Hooked Page 8

  Her words weren’t slurring together too badly. That was a good sign.

  “What do you want to do, Jenna? Do you want to go inside?”

  “Don’t leave me.” She shook her head as she stared at him. Her cheek was pressed up against the seat of his car. Her eyes were glazed and a little unfocused, and she seemed scared. “I don’t feel good.”

  “I’m going to take you to my place, okay?” He put the car in gear and started to drive over to his apartment. He would watch her there. If she showed any signs of alcohol poisoning he would take her to the hospital, but right now it seemed as though she needed to have a drink of water and sleep it off.

  It didn’t take long to get to his building, and he was happy he only lived on the second floor. She was very unsteady and not all helpful as he hauled her out of the car and started to lead her into the building. He didn’t want to even think about navigating stairs with her, so they waited for the old and slightly rickety elevator. When it finally came and took them up to the second floor he helped her down the hallway to his door.

  It wasn’t the best time to be noticing things, but as they walked he noticed how her hip was pressed into his, how her waist was a little soft but still smooth and curved. He noticed how she smelled a little sweet and a little spicy at the same time, and how warm and perfect she felt against him.

  “Come on, Jen.” He helped her into the small apartment and took her right into his room. “Excuse the mess. I wasn’t expecting company tonight,” he said wryly as he helped her sit on the bed and pulled off her coat and shoes. He helped her pull off her purse and put all three on the floor.

  “Clay?”

  “I’m here.” He put his hands under her armpits and started to push her up on the bed.

  “I feel funny.”

  “I know—you had a lot to drink,” he said softly as he helped her lie down on the mattress. “But you’re safe.”

  “You’re helping me?”

  “Of course I am.” He started to pull the covers up over her, grateful he never made his bed so he didn’t have to worry about getting them out from under her first. “I know you won’t be completely comfortable like that, but I’m not going to try and undress you, okay?”

  “My pants.”

  “What?”

  “My pants are tight. They hurt me.”

  After a pause he slipped his hands under her shirt and undid the button on her jeans and pulled down the zipper.

  “My bra.”

  “What?”

  “I want it off.”

  “Jenna—”

  “I want it off. I don’t like it.” She struggled to sit up as she tried to reach behind her.

  “I’ve got it,” he said gently as he helped her sit up and reached behind her, sliding his hands up under the back of her shirt as he found the clasp of her bra and unsnapped it. He held her hips as she reached up under her sleeves to pull the straps down and pulled one arm free and then pulled the bra out through the opposite arm. As she tossed the bra aside she let out a giant sigh and smiled contentedly.

  “So much better.”

  “Handy trick.” He grinned as he helped her lie back down.

  “It can be.” She yawned and looked up at him. “Clay?”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Jenna?”

  “Please, stay with me?”

  He knew she was drunk and didn’t know what she was asking. He also knew she was only asking for him to stay with her until she fell asleep, nothing more.

  “Sure,” he said after a pause and kicked his shoes off as he climbed on the bed with her. She immediately rolled into his arms and snuggled up against him. It took a second for him to find a comfortable way to wrap his arms around her. When he did he couldn’t help noticing how perfectly she fit against his body, and how amazing she felt.

  “Thanks,” she said softly, snuggling her face into his chest as he pulled the blanket up over her.

  “Of course. Just get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.” He put his cheek on the top of her head and listened as her breathing became steady.

  She was drunk, but she wasn’t at a point where it was dangerous. She just needed to sleep it off. He imagined she would have one killer hangover in the morning.

  He just held her closer and tried not to think about how good she felt in his arms. How natural it all felt. He tried not to think about the last time they’d been in a bed together, and he cursed his body when it started to tighten and he felt himself getting hard.

  He would stay until he was sure she was asleep and she was safe, then he would go and sleep on the couch. It would have been nice to fall asleep with her and share his bed with her, but he had a feeling she would appreciate waking up alone tomorrow.

  Chapter 7

  The Morning After

  THE first thing Jenna noticed was how her mouth was painfully dry. The next was how her eyes felt heavy and her head was pounding. It took quite a bit of effort, but she managed to roll over onto her back and force her eyes open, one at a time.

  The ceiling she saw wasn’t hers. It was textured and bumpy, like popcorn ceiling. Her ceiling was smooth, and there was a different light fixture than the one in her room. It took her a moment to realize she wasn’t in her room, and she wasn’t at Kaylee’s house.

  Forgetting about the pain in her head and ignoring the fact that her vision was blurry she struggled to sit up as she looked around, panicking when she saw a messy nightstand, a pile of clothes in the corner, and a not so tidy dresser. There was absolutely no indication of whom the room might belong to.

  She bit down her fear and tried to think rationally. As soon as she was able to calm her mind, she noticed that she was alone in the bed. The next thing she noticed was how she wasn’t wearing a bra and her jeans were undone, but her clothes were still on.

