Page 14 of Forced to Share
“You really didn’t have to do that.” The heat crept down my neck further as Austin brought over my bag from his sister’s room. I sat on the edge of his double bed. It was slightly smaller than the queen that his sister had, but we could make it work. I could keep my cool and my distance. The last thing he needed was for me to start humping him randomly in the middle of the night, which is what had happened in the past. It’s why I didn’t stay over with my male partners.
Austin sighed before sitting next to me. He was just close enough that I could smell his body wash, the sweet smell of citrus and bergamot, a scent that at one point I’d wanted to douse myself in. God, I’d landed myself in such a fucking mess.
“If I hadn’t, what would you have done? Slept at the airport?”
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of my chest. “Okay, so you caught me. Let’s face it, I did something horrible to both you and your sister. Now you have to deal with me like this.”
Austin only shrugged before standing to move around his room. He picked up a few odds and ends as he paced the room, like he had no focus on what he was really doing, just trying to fill in the gaps.
Without waiting for him to talk, I kept speaking. “If you need me to, I can sleep on the floor. That doesn’t bother me. You deserve your space, especially after everything.” It was stupid that my eyes were burning. This wasn’t worth crying over, but the day had been an emotional mess.
Austin’s snort was derisive. “That’s dumb. We can share a bed. It’s fine.”
Was it? God, I really didn’t deserve any of it.
Instead of continuing to dwell on things, I stood from the bed and grabbed my bag, moving it over to the cornerof the room. Leah had tossed the few things I’d pulled out back inside, and something inside me constricted that she’d gone through my belongings. The woman was supposed to be my fiancée, and I was hiding stuff from her. More red flags. I was such a fuck-up.
It appeared nothing else in the bag had been disturbed, so I relaxed a little. The last thing I’d needed was for her to find what was hidden at the bottom. She might have thought it was a gift for her and pushed things harder. It was stupid to have packed it to begin with, but it felt like part of me was missing if I didn’t havesomethingwith me.
We’d missed lunch with all the commotion, and by the time things had settled, it was time for dinner. Mrs. Bennett had cooked, so we all made our way to the kitchen.
Leah was at the dining room table and glared at me as I entered the room. She picked up her glass of wine and downed the contents. Even during our earlier years in college when we’d gone to parties, she hadn’t been a big drinker, so seeing her toss back drinks the last couple of days was a little concerning.
Austin grabbed my arm, pulling me to the farthest end of the table. It was a good idea because having me anywhere close to Leah while she was still feeling so volatile was a bad idea.
The tension in the room was palpable—you could have cut it with a knife if you’d wanted to. No one said a thing as food was passed around the table and plates were piled high. It felt so strange to take anything, so my plate was mostly empty by the time everyone started to dig in. Not that I felt all that hungry after everything.
Cutlery clicked against the dinnerware as everyone ate their meal, and I couldn’t even lift my fork. I stared at the measly portion in front of me. Next to a small scoop of mashed potatoes were three sad little green beans. I hadn’t even managed to score myself a decent piece of the ham that smelled heavenly.
There was the stupid part of my brain that said they’d poisoned it all, hoping that I’d take a bite and croak for all the distress I’d caused. It didn’t make any sense because if they poisoned the food, it would make everyone sick. Unless they had some sort of antidote hanging around. Was I being ridiculous? One hundred percent.
“Is everything all right?”
I jumped at the feel of Austin’s warm breath against my ear as he whispered to me. My face incinerated as I picked up my fork and cut my tiny piece of meat in half before bringing it to my lips.
While it tasted absolutely amazing, the best I’d had in years since moving out of my parent’s house, I couldn’t enjoy it while everyone was still watching me.
It probably made me look even worse, but I couldn’t do it anymore. The longer I sat at the table, the tighter my shirt felt, the collar closing in on my neck and cutting off my air supply. Without a word, I pushed back from the table and excused myself, muttering a quick apology before bee-lining for the stairs. The second Austin’s bedroom door closed behind me, I felt like I could finally catch my breath again.
Could I really do this for a week and a half?
Chapter 9
Austin
The entire rest of the meal, I fought against every urge in my body to go upstairs to check on Jeremy. No one seemed to mind when he left, like they hadn’t wanted him there to begin with. This wasn’t my family. Sure, he’d made a mistake, but it wasn’t like us to turn someone out on the streets.
After helping Mom and Leah clear the table, I grabbed two beers from the fridge and carried them up to my room. Jeremy was sitting on the floor by the bed with a blanket wrapped around him as he stared at his e-reader.
“What are you reading?”
He jumped, clearly not aware that I’d comeinto the room.
“Both you and your sister, I swear to God.” He huffed out a laugh. “Maybe it’s my fault for picking such an intense book.”
I frowned as he powered down the device and set it on my nightstand. He stood to stretch, letting the blanket fall to the floor. In the time he’d been up in my room, Jeremy had changed into a loose pair of flannel pajama pants and a thin t-shirt. The shirt rode up just the slightest bit when his arms lifted over his head, and I swallowed thickly as I caught a glimpse of that tantalizing strip of pale skin that was exposed.
My hands shook as I held out the bottle I’d brought up for him. “Not sure how much you’re feeling this, but I brought you one.”
