crude.
I took the shot from him, making him whoop. Vaughn frowned at me, but for once, I didn’t care about the rules. Obviously, I wouldn’t get wasted with my newborn sleeping upstairs. He could relax.
Too many shots later, Jamie made a liar out of me.
I wasn’t falling over or wearing a lampshade, but I was pretty fucking close. When was the last time I let go? Could it have been when Vaughn last had his dick in me? Even when he’d gone down on me a week ago, I’d still been afraid. Letting go meant letting my guard down, and everyone in this room knew where that would lead.
Around two a.m., when River woke up for the third time that night, our friends finally called it quits. None of them had given me a chance to ask for a ride home. I shrugged it off. My mind was too imbibed with booze to worry about the consequences. At least now I could help Vaughn clean up before heading home. He’d gone above and beyond. It was the least I could do.
I located the trash bags and started dumping shit inside without paying much attention to what I was throwing away. Perhaps, I’d overestimated how bombed I was, or maybe I was just that eager to pass out.
“Why don’t we leave this for the morning?” Vaughn suggested, taking away the stuffed animal and the trash bag I almost tossed it in. He’d been upstairs putting River back to sleep. “Come on.” He jerked his head toward the stairs, and I followed him for some reason.
Halfway up, I snorted. “I’m going to be a terrible mom, you know.” Vaughn peered over his shoulder, expecting an explanation for my randomness. “I didn’t even remember to get all the things River would need once he came home.” Stopping, I plopped down on the third step from the landing. “God, what am I going to do?” I moaned before peering into the darkness below as if it held the answers. Vaughn was so silent I’d forgotten he was there until he lifted me. I didn’t speak until he carried me into the master bedroom. “Why are we in here?”
“Because you need to sleep.”
“So, why are you in here?” Despite the third degree, I didn’t fight him when he wrestled my jeans down my legs and removed my shirt. It was the least sexy he’d ever undressed me, and yet I was blushing anyway.
“To make sure that you do.”
I didn’t argue when he pulled back the covers, indicating I get in. I just stared at the sheets, trying to remember why my feet wouldn’t move and why the thought of sleeping in this bed, Vaughn’s bed, made me want to throw up. Yawning, I gave up a moment later, stumbling and fumbling as I crawled inside and pulled the covers up to my chin.
“Where’s River?” I asked, even as my eyes were already drifting closed.
If Vaughn answered, I didn’t hear it.
The next morning, I found a glass of water and aspirin waiting for me on the nightstand. Sitting up with a groan, I swallowed the pills and downed the entire glass, but even that proved to be exhausting. I then looked around the room, my blood turning to ice in my veins when I realized where I was and whose bed I was in. I wasn’t sure how long I glowered at the spot on the floor where Selena had knelt before tossing back the covers. I gasped as soon as the cool air touched my bare skin.
I was only wearing my bra and panties.
The clothes that I’d worn from the hospital were hanging over a chair in the corner. I rushed over to them before shoving them on. I knew by the lack of soreness between my thighs and the marks Vaughn always left on my skin that drinking too much had been the only mistake I’d made last night. It didn’t help my mood, though. Nothing short of getting out of this house would do.
Downstairs, I found River and Vaughn already awake and watching cartoons. Well…Vaughn was. The living room had been cleared of all signs of the party. Vaughn had obviously been up for a while.
“Hey,” I greeted, albeit a bit sourly. “What time is it?”
“Ten after noon,” he announced, making my heart beat a little faster. I’d slept for ten hours. Vaughn didn’t seem startled by me sneaking up on him. In fact, he hadn’t bothered to take his eyes off the