“Yeah, I really don’t think it does,” said a new voice that dripped with amusement. Keenan.
Harper looked up to see Knox and his sentinels. She smiled at her mate. “You’re here. How did that happen?”
Knox slid his hand under her hair to cup her nape, surprised that her skin was cool considering how flushed her cheeks were. Looking into those languid, droopy eyes, he said, “I came to take you home.”
“You should probably go with him,” Raini advised. “The room’s spinning. That can only mean bad things.”
Tanner reached for Devon’s arm. “Let’s go, kitty.”
The hellcat dodged his hand and jumped to her feet. Swaying, she pointed at him. “No touching, pooch. I mean it. I’m not scared to throw down right here, right now.”
Khloë’s shoulders shook. “Don’t make me laugh. I might pee.”
As the imp came to a stop in front of him, Keenan frowned and asked, “Why do you have your shoes on the wrong feet?”
“I don’t feel that’s important,” said Khloë.
“Shit,” hissed Raini as she stumbled into the table. “Who put this here?”
Laughing, Larkin said, “I am definitely going out with you girls next time.”
“Ooh, yeah, you should!” Raini told her, casting Levi a frown as he urged her away from the table and tried grabbing her hand.
Knox squeezed his mate’s nape. “Up, baby. Time to go.”
Harper stood upright, smiling at him. “You’re adorable.”
“And you’re wasted,” he said, amused. No one ever had, or ever again would, call him adorable.
She frowned. “Wasted?”
“Completely wasted,” Knox insisted.
“I’m not,” she objected, affronted.
Knox just smiled. “Yes, baby, you are.”
“If I was wasted, I wouldn’t be able to put on my jacket.”
Knox watched as she struggled to put it on. Honestly, it was painful to watch. “Give me the jacket.”
“Okay.” She leaned into him as he slipped an arm around her and guided her out of the bar. “I missed you,” she slurred. “Can you get drunk?”
“Yes. It’s just not a good idea.”
Because he needed control at all times, she realized. “Gotcha.” As they walked to the elevator, she told him, “I think pirates are cool. They drink rum. Do we have rum at home?”
“No.”
“None? But you have that big wine cellar.”
“For wine.”
“You should think about adding a little variety.”
Knox just shook his head, helplessly amused. “Do you really think it was a good idea to go drinking?”
“It was a better idea than fucking a dolphin.”
He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to comment.
She looked up at him. “You’re judging me right now, aren’t you? I can see it. You think I’m awful and pathetic now. Don’t. I’ll be an awesome mate. Promise.”
“You already are,” he said, chuckling.
“I love you, you know. Really. Seriously. Totally. You know right, that?”
He punched the button for the elevator. “I know.”
She took in a deep breath. “I’m completely blitzed, aren’t I?”
“Yes. And yet, you’re somehow cute at the same time.”
“Well, that’s what’s important.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harper woke to the feel of warm lips kissing her back. She swallowed. Her throat felt dry and rough, and there was an icky taste in her mouth.
“Morning, baby,” Knox said against the back of her shoulder. “You smell like a bar.” He’d showered her before he put her to bed, but the alcohol was seeping from her pores.
“I feel like I’ve been in a car wreck,” she mumbled into the silk pillow, voice hoarse. A human probably would have been fighting against a splitting headache and a queasy stomach. One good thing about being a demon was that their hangovers weren’t too bad and they wore off pretty fast. She was damn tired, though.
Knox trailed the tip of his finger down her spine. “I heard all about your version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect.’” Tanner had been only too glad to fill him in on everything.
Tensing, she frowned at the smile in his voice. “Go away.”
“Apparently you sang pretty well… until you stopped to save Khloë from falling off the speaker where she’d been dancing like a Hawaiian stripper.”
Oh shit, she remembered that. It had seemed hilarious at the time.
“Want to know what else I heard you did at the bar?”
“I don’t think I do.”
“You used your red lipstick to scribble ‘Alethea is a skanky hoe’ on the bathroom mirror.”
In her opinion, truer words had never been spoken – well, scribbled. Her demon agreed.
“You almost yacked in the Bentley.”
Oh, God. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Stop.”
“We had to pull over so you could vomit in a bush.”
“Stop.”
“Then you got back in the car and said, ‘Taco Bell, anyone?’”
“Stop.”
Knox chuckled. “But I haven’t told you what you did when you got home yet.”
