Page 17 of Sloane

While I was glad to be spending time with them—and my dog—I would have much rather fucked Ashley senseless, then fallen asleep. Because by nightfall, I was fading fast, and I was worried about how well I was going to perform later. I’d promised her I’d make waiting worth it, now I wasn’t so sure.

At dinner in one of my favorite restaurants on the pier, I found myself struggling to keep up with the conversation. Maybe walking Tank as far as we had on the boardwalk hadn’t been such a great idea.

Craig looked at me from across the table and said, “Dude, how long have you been up? You’re practically falling asleep in your mashed potatoes.”

I scrubbed my hand down my face, feeling the scruffiness in my palm before glancing at my watch.

“Going on twenty-nine hours.”

Ashley turned to me with raised eyebrows. “Twenty-nine hours?”

“Well, I managed to nap a little while we were crossing the Atlantic.”

She ran her hand up and down my arm. “Oh my god, Sloane. You need to go to bed.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m okay. It’s just harder when the sun’s gone down.”

“Which is pretty early this time of year,” Ryan observed.

Before I’d known I was invited to spend the night with Ashley, I’d planned on staying up until at least nine to try to adjust my sleep schedule and lessen the jetlag. Yeah, I’d wake up early, but that wasn’t anything new. But now that I was staying at Ashley’s, that put a whole new twist on things.

“I’m sure a full belly isn’t helping,” Ashley added.

Craig asked, “What time do they expect you on base tomorrow?”

“Not until noon. I’d like to say they’re being considerate and letting me acclimate, but I think it’s really because that’s what time the brass I’m meeting with is flying in.”

Maybe I could get a quick nap on the car ride back to her apartment.

Before I knew it, chairs were scraping along the wooden floor, and everyone was standing. Ashley leaned over and tugged on my arm, whispering, “Come on, galán. It’s time to go.”

Even in my exhaustive state, I couldn’t help but smile that she called me studly, even if she was just teasing me.

The group walked to the parking lot, and we came across Ryan’s Audi first.

My friend asked, “Are you coming back to my place?”

I didn’t want to embarrass Ashley, so I coughed into my hand and offered, “I, uh, left my duffel bag at Ashley’s apartment.”

Craig chuckled and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Good thinking.”

I was too tired to argue that it hadn’t been a calculated move to manipulate going back to her place. The rest of them didn’t need to know I’d already been invited.

“I’ll take good care of him,” Ashley assured them.

I liked the sound of that.

“I know you will,” Ryan replied, then directed his next comment toward me. “Call me tomorrow when you’re leaving the base. Maybe we can grab dinner.”

“I will definitely do that.”

Slowly, I knelt to rub Tank’s ears one more time. I’d missed my dog and felt guilty sending him home with someone else. But I took comfort knowing Ryan loved my golden retriever and took good care of him.

Kissing the pup’s furry head, I whispered, “I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy,” before standing up.

“Do you want to bring him back with us?” Ashley asked.

She was so fucking considerate.

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