Page 33 of From Now On

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“Don’t apologize, Hunter. None of this is your fault.”

Sean won’t accept any blame, though. Won’t make apologies. Won’t even call our parents. So I have to do it all for him. I hate the idea of my dad going to all the seediest spots in town alone, and I’m also relieved I’m hundreds of miles away. I hate that I answer the phone and indulge him, but I know I would never forgive myself if I didn’t answer and he needed help.

We linger in sad silence.

“I thought maybe it stuck this time,” I admit.

My dad’s exhale is heavy. “Me too. Go back to sleep, kiddo. And enjoy your break. You deserve a vacation.”

“Let me know…”

He understands what I’m trying to say. “I will. Night, Hunter.”

“Night, Dad.”

I shove my phone into my pocket and stare at the blinkingNo Vacancysign.

The chill in the night air registers for the first time, bleeding into my beleaguered body.

I blow out one final breath, then head back to the room.

Eve’s a still lump under the covers. I must have passed out before she came to bed because I have no recollection of her leaving the bathroom. Two pillows are piled between Eve and the empty spot where I was sleeping. The sight makes me smile. I hope she appreciated I took the side closest to the door in case a serial killer broke in.

I’m too restless to go back to bed. I’ll just lie there, thinking. I head into the bathroom, the only separate part of the room with its own door.

Leaning against the back of the door gets old fast, so I decide to shower. Usually I shower in the morning, but this’ll save some time before we hit the road. And hot water will help me decompress a little. I won’t be able to fall back asleep until I get a text from my dad. Probably not after then, either.

Surprisingly, the water pressure is better here than at my bathroom off campus. I lean a hand against the damp tile and let the spray hit the top of my head, pounding my scalp and dripping down my face.

After a few minutes, I take a pump of soap from the dispenser to suds my hair and arms.

My gaze snags on a pink razor sitting on the shelf.

Eve was naked in here. Something I shouldnotbe thinking about before climbing back into bed with her. Two pillows aren’t going to prevent me from fantasizing about all the things we could do in a bed besides sleep.

Telling myself to stop thinking about it isn’t doing much either. I’m desperate for a distraction right now. More blood is rushing south. I grip my growing erection, sorely tempted to jerk off for some stress relief. But…I’ll picture Eve. And it feels sleazy, pretending I’m fucking her instead of my hand while she sleeps, oblivious, on the other side of the door.

I turn the handle instead, hissing when icy water hits my abs. It feels like tiny knives are stabbing my stomach. My cock deflates some, but my balls are still throbbing.

I shut off the water and pull the shower curtain open.

There’s a quiet creak, followed by a loud gasp.

My head snaps up.

Eve is standing in the doorway. Her wide eyes are fixed on my wet body, and I can actually see the color pooling in hercheeks as my nakedness registers. Her complexion will rival a tomato’s soon.

“Sorry,” she blurts, then spins around. Only to turn back, eyes pointedly fixed on the floor, and grab the door’s handle.

It slams shut a second later.

I stare at the spot she just stood, distantly registering thedrip drip dripas excess water rolls down my body and hits the floor of the tub.

This might make tomorrow’s—technically today’s—drive a little awkward.

CHAPTER NINE

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