Moment of Weakness (Embracing Moments Book 1) (25 page)

Louis leaned forward, his hands splayed across the bar. “What can I get you, princess?”

“Shot of tequila, please.”

“Patron or Jose?”

“Patron.”

“Lemon or Lime?”

I shook my head. “Neither.”

He smiled at me. “I like you already,” he said, placing the shot glass in front of me. As soon as he filled it, I pulled the glass to my lips and threw back the shot. The clear liquid coated my mouth and rolled down my throat. The burning sensation from the liquor dissipated, and warmth radiated throughout my chest. Louis took everyone’s orders, and when his eyes fell on Roman, I heard his voice over my shoulder, “Nah, man. I’m good.”

I frowned and turned to look at him. “One won’t kill you, you know.”

“I know, but someone’s got to watch you,
”
he said, his tone low and full of sarcasm. Saying nothing, I turned back around and ordered two more shots, throwing them back even quicker than the first one. Shane said something about making sure our table was ready and moved to go check on it. As the person beside me got up and walked away from the bar, Roman wasted no time sliding in next to me. I glanced over at him, and the flood of memories I had pushed to the back of my brain forced themselves front and center. I called over to Louis and put my finger in the air.

“One more, please.”

Louis placed another shot in front of me. “Take it easy there, princess. I don’t want to have to cut you off already. You’re drinking like you’re trying to forget something.”

I smiled and tilted my head back, this shot going down smoothest of them all. “Not something,” I said, placing the glass back down on the counter. My eyes moved from Louis back to Roman. “More like someone.”

Roman’s brows pulled together, and his lips pinched into a tight grimace. My words must have affected him because a second later, he pushed away from the bar and disappeared into the crowd. I pushed a heavy sigh from my lips and turned to see Lacey dancing with some guy on the dance floor. Her red curls bounced as she moved, and her lips stretched across her face in a genuine smile. Whomever she was with was doing something right. I scanned the crowd looking for Roman, but the overhead strobe lights flashed around, making it hard to get a good look at anyone. Shane reappeared a moment later, his thumb tossed over his shoulder.

“Our table’s ready.”

I ordered one more drink from the bar. A margarita, on the rocks with salt, before walking with Shane to the table. Setting my drink down, I slid into the rounded booth and pulled my straw from my drink. Shane scooted in beside me, his arm resting on the back of the booth behind me. “I never pegged you as a Tequila drinker.”

I laughed. “So I’m guessing Lacey only informed you of my embarrassing moments.”

He grinned. “Not all.”

I shook my head and picked up my glass. Licking salt off the rim, I took a sip of the tangy citrus flavored drink. “Well, a few more of these and I’m sure you’ll witness some firsthand.”

“Should I be worried?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Not unless there is an antique wardrobe nearby.”

He chuckled, and unlike Roman’s laugh, Shane’s had a more boyish charm to it.

He leaned in closer, his mouth next to my ear. “Do you want to dance?”

It had been ages since I had danced with anyone. “Sure, but I must warn you, I haven’t danced in a while. So there is a good chance I forgot how.”

Shane stood to his feet first, his eyes watching me as I slid toward him.

“On second thought, maybe we will just sit here,” he said, sitting back down. I stopped, my mouth falling ajar. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me from the booth. “I’m kidding, Julia. I couldn’t care less about stepped-on feet, especially if it means dancing with you.”

I smiled. “You think you’re so smooth.”

“You can be the judge of that.” He winked and then twined his fingers with mine.

He pulled me behind him, and we made our way to the center of the dance floor. Shane spun me around, bringing my back to his chest. His hands fell to my waist, and the fresh scent of his cologne fogged my nose. The sound of the music on the floor was even louder, making it easy to fall into a rhythm. Dancing with Shane was fun. Our hips swayed together, and he was always careful when placing his hands on me. If he was unsure if I’d be comfortable with it, he’d ask, and I admired him for it. I wasn’t sure how long we had been dancing, but it was long enough to work up a sheen of sweat on my neck and back.

Shane’s hands rested on my hips, and as he spun me around, my eyes caught Roman’s. He was on the other side of the dance floor, watching me from a distance. Shane grinded against me, and I moved his hands from my hips to my upper thighs, trying to pull a reaction from Roman. It was wrong, but I wanted him to react. I wanted him to be jealous. I wanted to know that seeing me with someone else drove him crazy.

Roman stalked toward me, his eyes raging, and I stiffened, waiting for him to approach us. Shane turned me around so I was facing him. Moving his hands down my back, he pulled me flush against him, dipping us both low, matching the rhythm of the song. I circled back around him and caught sight of Roman again, except this time he wasn’t alone.

A sour taste burned the back of my throat. Roman’s hands glided down the long-legged brunette’s back, caressing her skin like it was silk. She pressed her large chest against him, and as she pulled his ear down to her mouth, the alcohol in my stomach made its way up my throat. A small smile played across Roman’s lips, and I closed my eyes wanting to erase the image from my mind.

“Are you okay?” Shane asked over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said, opening my eyes, not realizing my body had stopped moving. I tried to get back into the beat of the current song, but when my eyes moved back to Roman, I needed to get off the floor. I needed to get away from seeing one of his hands on her hip, and another skimming the thigh wrapped around his waist.

Flashing Shane a smile, I said, “I think I’m going to go sit for a while.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

I shook my head. “No, you can dance. Lacey’s at the table anyway.”

“Okay. I’ll be over soon,” he said.

Nodding, I looked over my shoulder to see Roman staring at me. Something ugly flashed behind his beautiful eyes. Not only did my plan to make Roman jealous
not
work, it completely backfired. The alcohol in my stomach was making its way into my bloodstream because my body was warm and the signs hanging from the ceilings had a blur around them. Chewing on my lip, I tried to hide my pained expression as I turned and walked back toward the table.

