Page 35 of Taste of Addiction

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

“No, not at all. Any chance you have something stronger?” I know he does, since Collins basically shared that he did. I inwardly pray that he will cut me a break and give me something for this pain.

“I do, actually. They are a prescription, though, so be careful with them. I never needed them for my dental surgery but had them as backup just in case. Wait here, and I’ll go grab the bottle.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, of course. Hope you feel better.”

I fix myself a snack of veggies and dip. Owen is back within minutes and hands me the little orange bottle that has Tylenol-Codeine printed on a label around the side.

“This should be perfect,” I respond with a smile.

I glance down at the directions, while carrying my laptop and snack back up to my room. I swallow two and then seal the bottle up for safekeeping. I use the bathroom and take a quick shower. Once my hair is partially dried with the hair dryer, I saunter back into the bedroom and put on a pair of pajamas that have donuts all over them. I relax back on the bed and munch on a piece of cauliflower that is doused in ranch dip.

I glance at my phone for the hundredth time and finally see the missed calls from Graham. Darn it! I look at the time stamp and must have just missed him. I listen to the voicemails asking how I am doing, telling me he misses me, and requesting to video chat when I get a chance.

I prop up the iPad and click on his name to dial the call.

“Hey sweetheart,” he says smoothly as the call connects.

We are in different time zones so it must be night there. “How are you doing?” I ask. “Flight okay?” He would have landed hours ago, but this is the first time I am able to chat with him since I watched him leave this morning.

“Everything worked out well. Uneventful,” he says with a smile. “I miss you.”

I try to see where he is but can only see the headboard and the pillows.

“You aren’t sharing a room with Sophia, right?” If she is lying in the bed beside him, I may murder my iPad.

“Of course not, baby. I have a suite here at the hotel, but we have separate bedrooms. Plus, I should be back tomorrow but late.”

“But we still have to stay away from each other?”

“For now, yes. But sneaking into your bed will be half the fun.”

“I hate living by myself. I really got used to having Claire around, but she is playing house with Ethan, and I can’t guilt her to come back and stay with me at the townhouse. Not when things are working out well between them again.”

“I’m not a fan of leaving you there alone either. Trust me. But I need more time to figure things out.”

I swallow hard. I have no idea if he is being honest with me. Or himself. It seems like as long as I have been involved in trying to figure out the whole drug ring thing, I have only gotten myself more and more confused. So, maybe all of his I-just-need-a-little-more-time lines are just that—lines.

I don’t want to give him a hard time. I can tell he is trying his best to keep me safe. “Okay. I’ll figure out how to deal.” A yawn escapes my mouth, and I stifle it with my arm. “Ah, I must be more tired than I thought.”

“It’s only seven there,” he says with a frown.

I bite into a piece of broccoli and rest my head back against the pillow. “I’m just so tired.”

“Well, maybe we can chat more tomorrow,” he says with a smile. “Finish up your food and get to bed.”

“Sounds good,” I agree, then end the call and close my eyes for a few seconds.

8

I startle awake to the sound of a plate hitting the floor. I roll to my side and squint as I look down at the veggies and ranch splattered all over the hardwood. I stare at the mess in confusion, while my brain catches up to reality. I vaguely remember talking with Graham and being so tired that I just wanted to sleep.

I pick up my phone and see that it is four in the morning. The light from my lamp casts a warm glow, but it does a number on my head. The throbbing. I move into the bathroom to get a damp towel to clean up my mess. I throw away all of the food and find my purse where I have the pill bottle. I shake out two more and swallow them down with some water. My mouth is so dry that it feels like I ate a bunch of cotton, so I down the rest of the bottled water until it is empty.

I sit on the edge of the bed and rest my elbows on my thighs, bending over. My head feels like a bowling ball, and I can only hope that the pills take effect soon.

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