I waved him off. “Yeah. Okay. Well, thanks for the orgasm. You can go now.”
I couldn’t decide what I was more angry about. Getting me off and not moving to round two, or the domineering way he was talking to me. Maybe both.
By the time Jake pulled away from the house, I’d worked up a good mad. And I knew what could help: deep cleaning the house and hanging out with my girls. Emma, Dawn, and I had been friends for over twenty-five years. They knew me better than anyone, and I wanted to process everything that had happened with Jake with the only people who truly understood me.
Evie:Are you two available tonight?I need some girl time.
Dawn:The restaurant is closed on Mondays, so I’m in.
Emma:I’ll let Wyatt know I have plans.What are we doing?
Evie:Margaritas at Jose’s?
Dawn:Sounds great.
Emma:Let’s meet at six and get dinner to line our stomachs.
Evie:Yay. I need all the margaritas after the last 24 hours. See you all then.
***
Isquinted againstthe bright sun coming in the windows. Had I forgotten to close the curtains last night? I opened one eye. Wait. Where was I? And what the hell had I eaten? My mouth tasted like a dead animal.
Feeling someone shift behind me, I looked down and saw one large arm wrapped around my waist. What the hell? I slid my hand beneath the blanket. I was wearing my shirt and underwear, but no pants.
I tried to subtly shift out from underneath the arm, but it tightened against me.
“Relax,” a sleepy voice instructed. “We don’t have to be up for a while.”
Oh crap. I recognized that voice. Jake. What the hell was I doing in his bed with him? I swear I’d promised myself to never let that asshole touch me again after what happened in my kitchen.
“I have to pee,” I croaked. The arm loosened and I slid out of the bed and headed into the en-suite bathroom. I sat on the toilet and noticed that Jake had left a new toothbrush and towel on the counter for me. That was incredibly sweet, but I still wasn’t sure what happened.
I stood up and groaned, the movement jarring my throbbing head.
I felt marginally better after washing my face and brushing my teeth. When I came out of the bathroom, Jake was sitting on the bed wearing only boxers. I grimaced as I noticed the large purple-yellow bruise on his pec from where I’d nailed him with the paintball gun. He looked rumpled and sleepy and hot as hell. He held out a large glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen.
“Here. Drink.”
I shook out some pills and swallowed them down, drinking the glass of water in one gulp. My mouth was dry as the Sahara.
Standing felt like a lot of effort, so I dropped into the armchair across from the bed. It was one of those big, overstuffed chairs, perfect for reading. I glanced at the table and saw a stack of manly magazines, but no books. Did the guy not own a book? No wonder I’d never seen him in the store before the vandalism happened. It was just more proof of how incompatible we were.
“What happened last night?” I finally asked. “Why am I here? And did we—?”
I raised one eyebrow and nodded towards the bed, but Jake shook his head.
“Of course not. You were too drunk. I didn’t want to take advantage of you. But I have to say, you get kind of handsy when you’re drunk.”
An image of me trying to kiss Jake while he helped me into bed flashed in my mind. Ugh, I was pretty sure I’d grabbed his dick too. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the memories to return from the drunken recesses of my mind. I remembered going to Jose’s with my two best friends and telling them everything that had happened with Jake. I remembered ordering a pitcher of margaritas with our chips and salsa, and another one with dinner. After that things got a little blurry.
“Do you remember leaving the restaurant last night?” he asked. “I understand you were there for a few hours, drinking.”
I shook my head. “It’s all a blur.”
“Johnston called me around ten thirty last night. He was passing by the bookstore and saw you there. He said that you and two other woman stumbled down the sidewalk and went into your store, while repeatedly yelling, ‘Come and get us, Brian!’ and spewing profanities. Then the three of you came out brandishing brooms and a mop like weapons and started marching back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the store screaming for Brian to come get you. Johnston threatened to take you all in for drunk and disorderly if you didn’t calm down, but then the three of you got belligerent and started threatening him with your brooms, so he called for reinforcements.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered as it all came rushing back like a movie in my head.