Page 42 of Arranged To Be Mine

“Nope. Not putting a drunk woman in an Uber and crossing my fingers that you’ll make it home and into bed.”

She didn’t argue, which told me just how far gone she was. The Darcy I knew would have fought me on principle alone.

The guest room was at the end of the hall, a simple space with a queen bed, clean sheets, and a view of the ocean that would be spectacular in the morning. And maybe a little too sunny. Thank goodness for blackout curtains. I flipped on the light and guided her inside.

“This is nice,” she said, looking around. “Very beachy.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, then immediately flopped backward, her arms spread wide. “This mattress is amazing.”

“Memory foam. Life changing.”

I shook my head, fighting back a smile. Drunk Darcy was something else. I grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge I kept stocked for guests and set it on the nightstand. Then I raided the bathroom for the bottle of ibuprofen I kept in the medicine cabinet. I shook out two pills and held them out.

“Take these,” I said. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

She propped herself up on her elbows, squinting at the pills. “What are they?”

“Ibuprofen. For the hangover you’re definitely going to have.”

“I don’t get hangovers.”

I laughed despite myself. “If you don’t, you are definitely not human.”

She took the pills and then sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m hungry.”

I bit back the smile. She’d been snacking all night, but she had put on one hell of a concert. She burned through all those carbs.

“Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

I ducked into the kitchen and grabbed a sleeve of crackers from the pantry. Carbs would help absorb some of the alcohol, or at least I hoped so. I set them on the nightstand next to the water and pills.

“Crackers?” She looked at them like I’d presented her with a gourmet meal. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“I’m a regular saint.”

She smiled and fumbled with the sleeve. I took it from her and tore it open, handing her a couple of crackers. She grinned up at me before taking a bite. She was beautiful when she smiled. Not just attractive but truly beautiful.

It was a shame she didn’t do it more often.

Not that I was about to tell her that. She’d probably punch me.

“Get some sleep,” I said, backing toward the door. “Bathroom’s through there if you need it.”

“Beau?”

I paused, hand on the doorframe. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.” Her voice was softer now, the manic energy fading as exhaustion crept in. “Tonight was fun.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I turned off the light and closed the door behind me, leaving her in the darkness. I stood in the hallway for a moment, listening. No sounds of distress. No thud of someone falling off the bed. Just silence.

Good.

She would pass out soon and hopefully wouldn’t wake up with too bad of a hangover.