Embrace the Darkness (The Maura Quinn Series Book 1) - Ashley N. Rostek Page 0,1

in such a rush, I debated whether I should just leave without saying a word to him or poke my head into the bathroom to say a quick hi before rushing back out the door. I decided on the latter. If he found out I'd come and gone without caring to see him, I’d never hear the end of it.

Be more caring and understanding, Maura.

Tom was a sensitive man. Not saying I wasn’t. It was just, lately… I’d been trying very hard to ignore the fact it sometimes felt like a chore to have to be understanding toward his feelings. For the hundredth time, I reminded myself Tom was different. He was a good man, a normal man, even if he could be a big man-baby sometimes. He was extremely different than the men I'd grown up with, that was for sure.

Stop thinking about them. They’re your past, not your future. Tom is your future. I had to stop comparing my life now to what it had been before.

I shook my head to clear the unwanted thoughts before heading toward the bathroom door to get my, “Hi, sweetie! Bye, sweetie!” over with so I could drive like a madwoman back to campus.

Reaching out to push open the door, I paused. What the fuck? The sound of a feminine giggle slammed into me like a semi-truck. Standing a few feet from the door that was slightly ajar, I was close enough to hear what exactly was going down in my bathroom.

When I heard the woman moan, my stomach plummeted. I backed up, stepping on something in the process. My unblinking eyes dropped from the door, finding my feet surrounded by clothes that had obviously been thrown askew. A sleazy red bra and matching lacy thong that were definitely not mine, along with the suit I saw Tom wearing this morning before he supposedly left for work. What the fuck? I mentally repeated.

“Oh, Tom! Right there!” the woman cried out.

I know that voice!

The knife of betrayal sunk a little deeper into my back. I was almost certain it was my friend Tina’s voice. We’d been friends for five years, ever since we were dorm-mates sophomore year. Sure, she was a bit of a wild card and objectified men like they existed for her enjoyment alone, but I'd always liked that about her. She was fun and had always been a good friend to me. In the beginning of our friendship, she'd patiently coaxed me out of my shell, helped me adjust to a normal way of life, which in turn had prepared me for Tom. Hell, she'd encouraged me to date him!

I never would have thought she’d… We'd just had lunch yesterday. The entire time I'd vented about mine and Tom’s problems and the bitch had just sat there pretending to be my friend while giving me advice.

I took another step back, trying to mentally remove myself from what was happening. I needed a moment to process everything. My emotions were threatening to take over and letting that happen was never wise.

My father’s voice echoed in my head, warning me not to chase the rabbit. Stay in control.

I took a deep breath to collect myself. Once I had most of my pressing emotions locked up, I tried to think of how I was going to handle this.

Should I barge in there and watch them flounder at being caught? Should I go downstairs and wait for them to finish? Or should I go to class and pretend I didn’t see anything? Pretending seemed like the easiest and most appealing option, but what did that say about me? Could I really look the other way? I’d never been the type to allow others to walk all over me, so why was I okay with it now?

Damnit! I don’t know!

The water in the bathroom shut off, interrupting my internal debate. My eyes darted around the room, catching on the door to my walk-in closet. It was the closest place I could get to as the bathroom door started to open. I dashed into the tiny room, regretting it instantly. The closet, really, Maura?

I left the door cracked, giving the windowless room a little light. Apparently I was a glutton for pain, because I couldn’t stop myself from peeking out as Tom and most definitely Tina stepped out of the bathroom. You don’t want to see this, I told myself, but I couldn’t look away.

They were both naked, dripping wet from their shower. I watched my