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Luke bent over, curious to hear what Ashanti had to say. Instead of using her lips to speak, however, she planted them over his. His eyes burst open in shock.
Ashanti’s kissing me.
The thought barreled through his head a second before his eyes filtered shut and he kissed her back.
Chapter Twelve
Her breath mingled with his. Her lips pressed against his warm mouth. Her heart thudded, rocked, trembled. Pale fingers tangled in the thickness of her hair, binding around the width of her neck. She was drowning in the sweetness of his touch.
Ashanti’s eyes burst open. She registered the pillow currently attached to her mouth and rolled away, her heart still bursting with adrenaline.
Sunlight danced over the corners of her bedroom, sparkling against her open closet and dresser. She sat up and then flopped back into bed and tossed an arm over her eyes to calm the nausea produced by her sudden movement.
When she was certain she wouldn’t faint if she tried to get out of bed, she sat up slowly. Moved one leg over the edge. Followed by the other.
The room spun slightly and she held the wall for support as she headed to the bathroom.
Ashanti flicked on the light and froze in horror when she saw her reflection. Her face was puffy. She’d never been one to get bags beneath her eyes thanks to her grandmother’s wonderful genes, but now a dark shadow lingered there.
Her hair was wild, crazier than usual. Some clumps were arching toward the sky while others bunched together in sticky tangles.
She fingered a lock and brought her hand to her nose. “Why does it smell like soy sauce?”
Before she could answer her own question, another wave of pain slammed into her stomach. Probably ushered in by the scent of the sauce. Ashanti clamored to the toilet and heaved for what seemed like a year.
She felt better afterwards and padded to the kitchen for a glass of water. Her fingers closed over the refrigerator handle and pulled.
The mug of water waited inside, but Ashanti stood in the cold air and wondered why she couldn’t remember falling into bed or even leaving the bar. How did she get home last night?
The last thing she remembered was Luke warning her to stop drinking so much. Ashanti rubbed her temples and almost busted a vein trying to remember past that.
Nothing.
She pulled her hair, the move releasing another fragrant spray of soy sauce. “Stupid! Why would you drink so much?”
Ashanti prayed she hadn’t done anything too humiliating last night. Hopefully, Luke covered for her if she had.
“I’ll call and ask later,” Ashanti mumbled to her empty kitchen.
She headed to the shower and washed the soy sauce scent from her hair and body. The thought that she had done something embarrassing with the food floated through her mind, but she rejected it.
There would be time to freak out about her bad decisions when she called Luke tonight. Ashanti had a feeling he’d have a lot to say.
After applying product to her wash and go, Ashanti slipped into a pair of comfortable black slacks and a simple blouse. Her head was still thudding and she was not in the mood to dress up.
The clock warned that she had to hoof it if she’d make it to work in time. She splashed some perfume on just in case she still carried the fragrance of sauce and then sprinted to the living room.
“Keys, keys…” Ashanti glanced at the dresser where she usually kept them.
They weren’t there.
She lifted the picture frames showcasing her grandmother and father at her college graduation.
Nothing.
She pulled the dresser from the wall and searched behind it. Her fingers came back with a handful of dust, but no keys.
Ashanti brushed her fingers off and moaned. “I don’t have time for this.”