“WHAT THE HELL
is he thinking? I mean, look at her, she’s like half-naked. Gross.” Lacey’s entire body shook in disgust. “Want me to go smack a bitch?”

“You’re not the violent type, Lace,” I said, frowning.

She arched an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, but for you, I can be.”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, it’s my birthday. I’m here to have fun.”

Lacey flashed me a devilish grin. “So then let’s have fun!”

Jumping from the table, she yanked me behind her, dragging me to the bar. Louis set down two shot glasses in front of us filled with some brown concoction and topped with whipped cream.

Lacey’s eyes lit up. “Time for your first blow job, baby.”

My gaze shot over to her. “What?”

“This shot. It’s called a blow job.”

“That’s an interesting name.”

“Yeah well, it fits it perfectly. You see . . . you can only use your mouth to drink it.”

My eyes widened and Lacey laughed. “Prepare yourself. This one likes to draw attention.”
Great.
“Hands behind your back,” she demanded. I placed my hands behind my back as did she. “On the count of three, we go.”

Lacey counted down, and by the time she got to one, a small crowd formed around us, chanting with her. I wrapped my lips around the glass and tilted my head back. The sweet creamy liquor ran down my throat, and everyone cheered as I placed the empty glass back down on the bar. Lacey placed hers down a second later. We stayed at the bar a little longer, taking advantage of the free drink offers, and when that became boring, we moved back to the dance floor.

My body, now under the full influence of alcohol, moved of its own accord. Lacey and I danced for a while, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had this much fun. I hated that the summer was halfway over, but I was so thankful Lacey was here to spend it with me.

Closing my eyes, I swayed my hips to the music. A tap fell on Lacey’s shoulder, and I figured the guy was most likely asking her to dance. She looked at me, hesitant to leave, but I knew she wanted to accept the offer. So I encouraged her to go, telling her I’d meet her back at the table in a little while. As I swung my hips around in a circle, a pair of hands landed on my waist. Assuming it was Shane, I moved against him, his hands moving over the curve of my hips and down the side of my thighs. My body tensed for a second, but then relaxed, because I knew he wouldn’t go any further.

At least I didn’t think he would.

His hands dipped between my thighs, and I stiffened against him. As I pulled his hands back to my waist, I noticed a ring on his right hand. Shane wasn’t wearing any rings. I turned around, and as soon as I did, a pair of unknowing lips fell to mine. I had no idea who was attempting to kiss me, but his whiskey-laden breath caused my stomach to turn. Gripping his shoulders, I tried to push him back, but his forceful grasp held me to him, his tongue trying to push through the tight barrier of my lips. My entire body squirmed against him, and I was sure to most onlookers, we seemed like another drunken couple making out on the dance floor. Tears built in the back of my throat, and the harder I tried to push off of him, the tighter his grip became. Calming myself, I tried to think about what to do next, but I didn’t need to think long, because a moment later, I was wobbling backward, the guy’s hold on me severed.

Roman’s fist collided with the stranger’s jaw, sending him flying to the floor. Everyone in the surrounding area looked between me, Roman, and the drunken guy who was now struggling to get up. Before I had the chance to say anything, Roman swung me over his shoulder and pushed his way through the crowd.

“Put me down!” I squealed. Roman walked in the opposite direction of the table. “What are you doing? The table is back the other way!”

“I’m taking you home,” he snapped.

What? Why? No.

“I’m not ready to go home,” I rushed the words out. Roman ignored me, and his pace increased as he continued walking toward the exit. I tried wiggling from his grasp. “Roman, put me down, dammit!”

“I will when we get to the car.”

He pushed through the exit door and started for the flight of steps that led to the parking garage. My face burned with anger, but then I had an idea. I softened my voice. “Roman, please put me down.” He kept walking. “Roman,
please.
I feel like I’m going to get sick.”

He blew out a breath and halted in place.

Yes! It’s working! Ha!

When he pulled me from his shoulder, my body slid against his as he lowered me to my feet. Roman’s hands clasped my waist, his fingers brushing against the exposed portion of my back, and for a moment, I almost changed my mind. But then the image of him dancing with the brunette popped back into my mind, and I pushed off him. Turning, I made a run back toward the door, and as soon as my hand gripped the handle, Roman’s arm circled my waist.

He pulled me back against him. “Nice play, but I meant it when I said I was taking you home, Miss Parker.” He grasped my legs and tossed me back over his shoulder as though I was a lightweight gym bag.

Balling my fists, I pounded against his back. His muscles tightened with every blow I dealt. “You’re an asshole, you know that!” I bellowed. “I was having fun.” Even to my own ears, my words sounded slurred.

“If having some stranger force their tongue down your throat is your idea of having fun, then I was completely wrong about you.”

I scoffed. “I’m surprised you even noticed.” The alcohol in my stomach swished back and forth, and I tried taking deep breaths, hoping to settle it.

“Of course, I noticed, Julia. It’s my job to pro—”

“Protect you!” I shouted. “Yeah, I got it. You’ve made that pretty damn clear.” Opening my car door, Roman dropped me in the passenger seat. The urge to run again was strong, but knowing I would only make it a few feet before he caught me had me unmoving in my seat. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back on the headrest and blew out a breath. My entire body felt like it was spinning and my head felt woozy. A bubbly feeling started in my stomach and rose up my throat.

Oh God. Not good.

I opened my eyes and the spinning stopped.

Whose idea was it to get piss drunk?

I didn’t remember hearing the car doors close, or Roman starting the car, but somehow we were on the highway. Roman had the top down, and the wind blowing against my face relieved some of the queasiness. Sitting up, I undid my seat belt and turned in my seat.

Where the heck did I put it?