Page 46 of Don't Fall

Chapter Twelve

Tessa

“Shit.” I bolt upright, blanket flying across the bed. “Shit, shit, shit,” I continue, fumbling over the mattress in search of even one article of clothing.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t start the morning after like that again,” he mumbles, his arm reaching blindly for any part of my body. As soon as it catches on my thigh, he jerks it backward, tossing me back into the bed beside him. Grinning, his face surfaces from the plush white pillow it was buried in. “Good morning.” He completely interrupts my efforts to race out of here and plants a kiss firmly on my lips. I’m not even mad. Good God, the man is even more gorgeous first thing in the morning. I missed this last time around.

“Hi.” Hi? Who says hi after you’ve spent the night together. We woke up, we weren’t reunited after spending a great deal of time apart. Never mind. Not important. “I’m late!”

I jump up a second time facing only slightly less opposition from him. “Which class?” He asks as his hand moves to wind itself around my ankle, then slowly up my calf.

“Not class. I’m meeting Riley. We only get to see each other once a month, and this is it. I can’t miss it!” I scramble out of his grip a second time and make it out the bed for good.

“Wait, who’s Riley?”

I pause, staring around the room blankly as his question and my current mission collide in my warbled, morning brain. “My sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Uh-huh. And four brothers.” I grin sheepishly. “Probably could have mentioned that last night during the sibling chat, huh?”

“Probably.” He grins back at me and I have no choice but to launch myself back in his direction for another brief morning make out sesh.

“Seriously,” I mumble, tearing myself away from him yet again, “I gotta go.”

It takes a thirty second dash around the room to collect my clothes which wound up in an impressive variety of locations, before I circle back around to him and smack his lips with mine in a hurry one last time. “No regrets, just running late – swear!” Then I run from the room, hopping part of the way on one leg while I struggle to get on some pants and attempt to get dressed before reaching the front door. I need to get on the road, and I don’t have a car here to do it in. Which leaves only one option. Drea.

Still shirtless, I bundle the material to my chest and race across the hall to her apartment, letting myself in and making a beeline for her bedroom where I proceed to accidentally flash Scott once I’m inside.

“Found her!” he yells over his shoulder toward the bathroom. Then cringes. “God, way too much of her.”

I notice too late, the material covering my breasts has shifted some. “It’s a boob, Scott. Smaller, but not that unlike Drea’s,” I grumble, shooting him a dirty look for extra satisfaction on my way to her bathroom, slipping the shirt on over my head as I go.

She’s barely out of the shower, but that doesn’t stop her from marching her wet feet over to meet me at the sink where I’m busy chugging her mouthwash.

“Cara said a guy attacked you last night!”

“When did you talk to Cara?” I slip past her outstretched, flailing arms and wind up nearly crawling to avoid getting hit on my way out of the bathroom to safer space.

“When you didn’t come home last night, and I called her.” Her arms cross firmly over her chest now.

I search her closet for a pair of flip-flops. I forgot shoes in my whirlwind exit. “Oh, right.”

“Oh, right?! Are you freaking kidding me?” Arms return their dramatic dance in the air as she lunges forward, and I duck.

“Drea! I love you and the fact that you were worried about me, though I think we both know you concluded I was safe once you finished talking to Cara –but right now, I have to go meet Riles and I need to borrow your car to do that. Please.”

“Why? Where’s your car. And also, when did you come home? I thought I heard you, but when I went to check on you, your room was empty so it was two-timing McMichael I heard, not you.”

“My car is at the club. I got a ride home last night after all that craziness.” I purposely avoid answering her second question, though I know it’ll be pointless in the long run.

“Fine,” she huffs, marching up beside me, hair still wet, but fully clothed. “I’ll drive.” She swipes her keys from the bowl on her dresser and heads for the front door, holding it open when she gets to it. “After you.”

I don’t have time to argue or tell her the list of reasons I’ve mentally accumulated over the last three minutes why she’s insane, so I lead the way outside and keep walking until I reach her Jetta in the parking lot. It’s not locked. It never is, so I’m in my seat and buckled before she even opens the driver’s side door.

“Can we add a little hustle to the bustle this morning? You know I don’t have much time on my breakfast dates with Riley.”

“Something you might have considered before staying out all night and making me crazy with worry,” she sneers putting her key in the ignition and starting up the car at last. I guess not answering her question about my whereabouts mostly just led her to conjure up her own theories. “Where did you wind up anyway?”

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