She bristled and tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly in place with his hand on her hip.
“What the hell are you calling me?”
“Exactly…”
“Never mind. I’m calling Calum. He’s staying at my apartment tonight. He can take me.” She searched for her phone next to her on the couch. Brennan cleared his throat and waved her phone at her. Sneaky bastard.
“Your brother is sleeping. Let me take you. I’m already up.” He shrugged like it was no skin off his back.
With an annoyed huff, she held out her hand to him, palm up. He gave her a lopsided grin and with a rather flair for drama, dropped her phone into her palm.
“Thanks.”
“Let me grab a shirt before I take you.” He stood and rested her foot on his deserted spot on the coffee table. His cockiness about taking her to the ER no matter what she would counter was irritating as hell, but even Errin had to agree that calling her overbearing brother at five in the morning wasn’t the best plan. Dodging Calum’s questions about her staying over at Brennan and getting injured was a much better option.
He returned in a gray washed T-shirt that stretched over his chest and black jeans that clung to his tree trunk thighs. She whirled around but startled when he appeared in front of her and picked her up in one swift move. She held her tongue about his alpha ways, but his chuckles told her she wasn’t fooling him by giving him the silent treatment.
“You really hate this, eh Lips?”
“Whatever,” she muttered. “Just take me to the ER.”
She kept her gaze fixed on his Adam’s apple. Her eyes traveled over his five o'clock shadow to his chiseled chin, and she fought back the urge to run her nails through the prickly hairs.
He walked her down the stairs into the pub and through the back door. Outside, he walked in a straight line to his black truck, parked in the now deserted and dimly lit parking lot behind Lucky.
He cradled her in one arm and opened the passenger door with the other. He set her on the seat, his manly sandalwood scent wafting over her. She closed her eyes and inhaled as he clicked her seatbelt for her. When she opened her eyes, his striking light green eyes locked on hers.
“Peas…” he whispered.
“What?”
“Forgot to take you through the kitchen to pick up a bag of frozen peas for your ankle. I’ll be right back.” He turned to run back inside.
“Don’t leave me here all alone at five in the morning with the car doors open!”.
He came to a stop, turned and ran back.
“Shit. Sorry. Didn’t mean to leave you like that. Although, I don’t think there is anyone in the entire state of Texas willing to kidnap your bitchy arse and get you out of my hands.”
He winked as he closed the door and locked it with the button on his key fob. He tapped the window twice with his knuckles and she flipped him the bird. He laughed.
His messy hair, that only ever seemed to be combed by his fingers, grazed his forehead as he shook his head.
“Okay. Go.”
Brennan’s chortle at her swift shooing motions gave her a warm feeling deep inside. She sighed as her eyes followed his retreating muscular back. He had her so distracted that only now, as she sat alone with her swollen ankle, she wondered what this injury would mean to her dancing career.
“Shit,” she whispered.
“You can put me down now. I’m sure I can walk the short distance to my apartment.”
He glanced down at her small hand resting on his chest, urging him to set her down, and arched his brow for the fiftieth time that night-slash-morning. Who would have thought you could take your pick of any Mills man and Errin would still be more pig-headed?
It relieved him to know the bump on her head proved to benothing serious. But the doctor said she’d mildly sprained her ankle and needed to let it rest for at least a week. He put her down, and she hopped a few wobbly steps on crutches before she almost slipped and fell. He swooped her up again and kept on walking undeterred through the hallway, although she wriggled her tiny firm butt in his arms in protest.
“Number?”
“404.”