"Did you ever catch your kitten?" Corey asked a couple of days later when they were back at the bar.
"Yes and no. She took off again," Baron answered.
"Wanna continue to chase after her?" Corey asked.
"I should say no but I'd go get her in a heartbeat if I could," Baron answered.
Corey started chuckling and pointed behind Baron.
"Go get her then," he said.
Baron turned his head to see her dancing on a table again.
"You have got to be kidding me," he said.
He got up from his chair and walked straight over to her.
"Baron!" She shrieked in a joyful tone as she saw him.
Before he knew what was happening, she jumped off the table, expecting him to catch her. He quickly got a hold on her and went a couple of steps backwards, trying his hardest not to fall. He managed to keep standing as she buried her face in his hair and hugged him tight. It wasn't hard for him to figure out she was drunk.
"What is it with you and dancing on tables?" He asked in her ear.
"It's fun. You should try it," she answered.
"I'm pretty sure the table would collapse under my weight," he laughed.
She squeezed her arms tighter around him.
"Come on, kitten, look at me," he said as he pushed her head free from his hair.
His smile quickly faded as he saw her black eye.
"Did he do that to you?" He asked angrily while reaching up to touch it.
She rolled her eyes at him and slid out from his arms, landing safely with her feet on the floor.
"It's just a sex mark, right?" She said annoyed.
"Don't give me that shit," he sneered.
"Fine, I won't," she said.
She turned to walk away from him but he wouldn't let her. He grabbed her hand and spun her back around to face him again.
"Don't leave. Come join me and my friend," he said in a pleading tone.
"As long as there's booze," she said.
She followed him to the table where she was quickly introduced to Corey. He raised his eyebrows as he saw her black eye but one harsh look from Baron made him keep his question within.
"You guys are officially the men of my dreams," she said jokingly as she spotted the bottle of vodka on the table.
She grabbed the nearest glass, not caring if it belonged to Baron or Corey, filled it with vodka and drank it quickly.
"Wow, Erin, relax," Baron said and took the empty glass from her.
"I told you I'd only join you here if there's booze. Don't go back on your word now," she said
He sighed and gave her the glass back. He knew he was in for a long night and it wouldn't be a fun one. Whether she would puke or pass out, he would be there to make sure nothing happened to her.
"Baron..." Corey said lowly as she emptied the second glass.
Baron rolled his eyes and shook her head.
"Just let her. I'll take care of her," he said.
She gave up after the third glass. Baron had no idea how much she had been drinking before he arrived but she was way drunk.
"I'm gonna call my sister and make her pick us up," Corey said.
Baron nodded his thanks while Corey made the call.
The ride home was uneventful. No one said anything. Once they arrived, Baron thanked Corey's sister, got Erin out of the car and helped her inside the house. She was still awake and on her feet but she couldn't walk alone so he kept a hold on her while walking her into his bedroom.
He laid her down on the bed and took her shoes off. He sat on the edge and stroked her hair.
"Get some sleep," he said.
She reached up behind his head and pulled him down for a kiss. As much as he wanted it, he didn't want it like this. Not when she was this drunk. He gave her a quick peck and pulled back.
"What? I'm not good enough anymore?" She asked annoyed.
"Yes, you are. More than you think," he answered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"You know what it means," he answered.
He traced her black eye with his thumb, making her twitch a little in pain.
"Why do you let him do this to you?" He asked.
"You're talking as if I get a saying in the matter," she said.
"I'm sorry. Wrong choice of words. Why don't you leave him?" He asked.
"And go where?" She asked.
He couldn't come up with any answer. Where exactly could she go? He had no idea. He hardly knew her at all. He didn't know if she had any family or friends, any safety net at all in her life. He sighed at his own stupidity before crawling over her body to lay down on her other side and hold her close.
"Maybe you could have me," he said.
She didn't answer. She had fallen asleep. He looked at her and dragged her closer to him. As close as he could get her.
"If you'd let me in," he added.
"Fuck!"
Apparently that was gonna be her first thought every time she woke up in his bed. She could feel his chest up against her back and his arm tightly around her stomach. She tried as quietly and gently as possible to get free of his grip.
"About to do the walk of shame again?" He asked behind her.
"I don't feel so good," was all she said.
"No wonder considering how drunk you were last night," he said.
"I think I need to puke," she said.
He quickly lifted his arm from her body so she could get up. She got up in a sitting position. Yeah, she definately needed to puke. She stumbled towards the bathroom, reaching it just in time, and threw up in the toilet.
She heard him walk through the house and shortly after he was standing in the open bathroom door. She looked up at him with wet eyes. She knew she looked like crap and she hated herself for getting that drunk.
"Here," he said as he reached a bottle of water towards her.
"Thanks," she said.
She opened it and quickly drank some. Her throat started to feel a bit better with the water running down. He reached his hand towards her again to help her back up to stand and she let him.
"So, thank you and all, I guess," she said as she started walking through the house.
He just followed her without a word. She stopped once she reached the hallway.
"Where are my shoes?" She asked confused.
"Oh, they're in the bedroom. Let me get them for you," he said.
He came back a minute later with her shoes. She reached for them but he pulled his hand back.
"One question," he said.
She looked at him and just nodded.
"Okay, so you don't wanna leave him and I doubt you'll tell me why if you even know why yourself. What I wanna know is if you do this a lot?" He asked.
She looked at him in wonder, not understanding what he meant.
"Hooking up with other guys, I mean. Is that some sort of secret revenge you got going?" He asked.
She sighed and dropped her shoulders.
"I haven't done it with anyone but you," she answered.
"Really? Why?" He blurted out.
"That's two questions. You said only one," she said.
"You're right. I need to follow my own rules," he said and smiled apologetic.
He handed her shoes to her and watched her get back in them. Without a word or even a look, she went to the front door and opened it. Once again she sighed as she stopped in the open door, clearly thinking about something. She stood there with her back against him, wanting to get it off her chest but she couldn't look at him while saying it.
"When I first saw you at the bar that night, you completely took my breath away and I thought to myself that if I just once could be with such a beautiful creature, it would all be worth it," she said.
"Erin..." His voice was barely heard as he felt so surprised by her words.
"And then the morning came around," she said.
He mentally kicked himself again for acting like a jerk that morning. He could no longer count how many times he'd regretted the way he acted that morning. She hadn't deserved any of it.
She walked out of the door and he quickly ran after her. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and dragged her into his chest.
"What do you want, Baron?" She asked.
"Give me one day," he answered.
"One day to what?" She asked.
"Just give me one day of your time. You pick the day. I just wanna get to know you and I wanna show you that I'm really not that jerk I was that morning," he said.
She thought about it for a few seconds.
"Okay, tomorrow," she said.
"Tomorrow?" He asked.
He was surprised she said yes that easily and that she picked a day so close.
"Take it or leave it," she said.
"I'll take it. Yes, I'll definately take it," he chuckled. "So come around here around 11.30. I'll take you to lunch."
"Lunch, right, I can do that," she said.
He smiled to himself before bowing his head down to kiss the top of her head and then finally releasing her from his arms. Not that he wanted to but because he knew he had to. After all, he would see her next day and he could wait.
"See you tomorrow, kitten," he said.
He could hear her let out a little giggle before walking away without a word.