Page 28 of Without Bound
“She’ll stay at my place. I have a guest room she can use. I’ll have her call you in the morning. Does she have her phone?”
“Yeah. Should be in her back pocket,” she tells me.
I dip my chin taking her word for it because I’m not about to let my hand wander to that area. If my fingers touch her firm ass, they’ll never want to let go.
I say goodbye to Wagner and thank him for calling me then ask, “How did you know to call me?”
When I stop to think about it, I realize that I never told him Iknew her and I wasn’t even sure if the girl he spoke about in the locker room that one day was Anais.
“She, uh,” he looks nervously at Keyara who immediately drops her eyes to the floor. “She was talking about you.”
I’m shocked still and can’t think of one reply that will assure him that it’s not what it seems. I simply give him a curt nod then quickly make my way down the stairs and to my truck. I reach the door and stretch my fingers to grab hold of the handle. I slowly open the door and place her cautiously in the passenger seat, belting her in and helping her lay her head on the center console.
I jog to the other side and get in. The truck starts up and the radio startles Anais when it blares from the speakers. I tap the button on my steering wheel to silence it, and shift into drive.
We ride in silence until I’m out of the neighborhood. We come to a red light and I close my eyes, going over how I’m going to tell Nix about this, or even if I should tell him.
I look over at her resting face and see her eyes are heavy but open.
“Why did you do this, Ana?” I ask her.
She doesn’t move an inch, just says, “I just want you to love me as much as I love you.”
My heart stills and the heaviness I feel in my gut makes me want to throw myself out the door and take up the some position Anais was in just moments ago. I feel sick and guilty because if she only knew the truth, she’d see that I’m holding onto my sanity by a jagged nail. One twitch and I fall and land totally in love with her.
10
Anais
A pounding in my temples wakes me from a hazy sleep. I fight the drowsiness to open my lids, but it’s like they’ve been glued shut.
I roll over and groan, my limbs feeling heavy. My stomach roils and I quickly slap my hand over my mouth to stop anything from making an unwelcome appearance. I finally pry one eye open and all that greets me is bright fogginess.
I blink, working to clear the grit from my eyes and refocus. When they seem to be adjusted well enough, I take a good look around the room to find that I am not in my dorm room. And this isn’t Mindy and Alyx’s apartment which I remember making plans to stay at.
A second longer and the familiarity of the room starts to sink in. I’m in Bishop’s guest room.
I lift the sheet to see that I’m wearing a very large t-shirt that doesn’t belong to me. I pull the collar to my nose and inhale. The scent of Bishop immediately washes over me and it’s an instant comfort.
I push to sit up and my head feels like it may roll right off myneck. My brain sits between a vise that is trying its very hardest to squeeze it right out of my ear. Or at least that’s what it feels like.
I flip the covers completely off and swing my legs off the side of the bed and slowly stand up.
“Woah,” I say when I wobble a little too much.
I give myself a moment or two before taking cautious steps towards the bathroom. My bladder is full as if I drank a gallon of lemonade. Then I remember the massive amounts of keg beer I drank last night and I’m emptying the contents of my stomach before my bladder.
I splash cold water on my face then search the cabinets and drawers for mouthwash or toothpaste to clear the lingering taste of vomit. Luckily Bishop is stocked with a toothbrush and toothpaste and I scrub my teeth like the dentist is waiting for me.
Tiptoeing through the room, I turn down the hall and towards the living room where I can hear the low hum of a tv. I approach and see Bishop's large back, his right arm draped over the back of the sofa.
I clear my throat and he whips around, looking over his shoulder.
Oh Christ, the man is wearing glasses. I didn’t think it was possible, but a new level of hotness has been unlocked. Fucking hell, I don’t know if my body can take it.
“Mornin’. How’re you feeling?” He asks me as I approach.
“Um. Pretty much like roadkill.” I push my wild hair out of my face and I see his eyes trail down my legs then quickly move to my face. “Thanks for the t-shirt.”
