It’s not my ceiling.
Sharply turning my head, ignoring the pain it causes, I see that I’m not in my bedroom. It looks familiar, but I’m not sure…
Where in the hell am I?
I quickly sit up, my head going woozy. I press my hand to my head as panic makes my heart beat hard. Then, I realize that the bed I’m sitting in is the bed in one of the guest rooms at the Matis Estate.
What the hell am I doing here?
And then it all comes flooding back to me, like a bad movie.
Ah…fuck.
I saw Jesse yesterday, and he told me that he hated me. I press the heel of my hand to my chest, pushing against the pain that pierces it.
After Jesse, I found my way into a bar.
Got drunk. Cute Bartender. Drunk-dialing Kas. Him coming to the bar to get me. Putting me in his car. Falling asleep…
Why did he bring me here? Why didn’t he take me home? What time is it?
My eyes swing to the clock on the nightstand, catching on a glass of water sitting by it.
Seven thirty a.m.
As in, seven thirty a.m. on Sunday morning?
Shit!
Cece!
She’ll be worried sick. I didn’t call her, like I said I would, and I was out all night.
Ripping the bedsheet off me, I jump out of bed, looking for my bag, but it’s nowhere to be seen.
But I do see my dress from yesterday hanging over the back of the chair at the dressing table, and my shoes are on the floor by it.
I glance down at myself to find that I’m wearing a black Kasabian T-shirt that hits the backs of my thighs.
It must be Kas’s T-shirt.
That means he…
Oh dear God.
He undressed me and changed my clothes. I still have my bra and knickers on.
Thank God.
I yank the T-shirt off, getting a lungful of Kas’s scent as it passes over my face. I grab my dress and pull it on. Then, I quickly make the bed.
I grab the glass of water and down it. Taking the glass with me, I grab my shoes and the T-shirt, so I can put it in the laundry.
I let myself out of the bedroom and into the quiet hall.
Heart thumping, clutching my shoes and Kas’s T-shirt to my chest, I make my way downstairs.
I glance at his office door, which is closed.
I have to talk to Kas. First, to thank him for looking out for me. Then, to ask if I still have a job. And, if I don’t, then beg him to give me my job back.
I’m not averse to begging in this instance.
I’ve screwed up so bad.
It won’t look good for me if Toby finds out that I’ve been sacked for getting drunk and behaving like a complete idiot.
And it will look even worse to Anne. It could set me even further back with Jesse.
Not that Jesse and I could get any further back. He wants nothing to do with me.
But I need to prove to him that I’m here to stay. And here to stay means, I need this job.
Taking a deep breath, I head for the kitchen to put the T-shirt in the laundry basket. Then, I’ll go to his office and face the Kas-wrath.
I push open the kitchen door, and my heart falls out of my chest when I see Kas sitting at the kitchen table, staring down at his phone, an empty plate and a cup sitting in front of him.
He’s wearing jeans and a fitted T-shirt that shows off the lines of his body. His hair is a little messier than usual, one side tucked behind his ear.
He looks good. But then he always looks good. I hate that.
His eyes lift from his phone to me.
His look cuts right through me.
“Hey,” I say, swallowing past my nerves.
“Hi.” There’s no tone to his response, giving me nothing as to what he’s thinking.
I move slowly toward him through the kitchen. His eyes stay trained on me the whole time.
I slip into the seat across from him. I put the empty glass on the table, my shoes on the floor next to me, and hold his T-shirt in my lap.
I don’t really know where to start, what to go with. My eyes drift around the room and then hook onto my bag, which is sitting on the counter.
I really need to ring Cece, but I need to speak to him first.
But he beats me to it. “Your phone kept ringing and ringing. I didn’t want to wake you. I figured it must be important, whoever was calling, so I answered it for you. It was your friend, Cece. She was worried that she hadn’t heard from you. I told her that you were here, you were safe, and you’d be home in the morning.”
He spoke to Cece. Oh my God.
Well, at least she wasn’t left worrying about me all night. But that is going to be one hell of an interesting conversation I’ll have with her later.
“Thank you,” I say. Then, I can’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you take me home?”
He pins me with a stare that has me squirming in my chair. “Because I didn’t know where you lived. You passed out before telling me.”
“My address is on your employee records,” I challenge.
“Which are here.”
Oh. Yeah.
“How did I get to bed?”
He gives me a look that clearly states he thinks I’m dumb. “I carried you.”
“I was that out of it, huh?”
“Yeah. I don’t think a bomb going off would’ve woken you up.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was funny, listening to you snore.”
“I don’t snore!” I say, aghast.
His lips curl up into a stunning smile, and he laughs.
A memory of me telling him yesterday that he had a beautiful laugh and that he should laugh more slips into my mind.
“Do I really snore?” I ask him.
He grins and nods. “Like a pig.”
I like that he’s smiling, so I don’t fight him on it. “Must’ve been the alcohol because I don’t snore normally.”