Page 193 of The First Time
But I don't want that.
I still want to live up to the guy she thinks I am.
Fuck, I'm tired.
I dry off then sling my towel around my hips. Last thing I need is the maid screaming over the naked man in the house. Lord knows how many maids Mom has been through since I was here last.
The hallway is the same. Beige carpet, wedding photos and my grade school artwork on the walls. I still hate the clown I drew in third grade. Not only is it creepy as fuck, it's also shitty. Good for a third grader, sure, but not something that needs to be on the wall.
Not like I need the reminder that my parents had their shit together once.
Not like I need the reminder that we aren't a family anymore.
The master bedroom is still at the end of the hall. I'm sure Mom's stash is somewhere in her bathroom.
I roll my shoulders back. An opiate high has a certain appeal— it's warm, comfortable, safe—but I still don't want it.
It's not just that I don't want the consequences.
I don't want to be high. I don't want to be out of it. I don't want to be running away from my thoughts.
I turn. It's four steps to my bedroom and the door is already open.
What the hell?
There's a woman in my bed.
I've had crazy fans before, but none got into my house. Or maybe they did and I was too high to realize it.
But there's no way anybody found my parent's place and got past the security. This is a gated neighborhood.
I flip on the light.
The woman stirs.
Shit.
That's not any woman. That's Piper.
She blinks a few times then her blue eyes are fixed on me. She pushes her messy dark blond hair behind her ears. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"Working on my booty call skills." Her voice is half teasing, half tired. She lowers it to something half teasing, half seductive. "Come lay next me. I'm not wearing any panties." She gives me a long once-over. "You're not wearing much either."
"Piper—"
"Joel grabbed the spare key. From the turtle? I'm not sure. We drove all night. All morning I guess."
"Joel's here?"
"In the guest room."
"There are two."
She laughs. "He suggested otherwise."
I chuckle too. Joel fucking with me is something I can count on. It's annoying but I appreciate the consistency. Makes me feel normal.