She buried her face deeper into the pillow. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Harper looked up to see Knox and his sentinels. She smiled at her mate. “You’re here. How did that happen?”
Knox slid his hand under her hair to cup her nape, surprised that her skin was cool considering how flushed her cheeks were. Looking into those languid, droopy eyes, he said, “I came to take you home.”
“You should probably go with him,” Raini advised. “The room’s spinning. That can only mean bad things.”
Tanner reached for Devon’s arm. “Let’s go, kitty.”
The hellcat dodged his hand and jumped to her feet. Swaying, she pointed at him. “No touching, pooch. I mean it. I’m not scared to throw down right here, right now.”
Khloë’s shoulders shook. “Don’t make me laugh. I might pee.”
As the imp came to a stop in front of him, Keenan frowned and asked, “Why do you have your shoes on the wrong feet?”
“I don’t feel that’s important,” said Khloë.
“Shit,” hissed Raini as she stumbled into the table. “Who put this here?”
Laughing, Larkin said, “I am definitely going out with you girls next time.”
“Ooh, yeah, you should!” Raini told her, casting Levi a frown as he urged her away from the table and tried grabbing her hand.
Knox squeezed his mate’s nape. “Up, baby. Time to go.”
Harper stood upright, smiling at him. “You’re adorable.”
“And you’re wasted,” he said, amused. No one ever had, or ever again would, call him adorable.
She frowned. “Wasted?”
“Completely wasted,” Knox insisted.
“I’m not,” she objected, affronted.
Knox just smiled. “Yes, baby, you are.”
“If I was wasted, I wouldn’t be able to put on my jacket.”
Knox watched as she struggled to put it on. Honestly, it was painful to watch. “Give me the jacket.”
“Okay.” She leaned into him as he slipped an arm around her and guided her out of the bar. “I missed you,” she slurred. “Can you get drunk?”
“Yes. It’s just not a good idea.”
Because he needed control at all times, she realized. “Gotcha.” As they walked to the elevator, she told him, “I think pirates are cool. They drink rum. Do we have rum at home?”
“No.”
“None? But you have that big wine cellar.”
“For wine.”
“You should think about adding a little variety.”
Knox just shook his head, helplessly amused. “Do you really think it was a good idea to go drinking?”
“It was a better idea than fucking a dolphin.”
He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to comment.
She looked up at him. “You’re judging me right now, aren’t you? I can see it. You think I’m awful and pathetic now. Don’t. I’ll be an awesome mate. Promise.”
“You already are,” he said, chuckling.
“I love you, you know. Really. Seriously. Totally. You know right, that?”
He punched the button for the elevator. “I know.”
She took in a deep breath. “I’m completely blitzed, aren’t I?”
“Yes. And yet, you’re somehow cute at the same time.”
“Well, that’s what’s important.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harper woke to the feel of warm lips kissing her back. She swallowed. Her throat felt dry and rough, and there was an icky taste in her mouth.
“Morning, baby,” Knox said against the back of her shoulder. “You smell like a bar.” He’d showered her before he put her to bed, but the alcohol was seeping from her pores.
“I feel like I’ve been in a car wreck,” she mumbled into the silk pillow, voice hoarse. A human probably would have been fighting against a splitting headache and a queasy stomach. One good thing about being a demon was that their hangovers weren’t too bad and they wore off pretty fast. She was damn tired, though.
Knox trailed the tip of his finger down her spine. “I heard all about your version of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect.’” Tanner had been only too glad to fill him in on everything.
Tensing, she frowned at the smile in his voice. “Go away.”
“Apparently you sang pretty well… until you stopped to save Khloë from falling off the speaker where she’d been dancing like a Hawaiian stripper.”
Oh shit, she remembered that. It had seemed hilarious at the time.
“Want to know what else I heard you did at the bar?”
“I don’t think I do.”
“You used your red lipstick to scribble ‘Alethea is a skanky hoe’ on the bathroom mirror.”
In her opinion, truer words had never been spoken – well, scribbled. Her demon agreed.
“You almost yacked in the Bentley.”
Oh, God. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “Stop.”
“We had to pull over so you could vomit in a bush.”
“Stop.”
“Then you got back in the car and said, ‘Taco Bell, anyone?’”
“Stop.”
Knox chuckled. “But I haven’t told you what you did when you got home yet.”
She buried her face deeper into the pillow. “I don’t want to hear it.”
