by Anthology
Jason tried to interject again. “Is Katie okay?”
Bobby gestured for him to go away but the motion caused him to stumble over his feet and almost drop the phone.
Luckily, Jason had ninja-quick reflexes. He grabbed the phone before it hit the ground.
“Sophie? This is Jason,” he said.
“Jaaaasssoooonnnn!!!!” Sophie exclaimed, her slurred exclamation long and drawn out. “You're the best best man. Haha. That sounds funny. The bestbestman…”
Jason sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. He’d been nursing one beer all night. Every time he found himself sober in a room full of drunk people, he remembered why he normally tried to avoid being sober in a room full of drunk people.
“Sophie,” he said patiently. “Why is Katie in the bathroom?”
“Because she won't come out,” Sophie promptly replied.
Jason shook his head. He couldn't fault her for factual accuracy.
“Why won't she come out?” he clarified.
“Ooooohhhhhh!!!!” Sophie said. “She's sick.”
“She's sick?” Jason’s chest tightened.
“She said she was feeling not so good and she went in the bathroom; and, Chelle has been trying to get her out and she won't.” Sophie burped loudly then clarified, “Won’t come out, I mean.”
“Yeah, I got that part,” Jason said, shaking his head. “Look, Soph, keep an eye on her if she does come out. I'm coming over.”
“N-noooo!!” Sophie exclaimed in liquor-fueled despair. “You're the best man. You can't see us before the wedding. Wait…I don't know if…can you see us…or is that…”
“Just stay there,” Jason said firmly.
Jason handed the phone back to Bobby, and as he was walking away, heard his brother say into the phone, “No, I love you more.” God help him.
Jason walked back over to where Alex was now standing with Douchebag David Price and said, “Hey, Alex. I have to go check on something. You're officially filling in on best man duties till I get back.”
Alex smiled broadly. “Well, that's a lucky break for everybody at this sorry excuse for a party. Let the fun begin!”
A whoop went up from all of the guys who were standing close enough to hear, and Alex's grin widened.
“Is the emergency that you have to go nail Katie Lawson while she's drunk enough to let you?” David snickered as he started to stagger over to pour himself another drink.
All right, Jason thought, that's enough. He wasn't going to punch him. It was still Bobby's party, after all. But he did extend his foot slightly as David was passing him and took great satisfaction in hearing his high-pitched little-girl scream as he went sprawling to the ground.
Jason had to admit he felt a small bit of satisfaction as he headed out.
--- ~ ---
He took the stairs up to the bar area of The Grill two at a time. He couldn't get the knot out of the pit of his stomach and knew that he wouldn't be able to until he laid eyes on Katie and saw for himself that she was safe and sound.
He nodded to Reece, the bouncer, and headed straight to the bathroom.
As he weaved his way through the maze of tables in the bar, Sophie ran up to him and blocked his way. She planted her feet firmly and put a hand on each shoulder. The look on her face was stern.
“Jason, I hafta ask you a serious question,” she said, her voice revealing that she was way past tipsy.
Jason tried to be patient although his heart was racing. He said gently, “In a minute, Soph. I've gotta check on Katie.”
Sophie stamped her foot, a move he hadn't seen her do since elementary school.
“Isss my party,” she insisted drunkenly. “I getttta aksss the questions.”
Jason closed his eyes, shoving down his growing sense of panic, and said, “Okay. What's up, Soph?”
“You hafta be honest,” she said, the alcohol in her system making her overly earnest.
“I will be,” Jason assured her.
“Okay,” Sophie agreed. “Then you hafta tell the truth.”
Jason nodded.
“Was there really a stripper there? Jason? Honest? You hafta tella truth,” she slurred.
“There was no stripper, Soph. I promise,” he said as he stepped around his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
“Where are you going?” she asked as she grabbed his forearm.
“To check on Katie,” Jason explained calmly.
“Oh good!” Sophie’s face lit up with excited relief. She let go of her grip on his arm and scrunched her face as she hissed through her teeth. “Did you know she’s sick and won’t come out of the bathroom?”
Jason just shook his head and continued to the back where the restrooms were. When he reached the end of the hall, he found Chelle pounding on the women’s door, asking Katie to open the door. All he heard coming from the other side of the door were groans.
When Chelle saw him walking up, her face immediately relaxed into a warm smile of relief. She said, “Hey, Jas, I’m so glad you’re here. She’s been in there for almost an hour. I think she might have gotten sick, and she isn’t making much sense. I'm not sure if I should take her to the hospital or not. She’s had quite a few shots.”
“How much did she drink?” Jason asked, his stomach constricting with panic at the mention of the word 'hospital.'
Chelle’s face looked a little sheepish as she said, “Oh, umm. Well, after I started counting, she did at least seven more shots. I’m not sure how many before that.”
“God damn it!” he growled.
“No, it’s not her fault, Jas,” Chelle insisted, immediately jumping to Katie’s defense. “We were playing this game and I think she felt like she had to…I don’t know, like people expected her to…”
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter,” Jason said, shaking his head.
Stepping past Chelle, Jason pounded on the door. He demanded firmly, “Katie, open up!”
