Page 33 of Force of Nature

Chapter Ten

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Igroan, rolling tomy side to try to alleviate the harsh pounding in my forehead that pulls me from my sleep. My stomach lurches and I instantly shoot up, fearing I won’t make it to the bathroom in time as I take off through my room and out into the hallway.

I slide into the bathroom, managing to get the door shut and to the toilet just in time. I have no idea how there’s anything left in my system to throw up after last night and yet it keeps coming.

When the heaves start to subside, I slide down on the floor and press my back to the side of the bathtub, pulling my knees up to my chest before resting my head on top of them.

It doesn’t take long for the memories of last night to resurface, but as soon as they do, I’m concerned that I’m going to get sick all over again. Only for a very different reason.

And yet, as embarrassed as I am by my behavior I can’t deny how incredible the kiss Thad and I shared was. Closing my eyes I replay the moment in my mind. How it felt when his lips touched mine. How I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. How even though I was drunk it seems to be the one thing about last night that burns crystal clear.

I never intended to drink the way I did. I’m not even sure why I did it. And I certainly didn’t plan on throwing myself at Thad either. Though I’m pretty certain I know why I did that.

My attraction to him has been undeniable from the first time I saw him. I’m pretty sure I’ve thrown myself at him a hundred times over in my mind but never thought I’d be ballsy enough to actually do it. Of course it took drinking way too much to get me there.

I don’t even remember getting home last night. The last thing I can recall is puking on the side of the road. Heat floods my cheeks at the thought of what condition I was most likely in when Thad got me here.

Pulling my head up, I look down at my clothes to find I’m still in the same outfit I wore to the party. Feeling the sudden need to try to scrub myself clean of the fool I made of myself last night, I reach behind me and turn the water on before standing and discarding my clothes on the floor.

Pulling the lever to activate the shower head, I slip underneath the spray as soon as the water is warm enough. The heat intense against my chilled skin.

I try not to focus on last night as I lather my hair and rinse it. I try not to think about the way Thad’s kiss lit me on fire. I try not to imagine it’s his hands sliding down my body as I wash myself. It becomes very clear to me rather quickly that trying any of these things is a fruitless act. No matter how hard I try I simply can’t shake the spell Thad Mitchell seems to have cast over me.

By the time I exit the shower nearly twenty minutes later, I feel physically better but mentally a hundred times worse. The more I think about how I acted the more embarrassed I become. So much so that I purposely hide out in my room until I’m certain Thad is finished with breakfast. Even then I still sneak through the house, checking around every corner before entering each room.

I let out a deep sigh of relief when I find my mom alone in the kitchen, cleaning breakfast dishes and talking on the phone to who I can only assume is her sister Cheryl based on the conversation.

She gives me a soft smile over her shoulder when she hears me enter, clearly having no idea of the hangover I’m currently nursing. I doubt she’d keep talking on the phone like it’s any other day if she knew.

My mom has never seen me drunk or even hung over, but I can’t imagine it would go over well if she learned of her only daughter’s horrible behavior last night.

Pouring me a quick cup of coffee, I suck it back in record time, somehow managing to not burn the roof of my mouth in the process. Sliding the empty cup into the sink, I wait to get my mom’s attention before telling her I’m running to town for a little while. Still on the phone, she simply nods and presses a light kiss to my cheek.

I exit through the front door to avoid any chance of running into Thad before taking off through the front yard to my car that’s parked in the grass a few feet from the house.

Jamming the keys into the ignition, I cringe when the engine rumbles to life. My Civic has been on her last leg for a while and it seems the time she’s sat over the past few days has only worsened her condition. I consider abandoning the idea to go to town but quickly change my mind when I catch sight of Thad off in the distance, pushing a wheel barrel toward the barn.

Shoving the car into drive, I do a U-turn in the driveway without looking in his direction again.

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