Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

said as she was taking one of the shot glasses from the waitress. “She won’t remember much tomorrow morning.”

She smiled and seemed to agree. Rich handed me a shot, and I took it from his hand. He said some kind of lame toast, but my mind had already checked out. Among the background noise, the countdown began. I wondered if the New Year would offer anything different for me. My gaze bounced around the room, my body tipping side to side as the alcohol came into full effect. The strobe lights flicked on. It was like time had been stretched out too thin; everyone’s movements stalled. I closed my eyes and downed the shot, hoping Jillian wouldn’t be the only one who wouldn’t remember this night.

* * * *

I heard a car door slam shut. It was dark. Not like how it was in the club. This was pitch dark. Like my eyes were closed. And then I realized they were. Closed that is. So I opened them. But the little bit of light that shone from outside kept me squinting.

The car rocked a little and then another door shut.

“Make sure you tell me if you have to puke,” a voice said. The car engine roared, and a few seconds later, the images out of the window started to blur.

“Where are we going?” I had a hard time understanding my own words.

No matter that I didn’t have a clue whose car I was in or how I’d even come to get here in the first place.

“I’m taking you home. What’s the address?”

The voice sounded familiar. Donny. My favorite bouncer at the club. His shaggy hair, hefty frame, and caramel skin reminded me of my favorite childhood teddy bear.

He glanced down at me from over his shoulder. I was seeing everything upside down.

“Where am I going?” Donnie asked again.

I thought about it. Hard. Too hard for something I knew well. Why couldn’t it come to me?

I felt the car come to a stop. My eyelids were like heavy curtains ready to drape over my eyes.

“Maeve,” he said, shaking me. “Where do you live?” He sounded like a slow-motion replay.

“Jacob,” I mumbled. “He’ll know.”

Some more commotion happened. More talking. But not to me. At least, I didn’t think so. Or maybe I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was close my eyes. Ride this cloud I’d been floating on for the last two hours until it evaporated and plummeted me to the ground.

Then it was silence. And I was moving along once again. I closed my eyes, but it wasn’t for long this time.

A cold burst of air hit me.

“Let’s go, mama.” Donny’s hand reached for my arm. I was limper than a wet noodle. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to carry you.”

He slid me out of the backseat. Although I didn’t want to budge—I could have stayed in the back of that car forever—I didn’t resist his attempt to pick me up. My memory of the last few hours was already fading. We took a few steps before my knees buckled.

“Whoa,” Donny cried. He hitched his arm tighter under my arms. “Damn, girl. You are completely wasted.”

“Too much,” I sputtered.

“Way too much.” He picked me up with both hands and cradled me in his arms. “You know better than that.”

I nuzzled into his shoulder. He smelled like a mixture of sweat and cheap cologne. It was a smell I was used to.

“Hey,” a voice called.

Donny stopped walking. Someone was jogging toward him. I squinted my eyes to see who it was, but it just made my vision blurrier.

“Where are you going with her?”

This was a familiar voice, too. Jacob.

“Who the hell are you?” Donny bellowed.

“Jacob,” I croaked.

“Maeve,” Jacob said. “I’m here.”

He sounded panicked. How long had it been since he last heard from me? I didn’t have a clue what time it was.

“What happened to her?” Jacob asked.

“Tequila,” Donny said. “Lots of it.” He released his hold on me, but the ground felt like it was made of marshmallows.

“I got her,” Jacob said, scooping me back up.

I sighed in his arms, happy to be inhaling his scent. It brought me to a happy place, not like when I was in Donny’s arms.

“Here,” Donny said after pulling something out of his car.

It took me a second to realize he had tossed Jacob my bag. Thank goodness it had been zippered properly.

“I’ll get the coat another night.” Donny’s car rocked as he got back in and drove off.

My eyes fluttered.

“Maeve?” Jacob said. “Can you hear me?”

I nodded. The swaying of his movement was lulling me to sleep.

“You’re home.” It was the last thing he said until we were back in the apartment.

“Can you stand for a few seconds?” he asked. “I have to unlock the door.”

I nodded again and clutched his shoulder with one hand. I tried to crack my eyes open a little wider, but the room was spinning.

“Jacob…”

“Almost there,” he said, putting the key in the door.

My stomach gurgled and the back of my throat got thick.

“Jacob…”

He pushed the front door open, and I lurched past him, heading straight for the bathroom.

I hunched in front of the toilet and heaved liquid into the bowl. When it was over, I slunk on the cold tile floor.

“Come on.” Jacob tried to pull me up, but I resisted.

“Just leave me here,” I said.

“You’re covered in puke,” he said.

“I don’t care.” I flopped my head back down. I’d have to get Donny’s coat dry cleaned before I gave it back.

“Take the coat off at least and get changed.”

Oh shit, what was I wearing under the coat? A quick look at my legs confirmed I wasn’t wearing my work clothes. I had a vague recollection of hanging onto Rita as she helped me get dressed.

“Can’t send you home with both ass cheeks hanging out,” she had said.

Thank goodness for Rita.

I peeled off the coat and tossed it onto the floor. Jacob picked it up, and my head was once again over the toilet.

I threw up