Whitley looked at Courtney, Reed, and then me.

“Oh God…fine. But just for a little bit. I don’t want to be out late tonight, Court.”

I sat on the bar stool, watching Whitley dance again with Richard. I was beyond pissed. Plus, she’d been drinking like a fish. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but for some reason, she was now acting like she was pissed at me. I sat there and finally finished the same beer I had been nursing since we’d gotten here a few hours ago.

I looked over toward Courtney, who was talking to some hipster a**hole at the bar. Reed was out on the dance floor, dancing with some girl who I swore was not old enough to even be in the club.

I felt someone bump my shoulder.

“You haven’t danced with Whitley at all, Layton,” Courtney yelled over the music as she sat down on the bar stool next to me.

“She won’t dance with me. Besides, I think she’s pissed at me. Honestly, I’m totally fine with her dancing with Richard.”

Lie. Nothing but a lie.

“Who was the pretty young blonde you danced with for four songs in a row when we first got here?” Courtney asked with one eyebrow raised.

“What? She’s pissed because I danced with some girl? It’s not like we’re on a date, for Christ’s sake.”

She stood and looked at me. “Really? ’Cause the last time I checked, you f**king asked her to come out with you. The least you could have done was danced with her first before you took off and started grinding on some blonde. Maybe you were…” She stopped talking.

“Maybe I was, what?”

“Nothing. Never mind. I’m going to find Reed and make him dance with my ass.” She stumbled off and walked right up to Reed on the dance floor.

He quickly took her into his arms and started dancing with her.

Good God. Who isn’t drunk besides me?

Kristinia DeBarge’s “Goodbye” started playing. Something happened with Whitley. I saw her down another beer, and the way she started dancing with Richard was just getting me more pissed-off.

I watched as his hands moved up and down her body. She wasn’t facing him, and she started grinding her ass into his dick. I jumped up and walked out to the dance floor. I marched up to Richard and gave him a look. He just looked back at me.

“Move,” I said.

“Fuck off, Layton.” He went to turn back toward Whitley.

I grabbed him and pushed him away. “I said, move, a**hole.”

Richard held up his hands and backed away.

Whitley turned around and smiled when she saw me standing there. She inched closer to me and started to move with the beat. I put my hands on her h*ps and moved right along with her. She spun around and pushed herself into me.

My heart was beating so fast in my chest. She grabbed my hands and started to move them up and down her body. I felt my dick getting harder, and I didn’t want her to feel it, but she just kept pushing herself into me. She stopped and turned around. Her eyes caught mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck as she slowly started dancing closer to me.

The song ended, and we just stood there.

“I want to kiss you, Layton.”

My heart slammed in my chest.

She’s drunk.

I leaned down and placed my lips to her ear. She let out the sweetest moan I’d ever heard.

“Honey…you’re drunk. I think I need to take you home before you do something you’re going to regret.”

She pulled back away from me, and the tears in her eyes just about killed me.

She nodded. “Yeah…I guess so.” She slowly turned and started to walk toward the bar where Courtney was standing and talking to Kevin and Reed.

Fuck me. She thinks I just turned down her kiss. Shit!

I walked up and took an assessment of everyone. Both Courtney and Whitley were drunk. Reed was halfway to drunk, and Kevin had been drinking water the whole night.

“Kevin, who did you come with?” I yelled above the music.

“I rode with Richard.”

“Can you drive Courtney’s truck back to her house?”

Courtney turned and looked at me. “Wait! I’m not ready to leave yet. I’m having so much fun.”

“Court, I think I need to get Whitley home,” I said.

Courtney turned and looked at Whitley. “Wait—why is she crying? What happened? Did you do something to hurt her, Layton?”

What? “No! I’d never hurt her. She wanted me to kiss her, and I told her I thought it was time to head home before she did something she would regret.”

Courtney’s face fell. “Um…I’ll leave, too, but I’ll ride with Kevin because if he does anything to my truck, I’ll kick his ass.”

Reed decided to ride with Kevin and Courtney.

I walked up to Whitley and gently took her by the arm as I leaned down to her ear. “Are you ready, honey?”

She pushed me away. “Don’t call me honey, you a**hole.” She grabbed her purse and started toward the door.

By the time we got to my truck, she looked like she was about to get sick.

“Whit…honey, what all did you drink tonight?”

She shook her head and put her hand up to her mouth. “I don’t know. Beer…and shots.”

Shots? Who in the hell gave her shots?

I put my finger under her chin and brought her eyes up to look into mine. She was trashed.

“Whit, who gave you shots?”

“Um…I don’t know, Layton. I can’t remember.”

“Whitley, I need you to try and remember. Did you know the person? Was it one of my friends? Or some guy you met tonight?”

“I don’t remember. I feel sick.”

