Page 90 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

67

JASMINE

"What was that about?" Jasmine yawned and turned on her side to face Edgar. "Where do we need to be in twenty minutes and why?"

They had just made love again, and she didn't want to be anywhere other than under the covers with him. She certainly didn't want to rush to be somewhere in twenty minutes.

"Kian wants to see you, and he didn't say why. We should get out of bed right now," Ed said but didn't move a muscle.

"Can you call him back and tell him that I fell asleep or something? I don't want to get out of bed."

Ed's lips tilted up in a smile. "Do you really want to get on the boss's bad side?"

She grimaced. "No, I don't."

It couldn't be anything bad because she hadn't done anything to violate the rules. No one had told her that she couldn't stay the night on the upper decks, and why would they? It wasn't like there were any secrets hiding in Edgar and Charlie's cabin.

Then, a thought occurred to her. Charlie looked surprised when Ed showed up with her at their cabin. Maybe he was the prudish type and didn't approve?

"Could Charlie have complained about me staying the night?"

Edgar laughed. "No way." He let his arms fall away from her body. "We are down to fifteen minutes. I suggest you get dressed."

Oh, crap. She hadn't brought a change of clothes with her, and there was no way she was showing up at Kian's place in the dress she'd worn to the wedding. It didn't matter that he knew she had spent the night with Edgar. Appearances mattered.

"I have to go back to my cabin to change. I can't show up there in the dress I wore yesterday. "

"If we do that, you will need to do it super-fast." Edgar's lips twitched. "The other option is wearing something of mine. I can lend you a T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts."

She cast him an incredulous look. "Not happening."

Sliding out of bed, Jasmine rushed into the bathroom, took care of business, brushed her teeth with a finger, and tried to use Ed's comb on her hair, but it was no match for her thick tresses.

When she got out, Edgar was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and he traded places with her in the bathroom without copping a feel on the way, which was a little insulting.

Well, they were in a rush, but still.

By the time she'd put on her panties and bra, he was already out of the bathroom and helped her zip up the dress.

She pushed her feet into her high heels, wincing at the pinch of the too-tight shoes, but there was no time to worry about comfort or fashion, not when Kian was waiting, his summons hanging over her head like a dark, ominous cloud.

"I would really love a cup of coffee." She pouted as they rushed out the door. "Maybe you can get me a cup from the staff lounge room while I get changed?"

"Of course." Edgar pulled her in for a quick kiss as they waited for the elevator.

"You don't need to come with me," she said as they rushed out of the elevator on the staff deck. "I can handle Kian on my own."

Edgar shook his head. "Kian expects me to be there, but even if he didn't, I wouldn't have left you to face this alone, whatever it is."

Something warm unfurled in Jasmine's chest. It was nice to have someone in her corner, someone who had her back. She'd never had that, not since she left home and not even before that. Her father had often been distant, and her stepmother just hadn't cared about her.

When the elevator door opened, they ran out. Ed was rushing into the staff lounge to get her coffee, and Jasmine headed toward her cabin.

Bursting through the door, she fumbled with the zipper of her dress as she kicked off her shoes. She stripped off the gown, tossed it on the bed, and reached into the closet for a simple, pull-on sundress.

She quickly ran a brush through her hair, wincing at the tangles and snarls that snagged on the bristles, but there was no time to untangle it gently and style it or to reapply makeup. Instead, she grabbed a makeup removal wipe, hastily scrubbing at her face until her skin was clean and bare.

When she got out, Ed was waiting for her with a cup of coffee. "I didn't know whether you wanted cream and sugar, so I put in both." He handed her the paper cup.

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