  What the hell had happened to her, and where the hell was she?

  She didn’t know the answer to either question, but she did know she had to leave. She needed to get away from wherever she was, and she needed to go home.

  She saw her bra in the corner of the room and shakily got to her feet, and it was then she noticed her purse, shoes, and coat were piled next to the bed. She didn’t take time to think about what all of that meant. Instead she just picked up her belongings and headed for the door.

  She was still a little fuzzy from her hangover, and she was very disoriented from not knowing where she was, but she made it to the door and carefully opened it, peeking out into the other room as she did.

  What she saw was pretty much the last thing she would have ever guessed.

  “Jenna. Hi.”

  “Clay?” she asked as she stared at him.

  He was sitting on the couch across from the doorway she was standing in. He was wearing sweatpants and he was reading.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he put his book down. “Do you remember anything?”

  “Not after running away from you at the party.” She paused as she looked at him. “We didn’t, did we?”

  “No. Of course not.” He shook his head and gave her a pointed look. “You were drunk. I didn’t touch you.”

  “Sorry. I wasn’t insinuating anything.” She shook her head and put her hand on the door frame as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

  “Here, come sit down.” He stood and moved to help her over to the couch. She sank down on the soft cushions and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Now she was really feeling the hangover.

  “Here, take these and drink this.”

  She opened her eyes and saw Clay standing in front of her holding a big glass of water and a couple of painkillers.

  “Thanks,” she said gratefully as she took the pills and water, swallowing both greedily.

  “More?”

  “Please.” She nodded and waited for him to return with the glass refilled.

  “Do you w
ant any food?”

  “Crackers?”

  “Saltines okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  This time when he came back he had another glass of water for her and a full sleeve of crackers. He handed her the glass and then ripped open the top of the packaging before he sat down with her.

  “What happened last night?” she asked as she put one of the crackers in her mouth and sucked off the salt before crunching down on it. It was a strange way to eat a cracker, but he didn’t seem put off by it.

  “After you ran I found you in the back of the house. You had a cup of rum in your hand and you could barely stand. Kaylee had already left so I brought you here to sleep it off.”

  “Why would you be so nice to me?” she asked as she stared at him.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “You were with Tanya—”

  “It’s not like that with us. Before I found you I told her we were done and she could lose my number.”

  “So you weren’t dating her?”

  “Not since high school.” He shook his head. “She would call when she was in town, and I’d be too weak to say no.”

  “So she was using you?”

  “Yes, and I was letting her.”

  “What changed? Why break it off last night?” She stuffed a few crackers in her mouth and chewed quickly so she could take another drink of water. The crackers helped her stomach, but they were incredibly dry and did nothing for her parched mouth.

  “It was the way she went after you. I always knew she was a bitch, but I didn’t realize how hateful she was until showed her true colors.”

  “Thank you, for sticking up for me.”

  “Of course.” He smiled and leaned back on the couch. “Feel better?”

  “I do, thank you.”

  “Why did you drink like that when you ran off? I understand it being awkward and uncomfortable, and I’m the last person to ever say anything about you running away.” He gave her a cheeky grin, “But why would you drink yourself into oblivion like that?”

  “I honestly didn’t think I was drinking enough to black out. I had quite a bit before you came over to talk to us. I don’t even remember having another drink after that.”

  “You were in a pretty rough state.”

  “Thanks for taking care of me, and for bringing me to a safe place.” She gave him a small smile as she put the water glass on table. “I know I could have ended up in a much worse place.”

  “You could have.” He nodded. “It was nothing.”

  “It was the right thing to do. Not everyone would have thought that way.”

  “I’ve never been like that.”

  “I know. I remember that night at the party, you asked me if I was drunk then. Why would you take advantage of me now?”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  “I know.”

  “I still don’t get why you downed that rum. The last time we talked you said everything was cool. What didn’t you tell me?”

  She just stared at him and her mouth went dry again. This time it had nothing to do with her hangover.

  This was it. This was the moment she should tell him what had happened the night of the party. She should come clean about the lie she’d been holding on to for a year and a half, but as she looked into his dark, chocolate-brown eyes, she just couldn’t seem to force the words out.

  “I was stupid,” she said after a long pause. “I was dealing with some stuff. I got flustered and drank whatever that was too fast. It was a dumb mistake.”

  He looked at her carefully, as though he was studying her and trying to see if she was telling the truth. If he caught on to her lie he made no indication, and he just nodded.

  “Things rough for you?”

  “Not so much rough, but overwhelming.”

  “How so?”

  “School isn’t what I thought it would be. I’m not a social butterfly. I have a hard time making friends. I actually have to study, so I don’t party as much as a lot of people.”

  “You have a lot of friends?”

  “Some, but not a ton, and no best friend.”

  “That has to be hard.”

