Page 46 of Damnation
Back in the room, I stumble upon my ripped panties. I pick them up and examine them with pursed lips, sorry for the ignoble end that Thomas gave them. I toss them into the trash can next to his bed and pick up Leila’s dress while I’m at it. Second item on the to-do list: buy Leila a new dress. I hope she won’t hate me for returning this one in such a state. Having nothing else to wear, I put on Thomas’s shirt and a pair of basketball shorts that I find folded over the back of his desk chair. Perfect, I look like an actual mess.
With a shrug, I exit the room and head downstairs, humming as I go, feeling ready for some refreshments. I’m coming down the last few steps, when suddenly five pairs of eyes snap to me. I freeze immediately, my throat so dry that I can hardly swallow. I clasp my hands protectively over my middle as five frat boys look me up and down, grinning all the while.
Matt stands at the stove, busy scrambling eggs with a dish towel tossed over his shoulder. Two guys with curly blond hair sit at the counter behind him, books open in front of them. Both of them are barefoot and wearing dark track pants with white tank tops. Another boy stands in front of the open fridge with a carton of milk under his arm and an empty glass in his hand. The last one is in the doorway fully dressed, ready to leave.
“Well, well. Good morning, princess. Did you sleep well?” Matt asks me. The other guys chuckle under their breaths.
“Um, yes, I did.” I look down, trying to hide my embarrassment.
“Lemme see,” adds a familiar voice from the living room. I turn my head and see Vince heading right for me on the staircase. He plants one foot on the first step and leans his elbow on the handrail. He quirks one corner of his mouth and says loudly, “Heard you two set off some fireworks last night.” He waggles his eyebrows.
Fireworks?
I remain frozen, unspeaking, digesting his words. Then, as I begin to understand, I can feel my cheeks start burning. Oh, no.
No, no, no, no.
They heard us.
“Just so you know, it’s not a problem for us. We’re guys; we get it,” one of the curly-haired boys at the counter chimes in, lifting a spoonful of Froot Loops to his mouth. My eyes immediately snap to him. “But you should be made aware—just for the future, you know?—that the walls in this house are very, very thin.”
Jeez. If, in the past, someone told me that I would one day find myself doing the walk of shame in front of the mocking eyes of five frat-house residents, I never would have believed them.
“Uh…well, I–I…” I stammer like an idiot, having no idea what to say in this situation.Excuse me?I’m sorry?It won’t happen again? God, how embarrassing.
With a barely audible laugh, Matt jumps in and briefly introduces me to everyone in the room. He explains that there are still a few guys missing, but that, generally, these are the people I’m going to be living with from now on. Then he slides the scrambled eggs onto a plate already loaded with strips of bacon. He puts the pan back on the stove again and melts some butter in it before placing a few slices of egg-soaked bread on top.
I clear my throat awkwardly, and despite the blush burning my face, I cross into the kitchen and make an effort to introduce myself to the boys. They greet me politely before returning to their rooms. Alone with Matt and Vince, I sit down on a stool. Vince sits next to me with a sly look on his face. I glare at him, hoping he’ll knock it off.
“I didn’t know what you’d want for breakfast, so I just made the first thing I could think of,” Matt informs me as he finishes toasting the last slices of bread.
“Thanks so much; this is great,” I answer, pleasantly surprised.
“Bro, I suggest you beef up your portions. This girl here is used to ingesting enormous quantities of food…” Vince teases.
Stifling a groan, I tilt my head to the side to look at him. “It’s not even ten in the morning; why are you here?”
“Because me and that peacock you’ve been banging all night go running every Sunday morning,” he answers nonchalantly, stealing a slice of my bacon right off my plate. He eats it in one bite and licks his greasy fingertips.
“You’re going for a run?” I ask in disbelief. “But it’s raining; you’re going to catch a cold.”
He bursts out into laughter, followed by Matt, who is busy adding more food to my plate. What did I say that was so funny?
“Little Gem, who do you think you’re talking to?” Vince loops an arm around my neck and pulls me closer to him. “We’remen; a little bit of water won’t make us sick.”
I roll my eyes; what can I say in the face of this gym-bro machismo?
“Okay, then. But I still think it’s a bad idea. Especially after last night.” I wiggle out of his hold and turn back to my breakfast, which I begin attacking with gusto.
After trading some more small talk with the boys, Matt tells us goodbye, and Vince sends me upstairs to let Thomas know he’s here. Back in the room, I close the door behind me. Seeing Thomas still asleep, wrapped up in the sheets, I’m seized by an intense urge to creep into the bed next to him.
I go over to the bed and lie down on it, my back against his chest. He buries his face in my hair and emits a soft noise of appreciation. He loops his arm around my middle and slowly climbs a hand up to my breast, cradling it.
“I like you in my clothes, but I much prefer you out of them,” he murmurs, his voice low and guttural. My forehead wrinkles. He’s awake? I turn to face him and smile. His first thought upon waking is my naked body? Typical perv.
“Good morning,” I whisper, throwing one leg over his. He squeezes it with one hand, and I take a moment just to admire him. His eyes are half closed, his lips are swollen, and his hair is a messy tangle. God, he’s beautiful. Even like this, with his face all sleepy and numb, and his wild look.
“You’ve gotta stop sneaking out of my bed all the time. I don’t like falling asleep with you and then waking up to find you gone.” He tightens his arms, tugging me even closer and pressing his naked body against mine. “Where were you?”
