Jack rolled onto his back andIbolted.Honestly,Ineeded to pee badly enough thatIshould have just used his bathroom.ButIwasn’t about to get caught in the awkward morning after.Noone looked cute with bedhead and morning breath.Theromance novels lie.
I needed to go to the bathroom.Ineeded to brush my teeth.Ineeded to shower—becauseIhadn’t actually done anything more than have an orgasm under running water atJack’shouse.Ineeded to put on some freaking deodorant.
AndIneeded to sort through the waterfall of feelings withoutJackpresent.Werethere pheromones in his cologne?Myhead was cloudy around him.Icouldn’t think straight.
I had been so ready to get rid of the house, pad my bank account, and then figure out what was next whileIdrove back to the real world.
Why wasIsuddenly feeling homesick for a place that wasn’t my home?
I stumbled down the steps of his house and tripped over the hedge before scurrying up the staircase to the front door.Ishould have snuck around the back.IfJackhappened to look out his window, he’d be able to see me busting ass to get inside.
I slammed the door behind me and locked it for good measure before dashing to the bathroom.
Dammit.
I pawed around my clothes even thoughIknew the answer.
I had left my phone atJack’shouse.
With business taken care of,Imade a mad dash for my laptop and sent out a desperateSOSin the group chat.
Wander
PLEASETELLMESOMEONEISAWAKE.DEFCONONE.IREPEAT,DEFCONONE.
I could almost always count onWhitneyto be awake early in the morning.Shestill lived on bakery time and started her day when most of us were still dead asleep.WestCoastWillowwas far less reliable in the morning.Sheusually logged on around lunch.Tomy surprise,Willowresponded first.
Willow
I forget.IsDEFCONone orDEFCONfive the worst?
Whitney
You’re awake?
Willow
I haven’t gone to sleep yet.Pulledan all nighter.Ona deadline.
Whitney
I thinkDEFCONfive is the worst.Like, you start at one and go up the scale to five.Oris it like bestseller ranks where no one knows whether to call number one low or high?
Willow
That’s true.Becausehitting number one would technically be a low rank.Buteveryone calls it the “top of the chart.”Sois it a high rank?
Wander
OHMYGOD.FOCUS,PEOPLE.DEFCONONEISTHEWORST.FIVEISNORMALLIFE.
Whitney
Okay, cool.SoDEFCONsare like ranks.Gotit.
Willow
What doesDEFCONmean, anyway?
