Shutout (Rules of the Game, #2)(39)
“You tell me. I thought she was with you.” Chase says to Abby, his voice flat.
“Oh. Um, can you check her room, maybe?”
Shit. She’s going to blow my cover.
He pulls himself upright onto one elbow. “It’ll be okay, Ser. Just stick to the plan like we discussed. Go upstairs and act like everything is normal.”
“Plan,” I repeat. “Normal. Right.”
Except under our original plan, I wasn’t interrupted in the middle of an orgasm and completely discombobulated.
I run to his nightstand and grab my cell, frantically composing a message.
Sera: Just got out of the shower. Give me a sec and I’ll be right up.
Abby: No prob.
Bolting for the bathroom, I strip out of Tyler’s shirt and quickly tug on my white terrycloth robe, tying it at the waist. What I really need is a pair of clean underwear because mine are drenched, but beggars can’t be choosers. At this point I’ll settle for not getting caught.
Then I put my hair up, splash some water on my face to emulate a freshly showered look, and pray as I climb the stairs.
They’re both standing in the entry waiting for me as I step upstairs.
“Sorry,” I tell Chase. “I was getting out of the shower when I heard the doorbell, and I couldn’t dry off in time.”
“No worries, Sera.” His attention swivels to Abby, and irritation flashes across his face. “Just text her next time instead, Abby. Don’t ring the fucking doorbell. I know you might not relate, but some of us have actual lives and responsibilities and need our sleep.”
It’s a little harsh, but I can’t fault him for being annoyed. Sometimes, it seems like her thought process is either focused solely on herself or entirely non-existent.
“Sorry,” she says, but it rings insincere.
I jerk my thumb at the hall leading to my room, then gesture to myself. “I’m not decent. Let’s go into my room so I can finish getting dressed.”
“I brought you an apology coffee.” She offers me one of the cups from the cardboard tray. I take it from her hand, noting that it’s not decaf. Mixing this with my meds will launch me to the moon. But it’s the thought that counts… I guess.
“Thanks.”
Chase’s eyebrows lift. Not only is he nosy, but he also never misses a thing. “Apology for what?”
I cut in before Abby can respond. “Oh, we had a silly little argument last night. Nothing major. You know, girl stuff.”
Girl stuff? I don’t make any sense right now. Hopefully he’s too tired to notice.
“Right. Whatever.” He stomps back upstairs muttering something beneath his breath. I don’t love that he’ll be crabby with me for a while, but it’s still better than the alternative of being found out.
Head spinning, I usher Abby into my room and close the door behind her. I’m still kind of pissed at her, but also trying to process everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours. I almost can’t decide how upset I should be. Shouldn’t I be able to look out for myself?
Abby flops onto my bed, giving me an expectant look. “What’s going on, missy?”
For once in her life, she’s actually whispering.
“Nothing,” I hiss back.
Rifling through my drawers, I search for something to wear. I still haven’t fully unpacked, and I can’t find a single thing lately. I’m drowning in clothes—and I have a few more deliveries on the way. I should declare a shopping hiatus. Will I? Probably not.
“Bullshit. You left with Hades. Something had to have happened.”
“I left because I wasn’t feeling good, Abbs. Tyler wouldn’t take advantage of me like that.”
“If you say so…” She purses her lips, studying me. Then her green eyes fly open with sudden realization. “Wait. Something happened with you two this morning.”
How does she know that? Oh my god. Is it written on my face? Does Chase know?
“Shh!” I hush her. Not only do I not want my brother to hear, but there’s also a tiny part of me that doesn’t fully trust Abby with this information. I can’t explain it; she’s supposed to be one of my best friends. I’ve known her since we were little.
Lately, there’s this nagging friction between us that she doesn’t seem to notice. It’s not clear whether she’s changed, or I have. Maybe we’re just growing apart. But who does that leave me with? I hardly know anyone here. Siobhan and Bailey are lovely, but maybe they feel obligated to hang out with me as part of some girlfriendly duty.
“Did you guys fuck?”
“No. You interrupted us.” Much to my dismay. A tiny part of me was worried I’d built Tyler up too much in my head. That time and imagination had distorted my memory of our night together, twisting reality into some kind of impossible fantasy. That the real thing couldn’t possibly live up to what I remembered.
I was wrong. It’s so much better.
Abby grimaces. “Oops.”
Turning away, I step into some clean underwear, then put on a matching pink bra. It seems wrong to get dressed before I’ve even showered but I can’t even begin to think about going back downstairs and seeing Tyler after what just happened.