Page 23 of After Effect

Chapter 7

Finch Corbin

I can’t remember the last time I slept that well. Actually, now that I think about it, I can’t remember going to bed at all last night. One second I was talking to the bartender. Then I was dancing. I was going home with those ladies. Then… Lilly showed up… Then I pressed up against her on the back of her scooter…

Then…

My eyes shot open faster than they could handle adjusting to the afternoon sun blaring in on me through the window. I squinted through the pain, just enough to acknowledge that this was not, in fact, my own bed. I patted the bed beside me and patted myself down.

I was still fully clothed. I wasn’t in bed with Lilly. I didn’t do anything I’d regret.

Inhale.

Exhale.

I rubbed my temples trying to bring back as much of the night as I could. I’m fairly certain this must be Lilly’s room. The bed smells just like her perfume, and the air smells like a mix of refried beans and cattle. I don’t know a whole lot of other people who live in a restaurant that doubles as a cattle ranch.

Okay, so Lilly took me home. Because she’s a good person, and I’m borderline her boss.

My eyes caught sight of an open notebook. I scanned the words. My handwriting covered up half of his lyrics. I grinned to myself as I read through my changes. My corrections weren’t half bad for someone who was black out drunk. Alcohol can’t hide real talent.

Alright, so half of last night’s mysteries are solved. But where exactly is Lilly?

With a calm mind, the gentle sound of unconscious breathing caught my ear. I crawled to the edge of his bed to see Lilly sprawled out on an air mattress on the floor. She was wearing nothing but her underwear, with a sheet tangled around her like a snake that had bested her in a fierce battle and was preparing to devour its prey. I skimmed her neck, making sure there weren’t traces of hickies or other possible misdeeds. A trickle of drool glistened by her mouth.

I stifled my laugh, so I wouldn’t wake her up. No marks on her skin. And if we didn’t even sleep in the bed together, it’s safe to say we didn’t do anything else together either. That could have been bad. Especially with the state I was in. If she had shown me even the slightest non-platonic mutual attraction last night, I probably would have…

A quick shake of my head was barely enough to throw the images of Lilly’s writhing body out of my imagination. I forced myself to stop looking at her half naked body on the bed below me, too.

Safe to say she didn’t make any kind of move. Though the notion that Lilly isn’t remotely into me wasn’t as comforting as it should have been.

“Are you going to sleep the whole day away in there, sweetie?” A swift knock and a chipper, feminine voice penetrated the room.

“Yes.” Lilly groaned as she pulled a pillow over her face.

“Are you sure about that, sweetie?” I whispered as I leaned over the bed.

Lilly shot up into seated position even faster than I had. “I’ll be out in a minute, Mami!”

“We have a big dinner delivery tonight, so just be ready by then,” she called through the door.

“Of course.” She waited for the sound of her steps to fade before she turned to me. “Fancy meeting you here, Finchy.” There was both amusement and a light shaking to her voice. Odd.

My eyebrows flattened. “Are you seriously going to start calling me that?”

Lilly laughed, much more jovially than I would have expected considering how much sleep was still in her eyes. “After last night, I think I’ve earned the privilege to call you whatever I want.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” What else did I forget?

“Wouldn’t YOU like to know.” Lilly gave me a catlike grin, as she got up and grabbed herself a pair of jeans. She was still half undressed, showing off lean, farm built muscles from her neck to the low waist of her tight pants, when she came back over to the bedside to ruffle my hair. She paused as she studied my expression. “Man, you were FADED. I remember my first time having a drink.” She laughed a mocking laugh. Embarrassing. “How much do you remember?”

I focused hard, searching for any other memory remnants that might still be lingering in my psyche. I felt like an idiot. “Can you give me some hints?”

“Do you remember the club?”

“Of course.” I rolled my eyes. “I was sober when I showed up there.”

“Do you remember the ride?”

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