Page 15 of That Ship Has Sailed

“I think you’re drunk,” he countered. “I watched Asshat and his friends fill your glass up when you weren’t watching. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time.”

Coming to an abrupt stop, she caused their clasped hands to break apart. “You think they like slipped something in my—”

“Whoa, whoa.” He took her biceps in his hands and bent so they were eye to eye. “No. I saw the bartender give them the drink. I don’t think there was anything in it. You just probably had more than you realize.”

Nodding, she pulled away from him and started walking again. “That’s pretty dumb, I guess. Right? I mean I know better. It’s just . . . well, I haven’t been out in a long time and—”

“You don’t have to explain any of that to me.” He took her hand again. “That wasn’t on you, Courtney. Those guys were assholes, overgrown man-children, just like you said. Anything they did was on them.”

“Yeah, but I’d be the one who had to live with whatever they did to me.” When she shivered, Seth wasn’t sure if the cool breeze or the thought of what the guys might have planned caused the reaction.

Stopping, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, sharing his warmth with her. “You don’t have to worry about any of that. Nothing happened, and now you’re with me and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She stared up at him, her big gray eyes weighing his words for sincerity. When she pulled her lip between her teeth, he couldn’t pry his gaze away from her mouth. She looked so vulnerable, weak, but he knew that couldn’t be true. Any woman who’d had the strength to bury the man she loved and not lie down in the grave beside him and give up, wasn’t a weak woman. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to protect her though.

Giving his head a shake to keep from doing something stupid, he tried to step away from her. Before he could, Courtney lifted on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

Holy hell.The woman might be out of practice when it came to relationships, but her seduction skills were on point. She slid her hands over his shoulders and around his neck and pulled him closer, pressing her breasts tight against his chest. Even though he knew he shouldn’t encourage her, he gripped her hips and tugged her closer, erasing any space between them. The warm heat of her body reached out to him, threatening to ignite the need burning inside of him for her. When her little tongue slipped between his lips, he had to squeeze her hips harder just to keep himself grounded. He walked her backwards, pressing her against the wall, melding their bodies together. She moaned into his mouth, shifting her hips so their most intimate parts were aligned.

Then, just as quickly as the kiss had started, she jerked away and covered her mouth.

Fuck.She’d said she wasn’t ready. He’d promised nothing would happen. He was just as bad as the Asshat who’d been trying to get her drunk and have sex with her.

“Courtney.”

“Oh my God,” she mumbled.

“Courtney. I’m sorry—”

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Her head wobbled back and forth, looking for a trashcan.

It wasn’t regret that had stopped their make-out session, it was the alcohol. His room was just a few doors away. Taking her hand, he mostly dragged her down the hall toward his door.

“In here,” he told her, unlocking the door. “You can do whatever you need to. . .”

She nodded but didn’t open her mouth.

Seth shoved the door opened and pulled her inside and into the bathroom. He lifted the lid to the toilet and then she was there, head hung over the bowl, depositing the contents of her stomach.

“I’m so sorry,” she cried between retches.

“No, baby.” He pulled her hair behind her shoulders, holding it as she heaved again. “This isn’t your fault. I’ve got you.”

When she had nothing left to vomit, she sat back, resting her head on her knees. He filled a cup with water and sat it on the floor beside her, then dug a t-shirt out of his bag and brought it to her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He crouched by her side, then pushed the hair away from her face. “I’ll let you do whatever you need to do. I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything.”

She nodded weakly, otherwise not moving.

The five minutes Seth waited outside the bathroom, listening to water run and the toilet flush, were possibly the longest five minutes of his life. Finally, Courtney emerged. Her hair was pulled back from her damp and flushed face and his t-shirt covered her body, skimming over the tips of her stiff nipples and barely covering her bottom.

He closed his eyes, battling the hard-on that had started when she kissed him in the hall.

“Do you mind if I just. . .” She pointed to his bed. When he nodded, she sat down, almost immediately curling onto her side and closing her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

He sat down beside her, running his fingers through her hair. “I already told you this wasn’t your fault. Sleep it off, baby, I have you.”

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