“No,” she replied. She had answered immediately, which was encouraging. But her voice had sounded weak, which was not.
He tried the handle. No go. He pounded on the door in frustration. “Katie, open the door. If you don't, you know I’ll just go get the key from Jack and open it myself.”
There was silence for a few seconds, and Jason was just about to walk away to go and retrieve the key when he heard the lock click.
He pushed open the door and found a half-naked Katie slumped on the floor. She was holding her shirt up to cover her chest, her head slumped over. It was obvious that she was drunk as a skunk, but he was here. With her. He’d take care of her.
“So, Kit Kat, don't get me wrong. It's not that I’m not enjoying the view, but just out of curiosity, any reason you're topless?” Jason asked, knowing that what he said would irritate her. His hope was to get a little rise out of her.
“This isss’t funny, Jason.” Katie wouldn't look up at him, and her slurred words escaped through clenched teeth.
He knew he shouldn't be enjoying any part of this, but his relief was powerful, like a drug coursing through his veins. He had been so worried that he would find her crying and upset—or vomiting and in danger of alcohol poisoning—that finding her topless and frustrated made him almost giddy as a schoolgirl.
Lowering down, he bent his knees so that he was crouching down in front of her, resting his elbows on his thighs. He touched her chin to lift her face up, and that's when he saw that she had, indeed, been crying.
He felt a stab of pain rip through his chest. God. He couldn’t stand seeing women upset in general (probably leftover shit from his childhood, he knew. Yes, therapy should probably happen at some time in the future, but no time to think about that now), and that was just random women. This was his Katie.
“What happened?” he asked gently as he ran his thumb along the wet streak running down her soft cheek.
She sniffled and pulled her chin out of his grasp, but continued to keep her head up so that she was facing him eye to eye.
“We were playing this game of shotsss, annn I took more than I could handle,” she hiccupped. “As soon as I started feelin’ sick ann on my way to the bathroom some idiot tried to hit on me. I felt wobbly and when he wouldn’t let go of my arm I pulled away too hard and ended up knocking into a cocktail waitress who was carrying a tray of drinks that ended up all over my shirt…”
The lengthy narrative apparently wore her out. She dropped her head against the back wall with a loud sigh. “...which turns out to be see-through when wet.”
Jason tried to keep his temper under control as he asked her, “What did the guy look like?”
“What?” She shook her head, clearly confused.
He spoke slowly and deliberately. “What. Did. The. Guy. Who put his hands on you. Look like, Katie?”
“Ohmigosh, Jason, isss fine, isss not a big deal. Ima big girl. I coulda handled myself.”
Jason stood.
“Where are you going?” Katie asked, still slurring her words.
“If you won’t tell me what he looks like, I’ll find out myself.”
“Jason, don’t leave,” she pleaded, grabbing his hand and holding on. “I dunno know whats to do. I can’t put my shirt on.”
Tears started filling her eyes. Dang it. Jason's Achilles’ heel.
“Chelle’s outside, she can help you,” Jason offered. Achilles’ heel or no Achilles’ heel, his blood was boiling. He needed to get his hands on the asshole who thought it was okay to touch Katie.
“I don’t want Chelle to help. I want you.”
Jason knew, logically, that Katie was drunk off her ass and not choosing her words as carefully as she normally would. She wasn't thinking through all of the possible implications of what she was saying. She probably just felt that he could handle the situation better than her friend because he had always taken care of her, always fixed things for her in the past.
Sure. He realized all of that. But he couldn't help it. Hearing the words “I want you” come out of her mouth was a straight shot to his heart.
There was no chance he would leave her now, even in the capable hands of her childhood BFF, so he resigned himself to the fact that he just needed to get her home.
Pulling his shirt from his pants, he started to unbutton it.
Katie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean like that.”
Jason rolled his eyes and grinned. “You should be so lucky,” he teased as he quickly pulled his shirt off of his shoulders and wrapped it around her.
“Oh,” she said quietly.
“Do you think you can walk?” Jason asked as he helped her up.
“Of course,” she answered, looking at him like he was a world-class idiot for even broaching the question.
But as she stood, her legs wobbled, and she would have fallen right down on her cute little ass if he hadn’t been there to steady her.
Scooping her up into his arms, Jason stilled for a moment. Damn, if she didn’t feel so good there. It was hard for him to believe that she'd had been back less than twenty-four hours. How in the hell had he made it through the last ten years without her?
She let out a small breath and her body relaxed as she melted against him. She just buried her face against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Double checking that she was all covered up, Jason opened the door and saw Chelle still standing there.
“I’m taking her home,” Jason informed her. Then he asked with genuine concern, “Are you good or do you need me to call Eddie?”
“I’m good. Sophie offered to take everyone home in the Party Bus.”
“Tell her I’mm sooo sorrrry, but I have to go home now,” Katie said to Chelle.
“I will sweetie,” Chelle answered comfortingly. Then, when Katie laid her head back against Jason’s shoulder, Chelle mouthed a grateful, “Thank you,” to Jason and handed him Katie's purse.