Fuck! “Whitley! Try to remember!”

“I…um…I don’t know.”

“Who gave you the shots?” I shouted.

She jumped and looked at me. “I don’t know, Roger! I don’t f**king know! Oh God…I’m going to be sick.”

I grabbed her, brought her over to the side of the truck, and held her hair back while she puked.

“Oh my God…oh God, please…make it stop, Layton. Please…”

It was killing me to hear her cry while she asked me to make it stop.

“Baby, I would if I could. We need to get all that alcohol out, honey. Keep throwing up if you have to.”

Someone came walking up to me with baby wipes. I smiled as she handed them to me.

“Been there, done that!” she said with a wink.

I thanked her and pulled a few out.

Just when I thought Whitley couldn’t puke any more, she started again.

“Oh God, I’m never gonna be able to eat a hot dog again!” she said in between her sobs.

I couldn’t help it, but I had to laugh.

God, I love this girl.

Wait—what in the hell? No…I care about her as a friend, and that’s all. I’ll get her home, make sure she’s okay, and then I’m out of there.

I needed to distance myself from her and fast.

I don’t love her. I barely know her. No…it’s impossible. I do not love her.

I woke up to my phone ringing on the nightstand. I tried to move my arm, but Whitley was sleeping on it. I looked at her sleeping so peacefully.

Last night, I hadn’t had the heart to leave her. By the time Kevin and Reed had gotten back with Courtney, she had passed out, and Kevin had carried her in and laid her down in her bed. Reed had covered her up, and I had been shocked when I saw him kiss her on the cheek and say good night to her. I had told them I was staying because Whitley kept getting sick, and I was worried about her.

My phone started ringing again. When I slid my arm out from underneath her, she rolled and put her head on my chest and started making little noises.

“Ah hell,” I whispered as I reached for my phone. “Hello?”

“Layton, where in the hell are you?” Reed asked on the other end of the phone.

“What are you talking about? What time is it?”

“It’s damn near ten. I’m sitting outside Lucky’s office. Weren’t we supposed to meet at ten thirty with the owners of that Thoroughbred you’ve been trying to buy for the last year?”

I flew up out of Whitley’s bed. “Motherfucker! I totally forgot all about it. I’m still at Whitley’s. Son of a bitch.”

“Well, get your ass down here, Layton. You blow this, and Lucky won’t ever train another one of your horses again.”

I looked around. I was still in the same clothes I’d worn yesterday. “Reed, I’m still in my clothes from last night. And I smell like…” I tilted my head down and smelled my shirt. “Fuck, I smell like beer, vodka, and puke.”

Reed started laughing. “Dude, don’t you keep a spare set of clothes in your truck? Jump in the shower and then change.”

“Jeans. I only have jeans. I need a shirt!” I started to make my way to Whitley’s bathroom. I shut the door and turned on the shower.

“I’m on my way,” Reed said.

“Great. I’m jumping in the shower now. See you in a few.”

I stripped out of the clothes that smelled like a frat party gone bad and jumped into the hot water. I rinsed off and looked for a bar of soap.

Nothing.

Where in the hell is her soap?

I looked on the shelf behind me, and all I saw was an orange bottle. I picked it up and read it out loud, “Coconut Island Quench moisturizing body wash with coconut oil for soft, smooth-feeling skin.” I looked around again. “What in the f**k is this shit? Where’s her soap?”

After staring at the shelf for a good five minutes, willing a bar of Irish Spring to show up, I poured the damn coconut shit in my hand and rubbed it all over my body. I used her coconut shampoo in my hair as I decided I would be packing an emergency kit in my car, complete with soap and shampoo for men.

I jumped out of the shower and started drying off with her towel. I put the towel up to my nose, took a deep breath in, and smiled. It smelled like Whitley. I wrapped the towel around my waist and cracked open the door.

Whitley was still sound asleep. I ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Right before I got to the front door, Courtney stepped out of the kitchen, right in front of me.

I was going too fast. I couldn’t stop, and I ran smack into her, which caused her to slam into the door.

“Shit!” we both called out at the same time.

She pushed me off of her and started yelling at me. “What in the f**k are you doing here? And, oh my God, why are you wrapped in a towel, looking hot as f**king hell? My eyes! Oh God, I need to wash them out.”

I didn’t know whether I should be happy that she had given me a compliment or worried because she was now screaming something about her eyes burning.

“Did you spill coffee in your eyes?” I asked her.

She stopped and looked at me. “Really, Layton? Good God.” She moved past me and walked back into the kitchen. “What is wrong with you Texas boys? And why in the hell do you smell like coconut?”

There was a knock on the door, and I opened it to see Reed. I grabbed the shirt and the jeans he had gotten from my truck, and I headed back up the stairs.