Page 40 of Bottles & Blades
It's too early. It'salwaystoo early.
Whose bright idea was it to have a class at eighty-thirty in the morning, anyway?
Or maybe the better question is, whose idea was it totakethat 8:30AM class?
With another pathetic groan, I put the pillow to the side and reach for my phone. It’s plugged into its charger on my nightstand.
And I freeze.
Because I know I wasn't the one who did that.
I left it near my laptop, my books, my notecards, and my pens.
But it's plugged in on my nightstand.
And as I process that, as I know I wasn't the one to have done that, the memories come flooding back into my brain in a rush of fear and desire, fantasy and need, disbelief and something softer, more vulnerable.
Something intoxicating, addictive.
Desperate.
I hadn’t wanted the night, the fantasy, to end.
“Come on, Tiff,” I say, hyping myself up as I shut off the alarm and rub my hands over my face to fully wake up. “It was one weird night—okay, it was one weirdday, but it's over. And now it’s time to get back to my regularly scheduled programming.”
That’s enough to get me out of bed.
The rest gets me moving to the bathroom so I can start getting ready for the day.
He's a billionaire.
He runs more businesses than I could ever hope to even keep track of.
It was a one-off, and likely I'll never see him again unless it's on TV because the cameras have panned to him during an Eagles game.
Which makes me sad.
Ice cream in the freezer.
Dave so freaking terrified he’ll hopefully never bother me again.
A plate of food.
An order to get into my jammies.
Strong yet gentle arms holding me close.
I sigh softly then tuck a tiny piece of last night deep into my heart, stowing it carefully with all my other treasured memories.
And then…I see about getting ready for my morning.
I didn't study last night.
I'll need to cram in the rest of my homework between my two classes, need to make sure I'm prepped for the quiz that's coming my way today, and then I'll need to find a way to get something to eat before I get Roxie after school.
Brit and Stefan have always said their pantry and fridge are open to me, but I don't like to take advantage of their kindness. So, I'll make a lunch and I'll down it before I go to the library and cram for that quiz. Then I get to spend my afternoon and evening with some of the best people I know—with Roxie and Brit and Stefan before Brit goes off to play for the Gold.
I'll do homework that's not mine.