Jason headed out the back exit and down the stairs that led to the parking lot. No way was he going to go back through the crowded bar. He didn't want to deal with the comments from drunk assholes who would feel compelled to comment on either – 1) Katie's drunken state, 2) His shirtlessness, or 3) The fact that he was carrying a purse.
As he carried Katie’s limp form down the stairs, her head lolled against him. As she took a deep breath and readjusted, snuggling her head deeper against his neck, she sighed, “My hero…”
Jason felt his chest puff out involuntarily, and the most intoxicating mixture of pride, affection and flat-out lust coursed through his veins at the sound of those words.
He reminded himself that she was drunk, that what she was saying right now didn't mean much.
Still.
Hearing her say that she needed him and that he was her hero…well, it felt pretty damn good.
Chapter Fifteen
Katie’s head was spinning as Jason set her in his truck. She tried to clear it as she took in her surroundings. Hmmm, his truck. Just thinking about their afternoon made her hot all over.
Wait, she was mad at Jason. But why was she mad at him?
She knew she was really mad, but she wasn’t sure why.
Katie looked down and watched as Jason pulled the seatbelt across her body and his knuckles brushed against her nipples. She sucked in a gasp.
Her heart started beating rapidly at his touch. Jason stilled for a moment but then clicked the device into place.
Katie took the opportunity of him stretched across her to breathe him in.
Mmmmm…
He smelled like aftershave mixed with…with…well, musky heat. He smelled like sex.
“You smell good,” she heard herself say in a dreamy tone and went in for another smell.
She never got another sniff because Jason pulled away from her and shut the door without saying a word.
Well bully on you, Katie thought as she lifted the collar of his button up shirt that she was wearing to her nose. I’ll just smell your shirt then.
Jason opened the driver’s side door, got in, and asked as he started his truck, “So do you always drink like this or is this a special occasion?”
Bingo! She remembered why she was mad at him.
“You!” Katie pointed at him.
“Me?” He gave her a strange sideways glance as he pulled out of The Grill parking lot.
“Yes. This is all your fault,” she stated as she crossed her arms in a huff.
“My fault?” Jason repeated in a calm tone.
“Yes! If youuu”—she poked his arm—“hadn’t done it with Kylie, Elena, Tiffany, Lisa…” She was using her fingers to count them.
He cut her off. “Done what with them?”
“It!” she exclaimed. “We were playing 'Same-Same, Shoot It-Shoot It' and everyone answers questions about their ‘experiences’ and if you have the same ones as the girl who answers you have to take a shot,” she finished as if that explained everything.
“Okay,” Jason said slowly. “I'm still not following.”
“Well, you did so much in your “black Chevy truck” at Pickler Field and everyone just assumed that I would have done all of that stuff with Nick in his truck so they were all staring at me weird, expecting me to 'Shoot It-Shoot It' when they answered. They don’t know Nick wasn’t a big pervert like you.”
“Katie,” Jason’s deep voice sent goosebumps popping out all over skin.
“What?” Katie asked trying to ignore her body’s response and hold onto her indignation.
“I never did anything with Lisa, Kylie, Elena or Tiffany. In my truck or out of it.”
“Oh, come on. Yes, you did. Only you and Nick had black Chevy trucks.” She shook her head in irritation, and tears started leaking from her eyes.
She stared at him. He didn’t say anything. He was quiet, like he was waiting for her to say something. Crap. She really wished she were clear-headed for this conversation.
He took a turn and her stomach rolled.
“I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Jason reached to the console and turned on the air conditioning. Then Katie felt his fingers brush the back of her neck as he pulled her hair off her neck, gently guiding her so the cold air was blowing directly on her face.
After a few seconds (or maybe it was minutes. She really couldn’t tell) he asked, “Better? Or do I need to pull over?”
Katie’s stomach no longer felt like it was in revolt and she answered, “Better.”
He released her hair and a chill ran down the length of her spine as the work-roughened pads of his fingertips grazed her sensitive skin. She felt confused and…horny. Mostly confused.
When she tried to make sense of what Jason had told her or why she wanted him to kiss her more than she wanted her next breath, her head pounded and everything started spinning.
Closing her eyes she rested her head against the passenger side window, enjoying the feel of the cold glass against her flushed skin. Ohhh, that feels so good, she thought as she took in a deep breath.
Who knew a window could feel so good?
--- ~ ---
Katie had passed out cold on the short drive home. As Jason pulled up to her Aunt Wendy’s house, he was seriously pissed at himself. He knew he should have just kept his mouth shut and let her believe that it was, in fact, him who had gotten his freak on with all those girls in his truck.
The truth would hurt her and the last thing he wanted was for Katie to be hurt. But at the same time, he was just about done with everyone thinking that Nick was the ‘Golden Boy Saint’ and he was the ‘Romeo Womanizing Player’. If anyone deserved that title it was his brother, Alex. Not Jason.
Hopefully, Katie wouldn’t even remember this conversation come morning, since she was three sheets to the wind. Maybe even four or five.
When he opened the passenger side door, she fell into his arms since she had been leaning against the window. She felt so right in his arms. Like she was made to be there.
As he approached the front door, it opened and a sleepy looking Pam stepped out.
“Is she okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.