Page 34 of Give Me Love

“Can you shut the hell up and find out where you are so I can come get you?” she says. I hear her breathing pick up.

“Are you running?” I fill my glass from the fridge.

“Yes. I’m running to my car so I can come rescue my dumbass friend who leaves the club with strangers and then goes home with them,” she says as the car keys rattle.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little here?”

“No. No, I don’t.”

I walk back to the couch, looking around at the spacious living room and up at the tall ceilings. There’s a window wall looking out at the city with a balcony.

“Claire, this place is amazing.”

“Great. Get an address,” she replies, straight-faced.

“Well, I see you’re up,” a woman says from behind me. I jump and spin.

“Who’s that?” Claire whisper-yells.

“How am I supposed to know?”

She sighs. “Find out.”

“Right. I’ll get on that,” I reply, equally annoyed with her as she is with me.

“Kathrine, right?” the woman asks. She’s an older lady with dark gray hair. She wears jeans and a hunter green button-up shirt as she places a basket of towels on the kitchen table.

“Yes,” I say, trying to straighten my god-awful wrinkled shirt. “And you are?”

“I’m Lou. Bryce’s… well, I guess you can say housekeeper.” She chuckles as she lifts a towel from the basket.

“It’s Lou,” I tell Claire.

“Well, ask Lou her address.”

“Lou, my overprotective friend here is coming to get me. Do you think you could tell me the address?”

“Oh, no need for your friend to do that. Bryce will be down in a minute to take you home.”

I lift my brow and look to the stairs. Speak of the devil. He’s wearing a white T-shirt, dark fitted jeans that hang off his hips in a way that makes my stomach flutter, and black Converse. My jaw hits the floor as my wits vanish.

Good Lord.I chew my gum, trying to wet my suddenly dry mouth. Who is this man and where did he come from?

“Kathrine?” I hear on the other end of the phone.

“I’m good, Claire.” I hang up as she says something else.

“Hey,” Bryce says almost hesitantly, walking over to me.

I clear my throat. “Hey.” I immediately feel shy and super self-conscious. My hair’s probably a rat’s nest, and my clothes are destroyed from sleeping on the couch. (A very comfortable couch, I might add. I didn’t wake up once.) And here he is looking like a model and smelling like heaven itself. I run a hand over my head, trying to tame some of my hair, wondering if I drooled on the couch. But then I remember the way he snapped at me last night and my nerves chill.

He walks close, and instinctively I move back. His lip lifts as he reaches down, grabbing my shoes that somehow managed to go under the table. I must have kicked them off at some point?

“You ready to go?” he asks, handing them to me.

“Yeah,” I say, grabbing the shoes from his hand. I can get my own shoes, thanks.

I take a seat, set the glass down, and slide my shoes back on. “What am I doing here?” I look up at him sideways.

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