  “It is.” She nodded. “I miss having someone to count on and lean on. Someone who counts on me and leans on me too.”

  “I don’t think guys have best friends on the same level as girls, but I get it. I haven’t spoken to Trey since the summer, and didn’t see him at all over Christmas. He’s moved on, and I’m here.”

  “I feel like I’m still here, even though physically I’ve moved away. I don’t feel free and full of piss and vinegar and ready to take on the world. I feel like the world is going to eat me alive most days, and I’m lonely.”

  “I get that. I do,” he said when she just gave him a look.

  “Is that why you would let Tanya walk all over you, because you’re lonely?”

  “Everyone has moved on. No one I was friends with stayed here. They all went away to school or moved away. Hell, Trey joined the Marines and is out there defending our country while I work minimum wage at a garage to get my hours for my apprenticeship.”

  “How long before you’re certified?”

  “Two years.”

  “About the same as I graduate.” She snorted. “At least you’ll have a skill and a good paying job. I’m going to be graduating with the gym class of degrees and competing for whatever job I can find while trying not to get buried by my debts.”

  “Your degree isn’t that bad. From what I’ve heard there’s a lot of studying. Doesn’t it open up a lot of doors?”

  “It does, but I’d have to get invited to the other side, and I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I don’t even know what field I want to work in or how I want to use my degree. There are kids in my class with five and ten-year plans, and they’ll do anything to achieve their goals. I’m not like that, and every semester is just more money I’ll have to pay back when I’m done.”

  “I hear you on the debts. It’ll take me a while to pay off my school too. Not nearly as much as you, but I hate the feeling of owing money.”

  “I don’t want to be an adult.” She leaned back and took a bite of a cracker. “I don’t really want to go back to high school, but I don’t want to deal with the adult world and adult problems.”

  “Blows, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. Sometimes I feel like I’m in between life stages. I’m not an adult, but I’m not a kid. I don’t really know where I belong most days.”

  “Yeah.” He nodded and took a few crackers from the sleeve in her hand and shoved them in his mouth.

  “Wow, I’m just a downer today. Sorry.”

  “It’s not like I’m full of sunshine and rainbows.” He grinned as he swallowed.

  “Then I guess we’re both storm clouds today.” She smiled and extended the sleeve of crackers to him. She was done.

  “Looks like.” He shoved another handful of crackers in his mouth and put the sleeve on the table. “You here for the rest of the week?”

  “I actually go back tomorrow.”

  “On Monday?”

  “I was supposed to go today, but my parents have to work and missing one day won’t kill me.”

  “Rebel.” He grinned.

  “I can be.” She laughed. “I like to live dangerously.”

  “Probably a good thing you’re not travelling today. It’s already the afternoon.” He grinned.

  “Is it?” she glanced around, looking for something with the time on it.

  “Here.” He got up and went over to where she’d dropped her purse and brought it over to her.

  She pulled her phone out and checked the time. It was almost one in the afternoon, and she didn’t have a single message.

  “You need to call someone?”

  “No one called me.” She shook her head.

  “Not even Kaylee?”

  “As far as she’s concerned I made it home
safe. I always do.”

  He just looked at her and nodded slowly.

  “I should probably go.” She looked away from his gaze. It was as if he was trying to read her again.

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks for looking out for me,” she said as she stood. It was then she realized she’d never done up her pants, or put on her bra. Her pants where tight enough they would stay up, even without being buttoned, and there was really nothing she could do about her bra just then.

  “Of course.” He nodded as he stood with her. “I might have fucked things up that night of the party, but I’m not a bad guy.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you forgiven me? Really forgiven me?”

  “I have,” she said honestly. “It wasn’t ideal, and it wasn’t the best way to end the night, but it was what it was. I forgave you a long time ago.”

  “I’m glad.” He took a step closer to her.

  Her breath caught when she realized how close he was. If she took half a step forward she’d be pressed up against him. As his gaze caught hers she saw there was heat there, and she was shocked.

  “Clay?”

  “I don’t know,” he said simply, and she understood exactly what he meant.

  She didn’t know either, but at that moment she couldn’t think of anything other than how incredible he looked, and how lonely she was. She wasn’t going to make the first move, but if he did she knew she would respond.

  His gaze moved from her lips to her eyes and back again, and he reached out and pulled her tight against his body as he bent his head to kiss her.

  She gasped against his kiss as he ran his tongue over her bottom lip and then swept it into her mouth, teasing her as he kissed her.

  She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her body as she kissed him back. He felt so incredible against her. She felt herself getting lost in the kiss and his embrace.

  She wanted him. Her body was almost aching with need as it tightened. When he slipped his hands under her shirt and started to run them over the bare skin of her back, she wanted more.

  “Clay!” she gasped as he pulled his lips from hers and kissed a trail down her neck before moving back up to her mouth.