Page 23 of Honey, Honey
I knew I was buzzed but I could not have heard this man correctly. He was what? “Sorry?” I asked. The rain hadn’t let up for a second since I’d gone into the restaurant and I could feel it splashing up against my rain boots. I glanced down worriedly because I knew for a fact he was not wearing the right footwear for this. Rain boots didn’t exactly fit the tall, dark and broody, in a bespoke suit look Lawson was currently sporting.
“I’m carrying you. You’re stumbling all over, Honey.”
“No, I’m not, that was just a little bump in the sidewalk, I swear,” I said, gesturing towards the pavement. “I’m okay, really. I’m fine. I swear, I’m fine to walk.”
“You know when people have been out having a good time and they swear they’re good, they never are,” he said, tilting his head to the side to look at me. The gesture got him a splash of rainwater on his face, which should not have made him look hotter, but it did. God, I’d kill to be a water droplet on Lawson’s cheek.
“Lawson, look-”
He shook his head. “Law. Call me, Law. Now, come here.”
“Just when I didn’t think you could get any hotter,” I muttered. “You go and ask me to call you Law.”
“I don’t like Lawson, that’s my legal name.” He said with a face that made it sound like legal names were...well,bad.
“What’s wrong with a legal name? Mine’s Honey and you don’t hear me bitching.”
He laughed, and I finally got why there was that stupid internet poem that said something about storms being named after people or some melodramatic shit. I loved melodramatic shit, so obviously I had saved the poem on an internet board or five. At the time I’d liked the imagery, but now I got it. Law’s laugh affected me more than any rolling clap of thunder ever had, there wasn’t a sound the storm had made that could touch the laugh the man had just let out.
He was intimidating, though I was drawn to him. But his laugh? His laugh was like the powdered sugar they put on beignets in the French Quarter. It was light, fluffy and sweet as any dessert I’d ever had on my tongue.
But at the same time it was strong. Just like Law. I could feel it in my bones. When he laughed it meant something. I could tell it was rare, but god, when he laughed, it was real, free, and precious. I counted myself lucky to have heard it.
I was still thinking about that, struck blind by this man’s laugh and savoring the sounds when he bent and pushed his shoulder into my waist, folding me over at the hip and tossing me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes.
“What the hell, Law?” I screeched, clutching at the umbrella. I couldn’t lose it on the first day Juana had given it to me. I struggled to hold on and stay upright, which meant my hand went to his ass. “Shit! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine. Relax, Honey.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to relax hanging over your shoulder like a sack of root vegetables?!”
He laughed again and I had to press a hand to my mouth to stop the moan that almost slipped out of me as I felt the rumble of his deep laugh right against my thighs. I was only a woman, after all. Powerless against the savage type of beauty Law wore as easily as the suit he donned.
“You’re a funny girl, Honey,” he said, adjusting me higher on his shoulder as we passed a couple. They looked surprised but then shrugged, because this was New York, and it wasn’t like a man carrying a woman in the rain was that big of a deal. Especially when I waved a hand at them to know I was all right.
“You know what’snotfunny? Being carted around like this,” I told him, even though I was lying through my teeth. I was loving every second. I didn’t understand why he was doing what he was doing or how it seemed that everything the man did seemed to have a direct line to my fantasies, but here we were. Who was I to turn a blessing away?
“Sure, sure.”
I was quiet for a second before I said, “You’re going to take a left at the next light. My building is the third one on the right, it’s a blue metal door.”
“Got it. Blue metal door.” He pressed his hand to the back of my thigh and I bit my lip to keep quiet at the intimate touch. I knew he was doing it to keep me steady as he crossed the street, but damn if it didn’t feel so good to have him touch me like that. Now wasn’t the moment to indulge in that, not when I had an apology to make.
I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I lied to Tiffany about us being engaged. I know why you did it in the shop, but I didn’t have to keep it going.”
For a minute Law didn’t answer me. He just kept walking, his stride even and smooth. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not but just when I was about to repeat myself, he spoke.
“We’ll talk about it once you’re home.” He said in a way that left no room for arguing and I gave a quick nod before I realized he couldn’t see that.
“Okay.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence and all too soon I was sliding down the front of him and onto my feet. It was when I was on my feet that I realized my predicament.
I was pressed up against Lawson Sokolov’s front for the second time that night, my back to the door. I stood too close to him for just a second too long before I took a deep breath and whirled to face my door, my hands fumbling with the keys that were in my sweater pocket. I tried a key and swore when it wasn’t the right one.
“Sorry, I’m just a little-”
“Drunk? I know.” He didn’t sound happy about that and I bit the inside of my cheek, holding back the retort that might have slipped out. I was a grown woman, a regular big girl, and I didn’t need him brooding about me having one too many drinks that night. He’d even poured me two, a beer and a shot, so I didn’t think he had much room to complain. I slid the right key home and threw open the door.
