Page 13 of Deal Breaker
I held up my hands. “Not for me. I’m serious. Might make me a lightweight, but I want to enjoy tomorrow.”
Joshua punched my shoulder. “Ooo, you old romantic. Does that mean you’ve got your eye on someone? Alice or Maya maybe?”
That someone was a little closer to home, likely sleeping in the cabin I intended to return to now.
“Nah, not interested. And none of your business anyway. For all you know I’ve got someone at home in New York,” I bluffed. They didn’t need to know the object of my affections was my little sister’s best friend. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I waved at them as I walked out of the bar.
Crisp, fresh November evening air assaulted me the moment I left the building to walk back to the cabin. Hopefully it would go some way to clearing my head. Unfortunately, it went the other way, and I gulped in a few deep breaths, instantly regretting it as the nausea rose in my stomach. Water, I needed water.
The lights were on in the cabin, so I assumed Autumn, Sophie, and Jodie must finally have made it and were still up. I rattled the door, forgetting where I’d put my key. While I searched through my pockets, it opened, and Sophie stood in front of me. I blinked, thinking I must be dreaming. Her blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders, blue eyes questioning as she stared at me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but as I did so, she leaned forward and kissed me full on the lips. The faint scent of lime, coupled with the taste of tequila and salt, overwhelmed me. Without warning, a growly burp escaped my own lips, and I pulled away, putting a hand over my mouth. Before Sophie had a chance to react, I pushed past her and ran into the little bathroom, which was thankfully just inside the front door. Kicking the bathroom door shut behind me, I fell to my knees in front of the bowl and threw up what felt like the entire contents of my stomach. A couple of minutes later, I sat back on my heels, and wiped the sweat off my brow. I knew that last whisky was a mistake. Hell, I knew mixing drinks and having so many the night before my best friend’s wedding was a stupid thing to do. But what was even more stupid was what I’d just done to Sophie.
Odds were, what could have been a first kiss would more than likely be our last.
Flushing away all my regrets, I cleaned my teeth, then made a dash for my bedroom, not risking a look in Sophie’s direction. I couldn’t face talking to her now, trying to explain why I’d pushed her away. Although the reason was pretty obvious. I stripped down to my boxers, throwing my dirty clothes into the corner, and slid under the cotton sheets. My skin was burning, despite the somewhat chilly temperature of the cabin bedroom. Embarrassment, probably.
What must Sophie think?
And more to the point, why had she even kissed me in the first place?
I closed my eyes to block out the spinning, only to discover it was ten times worse in the darkness. My eyelids fluttered open again at the light knock on the door.
“Max? Are you okay?” Sophie’s voice filtered through the wood. “Can I come in?”
My heart raced at the sound of her voice. Pretending to be asleep would be my best option right about now.
But I hadn’t exactly made the best choices so far that night.Why stop now?
“Sure, Soph, come on in.”
Chapter Five
Sophie
Seriously, Jodie’s snoring sounded like someone sawing logs in the room. Which, given the amount of wood in this damn cabin, seemed about right. Totally jealous of someone who fell asleep instantly, I’d been tossing and turning for ages.
The humiliation of Max’s reaction to my kiss, and the worry of what he thought about me, wasn’t letting my mind rest. Every time I closed my eyes, the expression on his face of shock and horror as he clamped a hand over his mouth floated into my vision. Then a range of outlandish possibilities ran through my head: what if he didn’t wake up? What if he was sick in his sleep and choked on his vomit? We wouldn’t be celebrating a wedding tomorrow; we’d be in mourning.
It wouldn’t do any harm to pop in and check on him.
It wasn’t as if I was going to sleep any time soon.
I could take him a drink, some painkillers, make sure he was okay.
It wouldn’t take long. I’d be back in my own bed within minutes.
I turned over on my side and faced the wall, staring at the knots in the wood in the semi-darkness. They were like the knots I had in my stomach.
Ugh, just do it, Sophie.
Before I could change my mind, I slid out from under the covers, tiptoeing carefully across the room so as not to wake Jodie. Although the way she snored, I doubted anything smaller than an earthquake would wake her. Now I remembered why I didn’t like sharing a room with her. I padded across the living room to the tiny kitchenette area and opened the refrigerator. Leftover pizza stank the place out, and it almost made me vomit. Finding a soda, I took the can out, then grabbed a blister pack of ibuprofen, which Autumn had left out on the side for anyone who needed it. I bet she didn’t expect that person to be her brother.
Taking a deep breath, I stood outside his door, almost changing my mind.
It won’t take a minute; I’ll be tucked up in my own bed before long.
You’re checking in on a friend, nothing more.
