Page 71 of Take The Risk

​Throwing my clothes on, I raced out of the room. Stumbling on the stairs, I winced at the twinge in my muscles from my quick movements. My inner thighs felt like I’d spent the night riding a horse…Oh, shit.

​“Morning, Phoebe.”

​Standing on my front porch were none other than Cady-Jo and Olivia.

​“Morning,” I said automatically. This was bad. My brain decided that moment was a good time to check out, leaving me numb in the face of the reason I’d decided Ty was off-limits.

​“Sorry to just drop by.” Cady-Jo eased her way inside without an invitation, Olivia right behind her. “I just thought I’d come by and grab the extra dough for the cookies you said you’d prepped just in case.”

​“Did you run out already?” This was the first official weekend my cookies were at the café, and after last weekend, I’d tripled what I’d made and then made another couple hundred cookies’ worth of dough for good measure.

​“No.” Cady-Jo looked everywhere but at me. “I just thought I’d swing by and pick it up, so you don’t have to come in today if you had plans?”

​Now why did that sound so freaking suspicious?

​Watching her, I saw the way she tried to surreptitiously look around. With my brain on a break, I didn’t quite add it all up. Shrugging, I led the way to my kitchen. “Sure, they’re in the fridge.”

​My mind spun at the implications of what was happening. Ty was upstairs, naked in my bed, and now his mother and ex-girlfriend/girl-who-wants-to-be-his-girlfriend-again were in my house.

​Entering the kitchen, I was relieved to see there was no indication anyone other than me was here. Ty must have cleaned up our clothes and the food dishes from the midnight, or midmorning, snack he’d made us.

​“Are you just getting up?” Olivia was the one to ask, peering around. It was the first time since she’d been a kid that she’d been in Winterbourne Manor, so I figured she was comparing the changes.

​“Yep.” Heat swept through me, and I tried not to think about why I was just getting out of bed. I blushed in the best of circumstances; I didn’t need it to give me away.

​“Would you mind if we stayed for a cup of coffee?” Cady-Jo pulled out a stool at the breakfast bar, settling in.

​Yes, I minded. “Not at all.” This was bad. “Olivia, would you like a cup, too?”

​Looking up from her cellphone, she shook her head. “Thanks, but I think I’ll head back to Wade’s and see if Ty’s back yet.”

​Alarm bells started clanging in my head. But what could I say to that? He’s not going to be “back there” because he’s currently upstairs? In my bedroom?

​“You haven’t heard from Ty this morning, have you?” This was from Cady-Jo.

​Fuck. “Should I have?” Asking a question wasn’t lying, was it?

​“No.” Cady-Jo made herself comfortable. “We’d just stopped by Wade’s and he wasn’t there, but Bones was.”

​As I turned to grab some mugs, my mind raced. “Maybe he’s out for a run?” It was common knowledge Ty liked to run in the mornings on his days off.

​“Oh!” Olivia exclaimed, her phone dinging. “He’s out with Wade. They decided to go for a hike after Wade’s shift.” Looking to me, she asked, “Would it be okay if I had that coffee after all?” Her focus returned to her phone, as she texted who I now presumed was Ty.

​“Of course.” I grabbed another mug. He was texting her. He was in my bedroom after fucking me senseless, and he was texting her. My stomach twisted. The sense of calm and safety I’d found in his arms last night turned to tiny bites, tearing at my insides.

​What if he didn’t mean it…

​Men said things to get women into bed all the time.

​Look at Jeremy.

​“Oh, I’m glad.” Cady-Jo seemed pleased by the explanation.

​The coffee was ready in minutes. Grabbing the cream and sugar, I slid them in front of them. “So what’s going on with you guys today?” While they explained, I went through the motions of making my coffee. I couldn’t drink it. My stomach pitched at the smell of the brew that usually kept me functional. I wrapped my hands around the mug, not really registering the way it burned.

​Cady-Jo explained about having to run the café, taking over from Louise soon. Not soon enough for me.

​“I was going to see if Ty wanted to help me choose a dress for the party and maybe have dinner together. It looks like that’s out.” She put her phone away with a pout.