Page 24 of Mister Cowboy
January
Faint voices woke her, and January rolled over in bed, squeezing her eyes closed at the first pang of a headache that she knew would only get worse when she opened her eyes.
Champagne was a bad idea.
Champagne was always a bad idea.
Sitting up slowly and opening her eyes, she fought for a sense of balance as she looked around and realized she was not at home.
The room had mostly stark, white walls. A large television on the wall in front of the bed, a nightstand on one side with a fancy looking alarm clock that had more buttons and numbers than she could make sense of in her current state. The bed, which was a large four-post masterpiece that had a glorious view of the sunrise starting to peek over the horizon, was the most interesting thing about the room.
Forcing herself from the bed, she was relieved to find she was still in the dress from last night. She grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself, hoping the thick, soft blanket would shield her from any embarrassment from last night’s actions.
Brecken was a sight. He was kicked back on a black couch in sweats and a black t-shirt, his bare feet were propped up on the glass coffee table in front of him, and a large bowl of cereal rested in his lap. He was watching CNBC like a kid sprawled out on Saturday morning watching his favorite cartoon.
“Hi.” Her voice came out low and gravelly.
He directed his attention to her as he spooned a large bite of cereal into his mouth.
“Mornin’,” he said in a crunchy murmur.
She walked toward a large window that peered down at the city below. Unlike the bedroom, this room had personality and she could tell from the laptop sitting on the far end of the couch and his casual demeanor that this was the room he spent the most time in. Her eyes were drawn to a metal bookcase on the far wall. Floor to ceiling and wall to wall, there were books on every shelf.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I should still be in bed. Sorry about last night. It gets a little blurry after you showed up. Hopefully, I didn’t do anything too embarrassing.” She pulled the blanket tighter and sat on a matching black loveseat across the room from him.
He put his cereal bowl down on the table, the spoon clanging against the side. “Did you have a good time?”
“Yes. I did actually.”
“Good. Nothing to be sorry for.”
Her eyes fell to the pillow and blanket strewn over the couch he was sitting on. “Oh my gosh, did I throw you out of your own bed?”
“You passed out before we got here. I wasn’t sure how you’d react waking up in bed with me with no memory of how you got there.”
Her cheeks warmed at the thought of him seeing her in such a vulnerable state. “Thank you. You could have taken me home to my own bed.”
“I could have, but then I wouldn’t have been able to see you this morning.”
“No ranch again today?”
He stood and carried his empty bowl to the sink. “No ranch for either of us. Tina and I have several meetings in the office today, so I’m declaring it a vacation day for you. Take today to sleep and recoup.”
“I guess there are some perks to you being my boss.”
“Ah, not anymore. Tina is your boss now.”
Silence hung between them as he stood smiling, and she shifted awkwardly from one bare foot to the other. What was the social protocol for gracefully exiting a man’s home. Was there one? She didn’t know.
Standing and folding the blanket, she avoided eye contact. “I should get home.” She tossed the blanket on the couch and made her way over to where her purse sat on the counter. All the while, she tried to appear confident in yesterday’s clothes. It was a feat, considering her hair was a mess and her mouth tasted like . . . well, it tasted terrible. “Thank you again. I’m really glad you came last night.”
“Wait.” He held up his hand but stayed standing across the room. “Stay here. You can shower, sleep, order takeout, whatever you want. Then, when I get home, maybe we can have dinner.”
Pulling her bottom lip behind her teeth, she considered his offer. Part of her would love to stay wrapped in his sheets all day, but the saner part felt a little off balance and a lot like he had the upper hand. “I should go home, check in with Michael, and thank him for last night. Besides, I need to change, brush my teeth, wash my face.” She waved her hand in front of her as if it was obvious what a mess she was. It was to her.
“I talked to Michael this morning. He knows you’re alive and well. I have some clothes you can wear, and I’m sure I can rustle up a spare toothbrush.” He disappeared down the hallway and returned a moment later holding a toothbrush with a proud look on his face. “When I get home, I’ll take you by your place to change before dinner.”
