She looks around my room for a few seconds and then back at me. “How did you get home? Did you get your car fixed that fast?”
I wish. “Case.” I whisper his name hoping she doesn’t notice the want in my voice. I thought he was gonna kiss me. Hell, I licked my lips thinkinggrab my neck and kiss me! Show me what you can do to me. Why would I want him? He’s bad news.
Her brows pull together in confusion then her eyes widen in shock. “No fucking way,” she shrieks. “You’re joking, right?” She slaps me on the shoulder.
“I wish I was,” I mumble. Not only do I want the man, but now I also owe him. This cannot end well for me.
She smiles brightly as she flips her blond hair over her shoulder. “So he’s not that bad of a guy after all?”
I sigh in defeat. “He may have come and saved me, but that doesn’t mean I have changed my mind about him.” Does it? Pretty sure my thoughts about him are starting to change. Maybe he isn’t as bad as I thought he was.
We spend the next thirty minutes going over my day with Case and the creepy guy who stopped and tried to help me. I leave out the part where one of his ex or current lover was our hostess. I figured that would just make me look jealous. And that’s crazy because I barely know the guy. I also chose to leave out the part where I thought he was gonna kiss me. No need to confuse me any more than I already am.
“He has the hots for you,” she says with a smile after I finish talking.
“He does not.” I roll my eyes. “He was just helping me out.” I’m still not sure why. We’re not friends. But no matter how much of a dick I think he is, he did come to my rescue today like a knight on a white horse. More like sin in a white sports car.
“He’s hot.” She sighs as she falls onto her back. “All those tats.” She runs her left hand up her right arm. “I wonder if he has any that his clothes hide?” She looks over at me and wiggles her eyebrows.
I sigh as I fall down onto the bed beside her. “Doesn’t matter if he does. Neither one of us will find out.” Why do I wish I could tell her yes or no due to personal experiences?
“Well, I bet you can. And then you can tell me.” I snort. “Hey, just because I can’t touch doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize,” she adds with a playful shove to my shoulder.
We lie there as the afternoon light shines into my bedroom, and I close my eyes to the silence. It’s been a long morning, and I’m tired. Just as I yawn, she speaks. “What are you gonna do about your car?”
“I don’t know.” I had called him from a blocked number so that means he doesn’t have mine. How will he contact me when my car is done? I guess he could call my brother and have Blane relay the message to me. Either way, I’ll deal with that tomorrow. It’s been a draining Sunday, and I sure as hell could use an afternoon nap.
I roll over onto my side and another yawn escapes me before I feel myself start to drift away.
***
Before my eyes can focus, I hear voices. Men’s voices maybe? But they seem to be far away. As my eyes flutter open and my hearing becomes clearer, I can tell that they are coming down the hallway of the house.
I look in front of me and see that Savannah lies asleep. Her blond hair covers her face. Light trickles into my bedroom, no longer bright outside but now dark. We must have fallen asleep like this—on my bed and still dressed.
I look up at my open bedroom door and see my brother walk by; I realize his voice woke me. Flipping over onto my other side, I close my eyes and try to get back to that same stage of unconsciousness. Still tired.
After a few minutes of laughter from my brother’s room, I realize that sleep isn’t going to be possible. I’ll be better off if I get up than to sleep the rest of the evening away. I hate when I wake up around ten at night after having an afternoon nap and end up staying up all night.
With a heavy sigh and a long stretch, I climb out of bed and make my way across the hall to the bathroom. My brother has the master bedroom with the bathroom. When we first moved in here, we found it easier for Savannah and me to share a bathroom than for one of us to have to share it with Blane. Now that she is dating him, they share the master bedroom, meaning I have to leave my room in order to use the restroom.
I cringe when I get a whiff of the smoke and sweat that still lingers on my clothes. I should have taken them off before I laid on my bed. Now, I gotta wash my sheets.
I lock the bathroom door behind me and slowly undress. My eyes and limbs are still heavy from sleep. Once I get undressed and the water temperature is just right, I make my way into the shower. Closing my eyes and standing underneath the sprayer, I allow the hot water to flow over me, making me smile. Ahh, it feels so good.
As I reach for the soap, I start to think of all the places that I can look for a job tomorrow. I could go for another coffee shop, but I can’t see another shop paying close to what I made. The thought of working at Case’s club passes over my thoughts, and I quickly squash it.
Don’t even consider that as an option.
I bet it’s great money.
What he does is illegal.
You wouldn’t be doing anything illegal. You’d just be serving drinks.
“Stop,” I say out loud to myself. As if that will make my mind stop thinking about it. It’s too late for me to have an internal battle with myself. Either way, I will lose.
As I wrap the towel around myself under my arms, I swipe my hand across my bathroom mirror. I grab my toothbrush, apply toothpaste to it, and brush my teeth leaning over the sink. Humming a tune, I distract myself from thinking about taking the job Case offered me.
