I hook a finger in the general direction of her room and step out of the bathroom. The lock clicks behind me, and I fold myself into a desk chair. One look at the contents on the desk tells me it’s Sloane’s. Her smiling face peers up at me from a silver frame, and I pick it up to get a closer look. It’s a recent photo of her alongside an older man with medium-brown skin, a bald head, and streaks of gray in his neatly trimmed beard. This must be her dad.
When I set the picture back down, my eyes light on a colorful square of sticky notes lying beside a cup of pens. Plucking up a pen, I write a short note to Sloane on the pad then slide it to the edge of the desk closest to her bed. I finish up just as she comes slinking out of the bathroom, slowly walking past me, like she doesn’t believe she can make it to her bed without falling or bumping into something.
“You okay?”
She braces herself with one hand on the desk. “Yes. Just a little dizzy.”
“Almost there.” I rise to my feet and come up behind her, placing one hand on the small of her back. She sways into me, her hips brushing into my groin. The erection I’ve been fighting back since we left the party springs back to life.
Sloane wiggles her hips. “Someone’s happy to see me.”
“Behave.” I smack her on the ass and walk her forward until her knees hit the frame of her bed. Reaching past her, I pull her cover and top sheet back. They smell like her already. “Alright. Up you go.”
She hops up on her bed with a pout on her full lips. “Is this how the night is going to end? With you tucking me into bed instead of climbing in with me to complete list item number four?”
“Yes.” I lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead. “But there’s always tomorrow night.”
And all the nights after. You can have me every night if you want.
Tired eyes blink up at me. “Stay. Please.”
I shake my head, but my resolve is wavering. Going back to my room to sleep alone sounds like the worst idea ever when I have an angel inviting me to her bed.
“Your phone is still dead, so I wrote my number down for you. I’m leaving it right here. Call me in the morning, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Hmm.” Sloane’s eyelids flutter once, twice, and then they’re closed.
With another soft kiss to her forehead, I slip out of her room, making sure the door is secure before I go. Leaving her feels wrong, but I force myself to do it anyway because she’s drunk, and I don’t know how much of this she’ll remember in the morning when her mind isn’t sluggish from alcohol. Hopefully everything. And if not, I know the note I left will fill in the blanks, which means I’ll hear from her tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
I pull out my phone and see it’s a little after 2:00 a.m., which means technically it’s already tomorrow. So today. Today, I will hear from my angel and find out if the solid knot in my chest feels any different in the light of day.
A loud ding from my phone lets me know I’ve just received a message. Even though I know she’s fast asleep, a part of me hopes it’s Sloane.Instead, I see Eric’s name flashing across the screen. He’s finally replying to a message I sent earlier about the beds in our room.
Eric:Both of them look like they sleep like shit, but if you’ve got the better one, we might have to square up for it. Otherwise, I might have to tell Mama I’m staying home after all. Lol.
I laugh at his message but don’t bother replying for two reasons. One: Eric would rather sleep on shards of glass for the next four years than give up the freedom that living on campus is going to give him. Two: If things with Sloane go the way I think, sleeping in any bed that isn’t hers will be the least of my worries.
Chapter 12
Sloane
Now
“What the hell isthat?”
Mal eyes the contents of the plate in my hand like it’s a grenade with a pulled pin. I glance down at the offending plate, examining it closely to see what the problem is, but all I see is the red velvet cake Mama made for dessert.
I turn to her. “Uh, a piece of red velvet cake?”
“No shit, Sloane. I was right here when Nic handed it to you.”
“Then why are you acting confused?”
She slides to the edge of the sofa where we’ve been sitting since Mama shoved us out of the kitchen and angles her body toward me. “Nicbrought it to you, and the bastard didn’t even bring me one.”
“Oh my God.” I laugh. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to bring you a slice if you ask him.”
