absolute conviction. She pointed to the ground. “Straight line. Watch. Prepare to be dazzled.”
“Dazzled?” Chad snickered, the moonlight catching the amusement in his eyes. “Alright, I’ll bite. Entertain me.”
Daisy lifted her chin, extended her arms out like a tightrope walker, and stepped forward, carefully placing one bare foot in front of the other. She made it exactly three awkward steps before gravity took over, sending her pitching sideways.
Chad lunged forward and caught her before she could actually fall. He looped his arm securely around her waist, pulling her against him with protective instinct. “Wow,” he said, grinning down at her as he held her from falling, their faces now just inches apart. “Consider me dazzled.”
Instead of trying to stand upright, she relaxed in his arms and let him hold her for a moment, the moonlight sparkling in her green eyes as she stared up at him. “Okay, maybe I’m a little drunk,” she admitted, her words slurring slightly as she gave him a conspiratorial smile.
“A little,” Chad repeated, his voice filled with amusement, though his heartbeat had sped up at their sudden proximity. “Major understatement.”
She giggled, the sound unexpectedly musical in the night air. “Okay. Maybe a lot.”
“Was this your devious ploy to get me to put my arms around you?” he said, borrowing her line from the bar.
“Hey. That was my line. You stole it.” She poked him gently in the chest, her finger lingering against his shirt for a moment too long to be casual.
He nodded. “And you’re supposed to say, it was your subtle ploy.”
“It was my sneaky ploy,” she said as he helped her stand upright. Or, as close to upright as she could manage, as she swayed a bit. “Maybe you should keep your arm around me. Just in case.”
“Happy to, giddy girl,” he said as they resumed walking, his arm securely around her waist. The feel of her leaning against him, trusting and unguarded, stirred something protective inside him he wasn’t entirely familiar with.
A few late-night stragglers passed them — a couple walking a small dog, a man on a bicycle with a basket full of groceries — but the boardwalk was mostly theirs, the storefronts dark and shuttered for the night. The quiet allowed Chad to hear Daisy’s soft humming, no longer trying to remember lyrics but content with the melody.
“You’re good at this,” she murmured after a while, her head resting lightly against his shoulder.
“At what? Walking?” he teased.
“Taking care of people,” she said, before adding softly. “Taking care of me.”
By the time they reached Chad’s apartment, Daisy was an undeniable mess. But a happy one. Chad unlocked the door and gestured her inside, watching with equal parts amusement and concern as she stumbled over the threshold, still clutching her heels like they might escape her entirely.
“You, uh... still good there?” he asked, following behind her and flipping on the lights.
“I’m great,” Daisy said, proudly dropping her shoes onto the floor with a clatter and dramatically collapsing back onto the couch.
As amusing as it was to watch, Chad knew she was going to hate life tomorrow if she passed out on the couch.
“Okay, up we go, Fields.” He scooped her up in his arms, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, and gently lifted her.
“Why is the room moving?” she said giddily, her arms instinctively looping around his neck for stability.
“It’s not,” he said, carrying her toward his bedroom. “You are. I’m putting you somewhere you won’t wake up with Doritos stuck to your cheek.”
He set her down beside the bed, and she flopped back onto it with zero grace, one arm hanging off the edge. For a second, she blinked blearily up at him, her expression softening into something that made his chest tighten unexpectedly.
“This is totally... the nicest bed I’ve ever stolen,” she murmured, her eyes already beginning to close.
“You’re welcome,” Chad said with a light chuckle. He tugged a blanket over her then headed into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a glass of water he set on the nightstand beside the bed. He then gathered her shoes and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed.
