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Chapter Thirteen

Istared at the ceiling, willing my body to relax, for my brain to shut off. A soft curse slipped through my lips as the ringing in my ears wouldn’t quit. It was more prominent now that I was alone with no one to talk to.

Sleep would not come easy tonight.

Correction. At all.

My mind continued to relive the memories of tonight. The blast. The feel of Brock’s body hitting mine. The aftershocks that felt like they would never end. Horror after horror reeled like a bad fucking film.

I groaned and tossed on the bed for the umpteenth time. My eyes followed the shadows in the room as they danced from the stream of moonlight peeking through a crack in the curtain.

But it wasn’t just the car catching fire that disrupted my ability to sleep. Part of my restlessness stemmed from Brock sleeping down the hall from me.

Once my brain realized just how close he was, it couldn’t stop all those less than pure thoughts. There had to be something seriously wrong with me. I’d gone through something traumatic, and all I thought about was if Brock was sleeping naked in the next room.

I chewed on my lower lip, knowing I shouldn’t even entertain the idea of sneaking into his room. And yet, once the idea popped into my head, it became more appealing by the second.

Don’t do it, Josie, my conscience warned, but I’d never been very good at listening to her. Why start now?What if you get caught?

It’s not like the Edwards didn’t know Brock and I were dating. I just wasn’t sure if they realized we were sexually active. That was a conversation that hadn’t come up, thank God. Not yet, but I imagined at some time, one of them would sit me down. They seemed like the kind of parents who had sex talks with their children.

Angie’s had consisted of “Don’t do it or you’ll end up like me.”

Yeah, that hadn’t really worked out.

But to be fair, losing my virginity to Harvey had nothing to do with Angie. It had been my choice. Something I had wanted to do… at the time.

Damn if I didn’t need Brock right now. It wasn’t even about sex. I just wanted to sleep beside him, feel his warm body against mine, and fall asleep to the soft rhythm of his breathing.

Fuck it.

I couldn’t sit here and think of him another second. I’d just slip down the hall and into his bed.

Flinging back the blankets, I padded barefoot to the door in just an oversized T-shirt that came to my thighs, and carefully pried it open. By some miracle, it didn’t squeak like normal. Grayson’s and Kenna’s rooms were across the hallway, and Brock slept in the one next to mine.

Convenient?

Hell yes.

But I didn’t think the Edwards had convenience in mind when they put Brock next to me. I doubt they were worried at all about me sneaking into his room. It probably was the furthest thing from their minds after the shit night that we all had.

A glance down the empty hall was all I needed. Quietly shutting the bedroom door behind me, I tiptoed to the room next door and listened for a beat. The house was silent. My hand reached for the knob.

Click.

At the soft sound of someone coming out of their room, I froze.

Son of a bitch.

My heart thundered in my chest, and I swung my gaze down the hall in time to see Kenna step out of her bedroom. Before she could see me, I moved back into the shadows, dipping into the hall bathroom.

What the fuck was she doing up?

Killing my perfect plan to sneak into Brock’s room, that’s what. Not that I cared if Kenna saw me. I didn’t think she would rat me out, but honestly, I couldn’t be sure. Something stopped me from showing myself.

I watched Kenna carefully close her door and then stand there, seemingly wrestling with something internally. In a similar habit that I was guilty of, she chewed on the inside of her cheek and glanced toward Brock’s door.

I held my breath.


Tags: J.L. Weil Elite of Elmwood Romance