Page 79 of Salvaged Hearts

“Ohhh yes, I do,” I yipped back, jamming the ‘on’ button. “This is a double shot, triple shot,quadrupleshot kind of morning. A coffee straight from a keg with the tap open, kind of morning.”

“Are we running a marathon?”

“Kind of did,” I blurted before slapping my hands over my mouth. When I turned to face her, two Rhodes gray-blues reduced to slits, focused on me. “Kind of alllllll-ready did,” I reiterated, voice a high, squeaky, singsong. I sounded like Ross Gellar insisting he’s fine, for Christ’s sake.

Those narrowed eyes tracked my progress as my suddenly obnoxiously long legs gobbled up the kitchen. I scooped two mugs out of their cabinet and returned to my spot by the island as the machine percolated loudly behind me before turning to the fridge to fish out the creamer.

“You didn’t,” she accused, flipping her legs up into the bar stool so she could rest her chin on her knees as her eyes sparkled to life. Inevitably, the promise of juicy, ridiculous decisions made by her stupid big sister was enough to wake her.

I pursed my lips, nodding as I poured cream into our cups. “I did. I really did, Leigh.”

“Alliiiice,” she groaned, jerking her body around like I exasperated her. “What are youdooing?”

In my most pathetic, mousiest tone, I confessed, “I don’t know.”

“I told you this was a bad idea,” she whined. “Platonicpartnership, remember? A business arrangement. We talked about this.”

“We did.”

“He set boundaries.”

“He did.”

“And you just jumped them like a drunk over a parking meter?”

“I mean, the jumping was mutual. It was mutual stupidity.”

“Duh.”

“Don’tduhme. This wasn’t justmyidiocy; there was mutual idiocy. Mutual, toe-curling, throat scarring because you screamed so loudly, idiocy.”

A smug little smile curled her lips. “So, was it at least a good marathon? If you’re gonna blow your life up, it better be a good marathon.”

I slammed the heels of my palms into my eye sockets like they could massage away my life choices. Couldn’t watch my life fall apart if I couldn’t see. “Uhhhhhhhhhg,” I groaned, dropping my hands and whirling back to the coffeepot as the ensuing little white sparkles fell across my vision like those raining gold fireworks. Hoisting the carafe from the burner, I turned and filled both mugs as I complained, “This was the end of all good things. The Everest of orgasms. Thenirvanaof chemistry.”

Snickering as she took her mug, Leighton said, “Sissy, you just haven’t gotten laid in a few years. It’s just sex.”

Greyson

“It wasnotjust sex.That was…I don’t know what the fuck that was, but it wasn’t just sex.What the fuck, man?” I palmed my face before massaging the ache in my temples.

Still irritated at being woken at an houranygrown ass manshouldbe awake at, Ollie smirked over his cup of coffee. He looked like he’d been electrocuted or like one of those trollthings Beau was always playing with. “Sure this isn’t just a bad case of blue balls?”

“Fuck off,” I barked, snapping my head up.

His snort made me rather violent. “I’m just saying. It’s been a while.”

“So?!”

“So,maybe you just needed to get some,” he suggested, nonplussed as he obnoxiously sipped the steaming liquid. “It’s a basic human need, big brother.”

“You would say that, man whore.”

“Jealous?” he drawled with an obnoxious eyebrow wiggle. “But, for real. That Maslow guy put it on the same level as shelter for men. Food, water, shelter, pussy.”

“That’s the official ranking?” I jabbed with a glare.

“Obviously. You’ve been starving, and somebody slid over a filet minion with all the trimmings. Of course, you’re freaking out; you forgot what it tasted like.”

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