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This is my first time stepping into her house. It’s nice—plenty of feminine shit everywhere. We pass a child’s room, and she points to an open doorway. I flip on the light and take in her bedroom. It’s not what I expected from her—not uptight. It’s bright purple with gold accents scattered throughout.
“Come on, let’s get you in bed,” I say, jerking my head toward it.
My statement is more of a guess.
Does she want to go to bed?
Shower?
Sleep by the toilet?
I take the bed as her decision when she allows me to lead her there and grab her waist to steady her. The way I deposit her on the bed is far from graceful, and I hear a thud when her head hits the headboard.
Whoops.
I’m not trying to be Mr. Romantic over here anyway.
She rubs her head while chewing on her lower lip. “I’m going to bed alone.”
I hold my hands up and grimace. “The frilly-ass bed is all yours. Taking advantage of puking, drunk chicks isn’t a hobby of mine. I wouldn’t kiss you right now if you begged me. French-fry vomit is not a turn-on.”
She makes herself comfortable, still wearing her clothes and shoes, and I wonder if it’s how she’ll sleep. I’d offer her help, but I’m not risking her losing her shit on me. She stretches out on the bed and pulls the blanket until it smacks her chin. Her blonde hair is half-smashed against the headboard and half-down in tangles, and she stares at me with mascara smudged around her baby-blue eyes.
Even when she’s a drunken mess, there’s no mistake that Chloe is fucking gorgeous in every sense with her light skin, freckles scattered along her nose and cheeks, and plump lips that tasted like candy the first and only time we kissed. I wonder if they still taste the same.
“I thought any woman willing to sleep with you was a turn-on,” she replies, proud of her comeback.
“As usual, your thoughts are inaccurate, Nancy Drew.” I do a sweeping gesture to the hallway. “By the way, are you hiding children in here?”
She could be dating someone with kids. But he’d have to be against staying over or going out in public with her because I’ve never seen anyone.
She shakes her head and then hiccups. “I help my sister with my niece and nephew.”
I draw in a breath. “Ah, I’ve seen her drop them off a few times.”
“You need to quit stalking me.”
“You need to quit thinking I find you important enough to stalk.”
That shuts her up real quick.
I walk backward while staring at her. “Anything else you need?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“You sure? Water? Advil? Your vibrator?”
She grabs a pillow and hurls it at me. “Get out!”
I turn around but glance over my shoulder at her before taking off. My voice softens. “And, Chloe, thank you for not running the story.”
I asked a woman who works at the printing company, and she confirmed Lauren’s name was nowhere in the paper.
Her eyes narrow in my path. “You’re not welcome. I’m risking a potential promotion—all because you threatened to blackmail me.”
She’s right.
It didn’t feel good, threatening her, but I protect the people I care about.
