Page 35 of Grounding the Baker
“I knew it!”
“For fuck’s sake, Tony, what’s going on?”
“He’s in the bar, completely wasted.”
Austin jumped up without saying another word andrushed to the bar. He found Liam, sitting on the stool– well, he was more slumped. Austin went over to him.
“Liam?”
He looked up; his eyes were glazed over. Yes, he was wasted. When he saw who it was, he gave a huge smile, which made Austin’s heart flutter.
“Austin. Ooh, you’re showing off your tattoos tonight. Can I touch them?”
He chuckled, and before he could respond, Liam was stroking his forearm with just the tip of his finger, tracing over the design. Austin felt his whole body thrum with electricity just at a simple touch from this man. But Liam could barely focus his eyes, so Austin needed to do something. How long had he been here? Had Austin missed him when he arrived half an hour ago? He hadn’t come into the bar, as trivia night was always hosted in the restaurant. You got finger food alongside your tickets in a package deal.
“How long has he been here?” Austin asked the barman.
“A couple of hours. We cut him off twenty minutes ago.”
“Liam, do you want me to take you home?”
He was still stroking Austin’s tattoos and smiling. “What did you say?”
“Can I take you home?”
“I don’t think I have condoms.”
Austin laughed, but felt his face heat at the same time. The barman gave an amused smirk. Liam had blurted it out so loudly that other people had to have heard. That would definitely be part of the gossip grapevine tomorrow. There was nothing Austin could do about that now, but he could get Liam out of here before he said anything else.
“Can you lean on me, Liam?”
Austin put his arm around Liam’s waist and manoeuvred him off the barstool. He stood upright, which would make things easier. Austin walked Liam slowly out of the pub towards his truck. Part of him wanted to take Liam home with him so he could be sure he’d be looked after while he was in this state, but he still had to pick up Maisie and she would have questions. He didn’t have any issues in answering them, but he knew it would make Liam uncomfortable.
He opened the passenger door for Liam, who got himself in. Austin got him buckled up before getting in the other side.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Austin had been drunk enough times in the past to know sitting in a moving vehicle for a prolonged period could end in disaster, but he needed to get Liam home. It was only a three-minute drive. Most places were in the village, but it would have taken them a lot longer to walk, and it was dark and cold.
“Why do you have to be so perfect?” asked Liam.
The question surprised Austin, but there was no venom in Liam’s voice. In fact, he was smiling.
“I’m far from perfect, Liam.”
“Just look at you. Sexy, rugged lumbersnack, with a hot body and gorgeous tattoos. And then you’re a nice guy as well. You’re an amazing dad. You care about other people, and you even make time for me and all my bullshit. It would be a lot easier if you were an arsehole.”
Austin was aware it was the drink talking, but couldn’t help smiling at Liam’s words, although he wasn’t happy about how Liam spoke of himself.
“Let’s get you to bed, shall we?”
Liam smiled at him and licked his lips.
“Not like that.”
Liam folded his arms, huffed, and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. It was adorable, and Austin wanted to suck on that lip so badly, but he would never take advantage of someone who was inebriated. Austin fired off a text to Michael, explaining what had happened and that he wouldn’t be back for the trivia night. They could eat his share of the food. He wasn’t sure how long he would be with Liam. Hopefully, he would crash out as soon as he got home, but Austin didn’t want to be up against a timeline if Liam needed him longer.
He drove slowly so the truck didn’t jerk unnecessarily. If it hadn’t been so cold, he would have walked to the pub, but the gods must have been looking down on him or something today so he could do this for Liam. Austin looked across, and Liam had his eyes closed, his face against the window. He could tell Liam wasn’t asleep, just focused on getting home and trying not to feel sick.
