“Yeah. That was just my second over several hours. I’m good.”
Zach rose too, thinking he should probably cut Lexi off before she had to face Mama Morales with a hangover. Nobody wanted that. She was belting out an enthusiastic, if slurred, rendition of “Titanium”, using a wine cooler as a microphone.
“Okay, Miss Bulletproof. Time to go.”
“Awwww.” She broke into a spate of Spanish he didn’t understand.
Oh boy. She only retreated to her first language when she was really tired, really emotional, or, apparently, well on her way to drunk.
“Your mama’s gonna kill me.”
Giggling, she held a finger up to her nose. Zach could only presume she’d been aiming for her lips, miming keeping a secret. He wondered if he’d be able to sneak her into the house and pour her into bed without Mama Morales finding out. Only one way to find out. He began herding her toward the car, a process encumbered by the fact that she kept running back to give everybody big, sloppy hugs.
“I missed y’all so much!”
Zach was glad she’d remembered that much, at least.
By the time he leaned over to buckle her safely in the passenger seat, he knew there wasn’
t a chance in hell of retrieving her car from the studio tonight. At least it gave him another excuse to see her tomorrow. But maybe after all this he wouldn’t need excuses. Maybe they’d fall back into things the way he wanted.
Tipping forward, she pressed her face into his throat. “You smell good.”
Zach froze, feeling half the blood in his body drain south at the feel of her lips against his skin. His fingers fumbled the seatbelt. Yeah, their old friendship was definitely not what he was wanting right now. Electing not to comment, he fastened the belt and shut her inside.
Just get her home.
She hummed the whole way to some playlist in her head. It took him until he parked in her driveway to recognize what it was.
“Are you humming that mix CD I made you freshman year?”
She rolled her head toward him against the seat. “It’s one of my favorites. You’re one of my favorites. Always were.”
“You’re one of my favorites, too, Shutterbug. C’mon. Let’s get you inside.”
He told himself he only kept his arm tight around her because she was stumbling, but he was aware of every inch of her body moving against his on the way to the house. The door wasn’t locked, for which he was grateful. A single light burned from the entryway table. Moving past it, he carefully navigated her down the hall to her old bedroom. When she started to giggle, he shushed her.
“Do you want to get us both in trouble?” he whispered.
Lexi pressed her face against his arm and shook with silent laughter.
They made it into her room without incident—a miracle. He reached for the desk lamp, relieved it was still exactly where it had been in high school. Depositing her into the chair and shrugging off her camera bag, he studied her flushed face. Oh yeah, he should have cut her off one or two sooner.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’m gonna get you some water and aspirin.”
The glasses were still in the cabinet above the dishwasher. He filled one and found the painkillers—they’d moved since high school—then returned to Lexi’s room. It felt weird being here at night, in the dark, trying to be quiet while her mom slept down the hall. Like they were doing something illicit. Which was ridiculous. Naked thoughts notwithstanding, he was just putting his drunk friend to bed. Then he’d leave.
Lexi was trying to pull off her shoes when he came back.
“I’ve got that. Here, drink this.”
She took the aspirin and guzzled down the water. When he was sure it was going to stay down, he bent to remove her shoes.
“Help me up,” she demanded.
When he did, her hands went to the button of her jeans.
“What are you doing?” he croaked.