Embrace the Darkness (The Maura Quinn Series Book 1) - Ashley N. Rostek Page 0,118
out on my couch in a deep sleep. Why is he sleeping on my couch?
I tapped on his sock covered foot. He startled awake, blinked a few times before his eyes met mine. He was lying on his back with a throw covering his hips down to his ankles. He was fully dressed, apart from his shoes kicked off in front of the couch. He rubbed down his face, wiping away the fog of sleep before he yawned and sat up.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was gruff, and his scowl was already in place.
I put a hand to my queasy stomach. The moment my fingers touched the thin fabric of my shirt, I remembered my state of undress. No bra and my light blue panties were on full display. Then I remembered Dean had seen me practically naked at Show 'n Tail and that helped taper my embarrassment.
“I feel like shit. I can’t remember how I got home.”
Dean shook his head. “I doubt I’d be able to remember anything with how much you drank last night and that was after we got back here. I have no idea how much you drank at Louie’s, but you were already puking before we left.”
I nodded. “The last thing I remember is throwing up in the bushes. After that it’s a black hole.”
“It took a while to get you into the car. You threw up everything but your stomach, and it wasn’t for a lack of trying.”
I scrunched my nose. That explained why my stomach muscles were sore.
“Once I was able to get you in the car, you, uh…cried. You said some stuff about Jameson. It’s probably best you don’t remember that. You asked if we could go kill someone. Skank Barbie, I think you called her? You went into vivid detail on how you wanted to kill her. Which was fucking terrifying. I don’t know what your obsession is with neck ties, but I will never wear one around you. Ever.”
Neck ties?
“After we got back to the house, you stole whiskey from the boss’s study and started chugging it like it was water. It was a task to get you up to your room. You took off your shoes and pants on the way up the stairs. Because you valued the whiskey bottle you were carrying more than yourself, you would have broken your damn neck if I wasn’t there to catch you.” Dean shook his head again as if in disbelief. “It was a fucking battle to get you to give it up. The only way you’d hand it over is if I promised not to leave you.”
Heat scorched my cheeks. I couldn’t remember any of it. “Thank you,” I mumbled, sheepishly.
His brows furrowed. “It’s not like I had much of a choice.”
Well, that didn’t last long. “You couldn’t just accept the gratitude, could you, Grumpy?”
Dean’s cell vibrated on my coffee table. “Not when I have that name to live up to.” I thought I saw a tiny smirk lift the corner of his mouth, but as quickly as it came, it went. He scooped up his phone, light illuminating his face as he read what I assumed was a text. “Asher’s here. I’m going to head home and change.”
“Family meeting today. I need you both there,” I said. Dean nodded and left.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my bathroom, I rubbed away the nonexistent wrinkles on my solid black pant suit. I looked fucking fierce. And hot. I’d do me.
The suit jacket was sexy, molding to me perfectly like a second skin. The neckline plunged open until just below my sternum, showing off the sexy black lace bustier corset I had on underneath that gave my breasts a drool worthy push up. The suit jacket stayed closed with two shiny black buttons. The pants hugged my hips and were skintight all the way down to my ankles. I finished the outfit with dark purple Louboutin platform pumps.
My makeup was dark, especially the shadow around my eyes, making my green eyes pop. My cheeks were shimmery and my lips were blood red to match my hair, which was curled into tight waves.
“We’re going to be late,” Dean said, stepping into the bathroom dressed in an all-black suit sans tie. I turned and caught him checking me out with a slight lift of his brow. If the way I looked could lightly crack his resting bitch face, that meant the outfit I'd chosen was perfect.