Holding You

Page 61

Taking in a deep breath of clean mountain air, I slowly blew it out as I smiled. Taylor came walking up to me and was about to say something when she stopped. Holding up her hands she gave me a weak smile. “Now, Lauren. I don’t want you freaking out.”
My eyes widened as I stared at her. “What? You can’t start a conversation saying that. What’s on me?” I started jumping around as Taylor yelled for me to stand still. I immediately stopped moving. Alex walked up and put her hand over her mouth.
“Oh my glitter. Somebody tell me what is on me! Where? Get it off!” I screamed. That’s when I felt it. There was something crawling on my neck. Grace walked up with a bellhop. They both looked at me and Grace rolled her eyes. “There is a bee on your neck, Lauren.”
Screaming, I tried to get it off. The only thing I did was piss it off. The sting felt like a knife in my neck. Okay, maybe not that bad, but pretty damn close.
“It stung me! It stung me!”
Now it was the bellhop’s turn to chime-in. “Well yeah, I mean you tried to get it off your neck, but dude, he’s still there on your T-shirt.”
Screaming, I pulled my T-shirt over my head and began running around the car. Oh my glitter! I hate bees! I really hate bees! Of course my show wouldn’t have been complete if I hadn’t been swinging the T-shirt around like a mad woman.
“She’s gonna get us kicked out of here!” I heard Maegan yell. Alex walked in front of me and stopped me.
“Lauren, get it together woman! Put your shirt back on. I can see the bellhop’s hard-on from over here.”
Stopping, I looked around, then looked down. Thank God I had my pretty beige lace bra on. Quickly shaking out my T-shirt, Alex handed it to me as I pulled it on and covered myself. “Damn it! It hurts already.”
Grace laughed. “Well, yeah it hurts. Your damn adrenaline pumped that shit through your body in record time.”
“Grace!” Libby said as she gave Grace a push.
“Okay, well I’m going to start getting your luggage now,” the bellhop said as he walked to the back of the Tahoe.
Maegan followed him as she batted her eyes. He was probably close to our age and for sure easy on the eyes. “Bet you didn’t wake up this morning expecting to see a free show today, did you?”
The bellhop started laughing and said, “No, ma’am, I didn’t.”
“She’s taken, so stow away the woody,” Grace said over her shoulder as she walked with me into the lobby.
Dropping my mouth open, I glared at Grace. “Do you have no filter, Grace Johnson?”
Looking at me like I was the one who was insane, Grace smiled and gave me a wink. “Yes. I’m just picky about when I use it.”
Rolling my eyes, I followed Grace into the hotel. While Libby checked us in, someone brought me out some ice, Advil, and Benadryl.
“Okay, y’all, huddle up. Pick a number from the bag.”
After we each picked a number, we were teamed up. Grace and Libby were in one room, Alex and Meg in another and Taylor and I in the last room. Taylor and I high-fived each other and did a chest bump.
“All right, calm down. Let’s get settled, then go get something to eat.” Turning to me, Libby pressed her lips together. “Lauren, can we trust that you’ll keep your shirt on?”
Snarling my lip at Libby, I raised my middle finger and mouthed fuck you.
WALKING INTO THE Salon Bar, I glanced around. “Grace, Taylor and I aren’t twenty-one.”
Waving me off, she headed to a table. “Just sit, drink Coke and no one will say anything.”
Worrying my lower lip, I did what she said. We spent most of our first evening in Durango in that little saloon bar. We danced, laughed, danced some more and just had fun. Taylor and I were currently attempting to ignore the two guys who would not go away. If this guy tells me one more time how pretty my eyes are, I’m gonna junk-punch his ass.
Libby, Alex and Meg were all dancing together and Grace was cutting a rug with a very good-looking cowboy who sure did know how to move. It was nice to see Grace smiling and enjoying herself. When a slow song came on, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Grace and the cowboy. He lifted his hand and placed it on the side of her face and leaned in to kiss her. Leaning my own body closer, I noticed Taylor was doing the same thing. “Oh my gosh. Is she gonna kiss him?” Taylor gasped.
Shaking my head, I said, “No! She’s in love with Noah. She can’t.”
Making a grunting sound, Taylor said, “Please. He’s married. There is no Noah.”