“Let me help.”
She wanted to rip it from his hands and tell him she could do it herself, but her foot was already throbbing from her sprint to the bathroom and lying on the floor. She should have never taken it off to begin with.
He knelt in front of her and wrapped it around her ankle. She wobbled and steadied herself by grabbing onto his shoulders. She rolled her eyes when his lips quirked in a smile. But he remained quiet—something she was thankful for.
When he pulled back, their eyes met briefly, and he smiled.
What the fuck kind of universe am I living in?
She moved to walk away, but the boot stopped her. She hobbled for a minute before he quickly grabbed her around the waist, steadying her. The shirt rode up slightly, and the bare skin of her ass felt cold as it was uncovered.
“Where is my underwear?”
“In the puke pile.”
“There’s no way I puked on my underwear.”
He nodded toward the pile of clothes still lying on the ground. “You’re welcome to check.”
His hands were still at her waist, and he hadn’t attempted to move.
“I’m going to go,” she said. Clearly, she had entered an alternate dimension where she and Brent got along. But didn’t they? Especially after their chat the night before? Her memories were a blur. But she was in this situation because he had convinced her to drink. Although, she knew it wasn’t fair to blame him.
“You’re planning to crutch yourself down the hallway in only a T-shirt? I can lend you a pair of boxers.”
She scrunched her face at the thought of borrowing anything else of his. “What about the hotel robe?”
He tipped his head to another pile on the floor. “You threw up on that too.”
She sighed. “I’m fine. I’ll survive going five doors down.”
He held his hands up. “Okay. Don’t say I didn’t offer.”
He went into the bathroom and came out with a spare trash bag, opened it, and deposited her clothes inside while she grabbed her crutches that leaned against the wall. He opened the door to the hallway for her and handed her the bag of clothes, which she tucked under her arm, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She crutched away from his room, but never heard the door click shut. The thought of seeing the satisfaction on his face if she turned back was too much to handle, so she kept the course.
“Stop staring at my ass,” she called back. The breeze told her he was getting a full view.
He laughed loudly. “But it’s such a nice ass.”
At that moment, and to her horror, a door in the hallway opened when she was only a few paces from her room.
No, no, no! Please let it be a stranger.
Jessica’s voice rang out, dashing all hopes.
“Candace? Why are you in the hallway not wearing any clothes?”
Brent barked out a laugh.
Candace fished her key card out of a pocket from the dirty clothes and quickly swiped it. A red light flashed. She swiped two more times before the green flashed across the device. She tossed the bag inside and leaned the crutches against the wall before yanking the shirt down over her ass and turning to face her sister.
Travis was staring at the ceiling, making a show about not looking at her exposed backside, but Jessica only crossed her arms and looked at her with an amused smile on her face.
“Whose clothes are you wearing?” Jessica asked.
Candace’s face flamed, and Brent continued to laugh down the hallway.
Jessica’s eyes widened. “No!”
