How would they look wrapped around my cock?
Averting my eyes from her lips, I try to keep my shit under control. My head is all over the fucking place tonight. One minute I’m mourning Em, and the next I’m lusting over Jovie. Maybe it’s the alcohol. Those hurricanes are stronger than you think, and Jovie is a quarter into her third.
She turns dramatically to face me, wobbling a little as she does.
Here we go.
It’s finally hitting her.
She points at me like she means business. “You know what, sunshine—”
“Sunshine?”
“You…” she pauses, her eyes glassing over as she stares at me blankly.
I lean forward. “Jovie?”
She bursts into a fit of giggles. “I forgot… man, is New Orleans spinning?”
Shit.
I scan inside to try and see where Savanah is, but I can’t find her anywhere.
Looks like I’m dealing with this.
“Okay, how about we head in to get some water, yeah?”
“Pffft, water is for fishties, fish-es, fifties… oh wow, my lips are numb,” she gushes like that’s supposed to be really impressive.
It’s not.
I stand, lifting her with me. She’s wobbling but bursts into a fit of laughter as I wrap my arm around her.
“Oh, are we going somewhere?”
I smirk. “Yes. To get you some water, remember?”
Jovie waves her hand through the air, and it lands on my face, her fingers gently caressing my cheek as we walk. Even though she’s drunk, her soothing touch is kind of nice to feel. I walk her inside, keeping an eye out for Rush and Savanah, but they’re nowhere to be seen. Jovie’s legs start to buckle beneath me, and I need to use more of my strength to hold her up.
“I don’t feel so good,” she whimpers.
“Fucking hell. Okay, c’mon.” I pull her with me toward the exit.
The cooler night air hits us as we walk out onto Bourbon Street, but it’s alive and buzzing with people everywhere. I walk Jovie out onto the street and lean her up against the side of the next building. Her eyes are rolling around in her head. I pull her hair back from her face as I look her over. Even drunk as a skunk, she’s gorgeous. I understand why she’s let herself go like this—she’s on the run, and I know what that feels like. Even though she’s trying to keep herself together, her very foundations are cracking, and maybe me taking off the way I did was the final notch on the Richter scale for her.
“Just breathe,” I tell her as her head flops about.
“Kevlar…”
“Yeah?”
Her eyes scan up and meet with me. They are filled with so much sadness. “I’m scared.” She sniffs like she’s holding back tears.
I bring my hand up, caressing her cheek. “I’m going to look after you, I promise.”
Her bottom lip trembles. “What if they k-kill you?”
“Not gonna happen.”
“How do you know?”
I smirk wide. “Because I’m cute.”
She bursts into a fit of giggles. “No, you’re fucking manly,” she grunts out, mocking my low voice. “Thanks for making me laugh.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I need to find you some water.”
She scrunches up her face. “I don’t think my stomach can handle another thing in—” Suddenly, she hunches over to the side, violently heaving onto the sidewalk. I grimace, holding her hair back from her face. She doesn’t need that red hurricane getting in her beautiful blonde locks. Passersby snicker and cheer as I rub her back.
It’s like it never ends.
I’m no stranger to vomit, having two kids makes me immune to this kind of stuff, though I have to admit, I don’t want to leave Jovie alone tonight. Not with her mood and certainly not with the amount of alcohol she’s consumed, even though most of it is on the side of Bourbon Street right now.
“That’s it. Let it all out,” I tell her as she pants for breath.
She’s a damn hot mess.
And I can’t help but smile.
The guys back at home would be laughing their asses off at this. I just wish I were able to tell them about it. I have no clue what’s happening with the Baron and his vendetta against me, or why he even has one. I need to stay put. Keep my head down and stay out of trouble.
Jovie finally comes up for air, her hand swiping along the back of her mouth as she straightens up. Her watering eyes meet mine, and she frowns. “I’m so sorry.”
“You think a little puke is gonna ruin my night?”
“You must think I’m a lost cause.” She clears her throat as I wrap my arm around her.
I pull her to me, then start the walk back to the hotel. “Just the opposite. I think you’re a bright light in all this fucking darkness.”
“Man, I really need that water now.” She lets out a small laugh.
“Okay, we’ll find some. Do you have a phone? We should tell Savanah where I’m taking you.”
She pulls out a cell that appears eerily like my burner. “Where are you taking me?”
“The Marriott.”
She widens her eyes. “Are you joking?”
“No, that’s where I’m staying.”
Jovie exhales. “Us, too.”
“We were destined to meet.”
“I like that. I’m directionally challenged. How far away are we?”
“We’re halfway there.”
Jovie smiles wide, then bursts out into song. “Woah, livin’ on a prayer…” she continues to sing as I chuckle to myself the whole way back to the hotel.
It seems like we’ve found ourselves a theme song.
JOVIE
My head is so fucking heavy I can hardly function as my eyes remain closed.
I know I’m in New Orleans.
I know I went out with Savanah last night.
I know I met a guy named Kevlar.
But other than that, it’s mostly a blur.
My entire body aches, my stomach is growling with hunger as I let out a small hungover moan. My hand shifts on the bed, but I tense as I feel warm skin. My eyes fly open in shock as every muscle in me tenses. I still my hand as I peep at the chest I’m lying on. A tattoo of a blue diamond with a black crown on top and two red roses on either side sits proudly on his chest. Glorious black wings spread out either side of the roses and the words Carpe Diem in script above them. There’s more black and gray edging up his neck and heading down his arms, but I’m too fucking scared to look at what it is right now. I even notice a piercing in his left nipple. I bite down on my bottom lip trying to gauge if I’m sore from a night of hardcore sex I have no memory of.
But I don’t sense anything out of the ordinary.
Taking a deep breath, I grimace, then slowly lift my head to see who I’m sleeping on. Relief washes over me when Kevlar’s face comes into view. He’s fast asleep, and in the light of day and without my drinking goggles on, I have to say, he’s even more gorgeous if that’s possible. He appears so relaxed. So calm. Like whatever worries he had last night aren’t plaguing him right now.
I don’t want to disturb him, but I really need to use the bathroom. So, I slowly edge out from his grip and slide out of bed. The sheet falls away from him, revealing his Adonis six-pack, and I let out a small gasp.