Page 21 of The Lie
I hug him tight, and we settle into the sofa without saying another word. I close my eyes as I listen to the rhythmic beat of his heart. I can feel sleep trying to pull me under, but I have one question. How did Britney know? Unless she saw him with the guy…
“Makai?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
I smile into his chest. “He’s hot,” I whisper, and I feel the rumble of his chuckle in his chest.
“Yeah, he is.”
NINE
MILA
Ihear the hushed voices of people in my room. The body under me groans a little. Mmm…Hunter. I don’t want him to move. I’m so comfy and warm. My throat is dry, and my head aches a little, but overall, I think I just had the best night sleep in ages.
Under me, Hunter twists and shuffles. I hold on to his tee; I’m not giving up the perfect sleeping partner. “Don’t move, I’m not ready to get up,” I whine. I don’t want to move from here. It’s so nice, and Hunter is so snuggly.
He stops, and I sigh as I nestle deeper into him. Lips press against my forehead, and I realize pretty fast that they can’t belong to the person I’m lying on.
“Madison?” I open my eyes and blink, trying to focus on where I am. Hunter is staring down at me with dark-rimmed glasses and a huge grin on his face. I didn’t know if he still wore them, but god, he’ssexy as hellin them. He smiles down at me like he can read my thoughts, then holds up a mug that smells like coffee. I moan at the scent.
“Good morning to you as well, babe.”
My heart explodes at the word babe. He winks, and that’s when I notice a dark bruise under his left eye. Shit, I forgot what Grady said last night. Jace punched Hunter in the nose. He sees my gaze is focused there, and he shakes his head just a little to tell me to leave it, then gestures to the mug.
“Oh, yes, please.” I need coffee to function right now.
I move a little, and the warm body under me tenses. I quickly turn, and Grady is staring right back at me with a strange expression. The night comes flashing back, and I smile at him. He beams in response. It’s not awkward that I fell asleep on him, right? I hope I didn’t drool on him.
Hunter moves around the sofa to the coffee table and sits. Holding out the mug to me, he nudges at the two empty glasses and the half-empty bottle of whiskey. Shit, Grady drank a lot more than I realized.
“Well, well, well…what did you two get up to last night?” Hunter chuckles.
Grady makes a pained sound, like he knows exactly what happened with that bottle and now it’s thumping in his head.
While Grady helps me extract myself from him, somehow we ended up in a tangle of limbs. It’s not weird that Hunter is here and seeing me sleeping on Grady…is it? But Hunter doesn’t bat an eye as he hands me the mug and I mumble a thanks. I’m dying, and anything I can do to wake up and function is welcomed.
“You want some coffee?” Hunter asks Grady, and he nods as he grabs his head with a groan.
Madison surprises me next with a big smile and a bottle of water. In her hand, she holds out the medication…the same stuff that I think messed with me last night because of the whiskey. But I don’t need the painkiller anymore. I hate the way it makes me feel. I would rather feel some pain than take it. I shake my head, and she takes them back into the kitchen.
“Asher will be here in a minute to pick me up. Mom and your dad are out on a date day. Or something like that.” Madison makes a funny face that’s a cross betweeneww, grossandaww, sweet.
“Good for them. And thanks for last night. I had fun; we should do it again,” I let her know, and she looks to Grady and winks over at me. I roll my eyes and laugh. She’s probably thinking of our conversation from last night about Roman and Hunter and the whole together thing.
“Madison, meet Grady, Jace’s older, nicer, and smarter brother.” I wave my hand at him, and he chuckles deeply. I hear the front door open and close. I smile, knowing Asher’s here now.
“Grady, meet the amazing Madison. She is sweeter, nicer, and smarter than her brother, Asher.” Madison blushes.
“Hey, I heard that, Mila. You wound me,” Asher calls out from behind me in a mocking voice.
“I only speak the truth, and you know it.” I turn around and find Asher standing with Walker.
He grins over at me. “Hey, pretty lady.”
I’d spoken to him on the phone while I was in the hospital, but I haven’t seen him since. Hell, I have no idea if they won the game last night or not. We switched to watching movies after the Rebels game and forgot to check. I place my coffee down and make my way around the sofa to Walker. My body is a little sore, but I think more from the way I slept than anything. He opens his arms, and I hug him.
“Hey, no fair,” Hunter mock protests as he comes up to me and pokes my nose. “I made coffee and got no hug. He just walks in here, and he gets a hug.”
