Page 144 of When The Night Falls

He rolled his eyes and walked in. I stiffened for half a second, panicking. I tried my best to act normal as I opened the middle drawer to fetch my make-up kit, but when his arms came around my waist, I froze. He didn’t seem to notice, but if he did, he ignored it.

‘Where’s Jase?’ he asked and brushed my tresses aside to clear my neck.

‘He’s with his brother. They’re heading to Stephen’s for poker night,’ I said, just barely managing to keep a steady octave.

He lowered his head. I tensed when his warm lips landed on my neck, covering it with soft kisses. Not long ago, I would have closed my eyes and submerged myself in the sweet feeling. I would have leaned against him and stroked his thigh behind me. But Aaron’s kisses didn’t feel good anymore – they felt alien. Wrong.

‘We should take advantage, then,’ he purred as his hand slid down my waist and gripped the hem of my white satin robe.

I shrugged out of his embrace.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, and I saw concern in his eyes when I turned to face him.

‘I’m not really in the mood for sex,’ I said, stressing. ‘I was in a bad way last night. I puked so much.’

He leaned back, looking surprised. ‘What?’

‘Yeah. I went out with my colleagues.’

‘Oh.’

My face scrunched up for a beat. ‘I’m sorry.’

He shook his head. ‘Don’t be. I’m only up for it if you are.’

I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t know why I had worried so much; I had rejected sex with him several times before, and he had never questioned me about it, so why would he now? It wasn’t in his nature to push for sex if I wasn’t in the mood.

‘Did you have fun at least?’ he asked.

I shrugged. ‘For the most part, yeah.’

‘You must be exhausted, though. When did you get home?’

‘I don’t remember. I blacked out.’

He gaped. ‘You blacked out? How did you get home, then?’

I grimaced. ‘Will took care of me.’ My heart hammered as I uttered William’s name. Even just mentioning him made me scared that Aaron would catch on to the truth prematurely.

‘My goodness,’ Aaron said, clearly shocked. ‘Your boss had to take you home?’

‘Please, don’t. I’m still absolutely mortified.’

His handsome face remained straight for a split second, then he suddenly burst into laughter. ‘Oh my God, that poor man. First he walks in on us, and then he has to babysit your drunken arse. He must think you’re the apprentice from hell.’

A gush of colour spread over my cheeks. I hadn’t thought of it like that. ‘I’ve got a lot of redeeming to do.’

‘I’m sure you’re making up for it at work.’ He kept laughing. ‘Why did you get that drunk, though?’

‘I don’t know. It’s not like I meant to.’

‘So unlike you.’ He shook his head, smiling. ‘But all right, then. I’ll let you get ready.’ He turned around and disappeared into the living room.

I looked in the mirror, staring absentmindedly at my reflection and the sad shape of my mouth. Aaron was laughing now, but I doubted he would later.

§ § §

I wasn’t sure if it was because I had got so drunk last night, but alcohol seemed to affect me differently this time. I didn’t experience the usual buzz that gradually increased the more I drank; trivial things didn’t excite me. Quite frankly, I was bored, and I missed William, which didn’t help. I had seen him just a couple of hours ago, yet I already ached for his company.

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