Page 33

It took my mind a minute to register the scent, and as soon as it did, I bolted upright in bed. The sheets were twisted, the comforter on the floor, but when I looked down I saw that I was dressed in my pajama’s. Fully dressed, thank God.

But that still didn’t explain why my bed smelled like a man.

Memories from the night before started popping up, and I smiled when I remembered Alex. My smile fell though as I tried to recall whether or not he’d slept over. I looked around for any other signs, like maybe his clothes on the floor or my clothes on the floor. Nothing. Everything was in its place.

Did I sleep with him?

No.

I looked between my legs as if that would answer my question. Didn’t feel like I’d had sex. I would have known if I’d had sex, right?

I needed to calm down.

Of course I didn’t sleep with Alex. I barely knew the guy, and I wasn’t even drunk when we got home. Okay, maybe I was a little tipsy, but that wasn’t enough for me to get into bed with a stranger.

I scrambled out of bed, nearly face-planting into the floor when the sheets got caught around my ankles, and ran to the kitchen. Maddy was making breakfast, and spun around when she heard my rapid footfalls.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “What happened?”

“Did I have sex with Alex?” I blurted out. “I can smell him on my sheets, and oh God, I think I slept with him.”

Maddy’s expression was alarmed, but then her mouth lifted into a shit-eating grin and she laughed.

“It’s not funny!” I yelled, feeling the panic claw its way up my throat. I don’t know why the thought of sleeping with Alex made me want to cry. He was hot, and he was a nice guy, I bet having sex with him wouldn’t have been a hardship either.

“Hoo boy,” laughed Maddy. “You should see your face.”

“Maddy, be serious!” I was nearing hysteria, and all over the possibility of sexing it up with someone I didn’t know.

She shook her head, her curls bouncing on either side of her face. “Relax, you didn’t sleep with him.”

“Then why can I smell him everywhere?”

“He put you to bed,” she replied, her grin still firmly in place.“He took a cab with us, and made sure we made it back okay. You passed out in the cab, and he carried you upstairs.”

Relief coursed its way through my bloodstream, settling in my limbs. I relaxed, but only just. I sat down at our kitchen counter while Maddy went back to making - I looked around her — bacon and eggs. Just then, my stomach growled, lamenting the fact that I was starving.

Maddy looked at me from over her shoulder. “Would it has been such a bad thing if you had slept with him?”

My brows dipped. “I don’t even know him, Maddy. And we met in the bathroom, for crying out loud. Sleeping with him would have been tacky.”

Not that I hadn’t thought about it because I had. Several times, in fact, while we were dancing. He had his hands all over me, and any girl in her right mind would have been turned on. But it didn’t mean I was going to act on it. I probably wasn’t even going to see him again.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a one-night stand, Kenzi.” Maddy sounded a little affronted. “Unless you decided not to go there because of Vaughan.”

I thought about it, and realized Maddy had a point. I didn’t see Vaughan once I’d left the bathroom with Alex, and as much as I wanted to believe I wasn’t looking for him in the moments I wasn’t dancing, I would only be lying to myself. But those moments were fleeting, lasting only as long as I was standing still. The moment I hit the floor, Vaughan was the last person who crossed my mind.

“I feel like I know Vaughan as well as I know Alex,” I said quietly, allowing that revelation to sink in. Maddy plated our food, and sat down beside me.

“I love you, babe, but I think seeing someone else will be good for you. I’m sure Vaughan will move on soon enough.” Her eyes stayed downcast, and even I picked up the lack of conviction in her voice. She looked up, and smiled around a piece of bacon. “Alex left his number, in case you were wondering. I told him you’d call him.”

Thoughts of Vaughan dissipated, and my belly warmed when images of the night before popped into my head. I had fun, and Alex seemed like a nice guy. Maybe seeing him again…

“I’m not sure,” I told Maddy. “You don’t think it’s too soon?”

Maddy cocked a brow, and gave me a look. “Absolutely not. It’s high time you stopped reverting back to your accident as an excuse.”

“Does that mean you’re going to get back in the saddle too?”