Page 25 of Trustfall

“Shit, I have to take this. Could you make sure she gets into the house, okay? I’ll be right in.” She hands me her keys.

“Of course.” Thank fuck for random late-night phone calls.

I open the passenger side door and unbuckle Emory’s seatbelt before I gently cradle her and pull her out of the car, holding her in my arms. The gash on my arm hurts like hell from the pressure, but I don’t care. I would hold her like this all night if it wouldn’t freak her out when she woke up.

“Hey, Luke.” Allie calls back to me as she clasps a hand over her phone. “Thanks for taking her to the drive-thru.”

I nod and turn towards the steps, Emory still sleeping peacefully in my arms. I can’t help thinking that it’s a weird thing to thank me for. She could have thanked me for anything—coming to their rescue or getting Emory out of the club. For making sure they both got home safely. Why would she thank me for getting Emory fast food? Especially when she was so horrified the whole time she was eating it. I shake the thought from my head and continue up the steps, putting all of Emory’s weight on one arm so I can unlock the door.

I walk down the hallway and push open the first door I see. There’s a desk with a stack of books and some colored pens in the corner. In the middle of the room, there’s a queen-sized bed with white sheets and a light purple duvet. This has to be her bedroom. It smells like her—flowery and clean. I set her down on the bed.Shit.What now? Do I wake her? Help her get changed?

Before I can decide what to do, Emory’s eyes flutter open and I’m met with two sparkling green orbs. Her eyes are usually a mix of green and brown, sometimes more olive, but I’ve never seen themthisgreen. Maybe they’re always this green when she wakes up.

“Hey, Little Wells,” I say, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hi. What—um. Where am I?”

“You’re at home. You fell asleep in the car.”

“Oh”

“Do you want to change? I’ll give you some privacy. I’m gonna go get some water and painkillers.”

She doesn’t say anything, so I move to get off the bed.

“Wait,” she grabs onto my bicep, and I turn around to look at her.

Her eyes are so intense right now, nearly burning a hole in my face. “Yeah?”

“Don’t go. Can you just—lie with me for a minute first?”

I shouldn’t. I really fucking should not get into this bed with this girl. Not only is she as off-limits as they come, but she’s drunk—really drunk. Yeah, I kissed her earlier, but it can end there. It doesn’t have to go any further. She was putting herself at risk, and I got her home safe. End of story. Nate never has to know about any of it.

“Emory, you’re drunk.”

“And I’m cold,” she hiccups. “You look so warm.”

Jesus, this girl is killing me.

“Please,” she whines. “Just for a second. One little teensy second,” she says, squinting her eyes and closing her thumb and index finger together.

I blow out a breath and kick my boots off.

“Fuck it,” I mutter to myself as I take my jacket off and climb onto the bed. I lie down behind her, making sure to keep my hands to myself. She’s not having it, though. She reaches behind and grabs my wrist, placing my arm over her waist and shimmying herself so she’s up against me.

“You can’t warm me up from far away,” she explains.

We stay like that for a few minutes, until I get drowsy from listening to her breathing and watching the rise and fall of her chest. Suddenly, she turns around so that she’s facing me.

“I like this one the best,” she says.

“What?”

“The one in the middle. I think that’s the real Luke,” she squints and points at me, raising her finger to tap my nose. “Yep, that one is real,” she confirms.

I shift us so she’s resting her head on my shoulder. “How many of me are you seeing right now?”

“Just the three,” she says casually, closing her eyes.

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