Page 4

“Liam!” Finn shouts, but I push him aside so I can stand next to Brioni, who’s sitting on a barstool.

“Hey, you okay?” I ask. My voice comes out soft, too gentle for the man I’m supposed to be. I try to clear my throat, but it’s tight with concern.

Brioni greets me with a clumsy hug, looping her long arms around me. Even the brush of her hands behind my neck is enough to ignite a fire beneath my skin. I steady myself. I’m the sober one, and I can’t lose control.

Her sandy blonde hair is a windswept mess, tangled around her shoulders. She struggles to focus her brown doe eyes on my face.

“I’m great!” she shouts, her Galway lilt stronger than I’ve heard in years. She gestures to an empty martini glass in front of her, and her fingers collide with the rim. The glass wobbles ominously. There’s a collectively held breath, then the glass settles back onto its base.

For some reason, this makes everyone burst into goddamn laughter, and the others cheer for Brioni. Finn even claps her on the shoulder, the right fuck. I shove him away from her.

“It’s not fucking funny,” I growl, and he wheels backward with his hands up. As I step toward him, Brady puts himself between us. Always the middle brother.

“Whoa, man, calm down,” Brady says. “It’s not a big deal, just a group of friends drinking in a pub. Our pub. We’re safe here, relax.”

“Getting dangerously drunk is not fucking safe,” I tell him. “And you should know better than to drag her down like this.”

“Drag her down?” Brady scoffs. “We’re supporting her in her quest to get drunk.”

Something cold squeezes my heart. Why the hell was Brioni trying to get drunk? She rarely drinks more than a single cocktail or a Magners and Guinness. And even when she does, it’s never with the intention of getting sloshed.

“They’re being very supportive.” Brioni tries to pat my shoulder. She misses, loses her balance, and nearly slips off her stool. I catch her, my arm braced around her waist. It takes her a second to realize I’m holding her, then she blinks her bleary eyes up at me. She gives me her softest smile and whispers, “My hero.”

The tips of my ears feel warm as she nuzzles against me, her eyes drifting closed. Erin squeezes her limp hand to get her attention.

“Maybe we should support you up to bed. You can crash on my couch.” Erin rounds the bar, ready to drag Brioni up to her apartment above the pub.

“No.” I scoop my best friend into my arms. “I’m taking her home.”

“Ooh,” Finn taunts.

“You can fuck right off,” I tell him. “Brady, get the fucking door. Cora, I give you permission to slap Finn if he says anything fucking smart.”

“Fucking, fucking, fucking.” Brioni giggles, her head lolling against my chest. “It’s always fucking with you.”

“That’s because—” Finn starts.

I hear scuffling behind us as I carry Brioni toward the door. Brady holds it open. He glances back at Finn, who’s presumably scrapping with Cora. Brady’s tough-as-nails wife must be holding her own, because he deems it fine to step out into the night with me.

I process all this as background information. Situational awareness is a necessary skill for someone in my position, and it takes constant practice. But right now, my priority is Brioni. I cradle her against me, trying not to relish her scent, her lightly floral shampoo.

Brady lifts his eyebrows at me. I must’ve been too obvious about breathing her in. I clear my throat as the Nav unlocks, and Brady opens the passenger door.

“She’ll be fine,” he says.

“No thanks to you.”

I settle Brioni in her seat and buckle her in. She’s half-asleep, murmuring polite thank-yous to me. I want to smooth back her hair and kiss her forehead. Instead, I softly close her door and round on my brother.

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

“She’s an adult, Liam.” Brady isn’t insolent like our younger brother Finn. But he’s not apologetic either. “We’re not kids anymore. She wanted to get drunk, so we got drunk with her.” This last part makes me go cold again.

“Why?”

“Because we’re friends, and that’s what friends do.”

“Why did she want to get drunk?” I growl dangerously, but Brady just shakes his head.