First to Fail (Unraveled #3) - Marie Johnston Page 0,34

hands into his ass, I pulled him toward me.

Letting out a gasp, I arched into him enough to rub my aching breasts against his bare chest. He set a hard pace. There was no playing around, no does this feel good, how about this. He took what I offered. We strained against each other, nipping earlobes, nibbling lips, and it was exactly what I needed. Heavy breathing intermingled with moans filled the air.

Stretching out the pleasure should be my goal, but nothing but hormones and want drove me. Tightening around him, I dug my nails into his back and cried out, my climax slamming home.

He stiffened above me, his thrusts shortening as he let go. We came together and for a few moments, it was just us. A couple. No history between us or behind us.

Languidly kissing me, he withdrew. Curling up with him was the only goal on my list for the night. The endorphins chased away aches and pains and my meds would kick in soon. He left only to disappear into the bathroom. By the time he came out, my lids were too heavy to keep open. But I hoped he stayed.

The bed dipped with his weight before I was wrapped in his warm embrace. It was just the two of us. For now, this would have to be our little secret. My small smile lasted until I fell asleep.

Chapter 9

Natalia

Light peeked in from behind the blinds, casting slatted shadows across the wall and bed. I extracted myself from Chris’s side, where I’d been planted since we’d fallen into an exhausted sleep.

My body aches had returned and not the just the delicious stiffness from the sex. I glanced at the nightstand where the expired condom wrapper lay by my empty juice glass. No bottle of pain meds. Damn. I’d have to get out of the warm nest to get some.

But there was a slumbering naked man to come back to, so…

I scooted to the edge of the bed and swung my legs down. The covers fell off and air wafted over my bare body, sending shivers across my skin.

Sliding off, I dropped to the floor to snag my sweatshirt. Wait. It wouldn’t cover my ass, but Chris’s shirt would fall to close to my knees. Then I didn’t have to waste the energy to step into my bottoms.

With his shirt, and surrounded by even more of his scent, I tiptoed downstairs to keep from waking Chris.

A muffled rumbling sound was coming from the living room. I crept to the entry. His phone was vibrating on the end table. I’d bring it up to him when I got the water and meds.

Turning back to the kitchen, I spotted the acetaminophen bottle on the counter. Perfect.

I dug out a capsule and found a glass to fill with water. Tossing back the pain reliever and gulping down the water, I was turning when voices grabbed my attention.

Frowning, I looked around. The main window was in the living room, and thanks to my state of undress, I didn’t want to creep out there any farther than I had to for phone retrieval.

It was Sunday and…I sought out the oven to peek at the time. Whoa. It was almost eleven. I’d wonder how I slept that late, but I’d been up in the middle of the night. And busy.

An engine sounded like it was passing by. A faint door slam made me jump and spin around. The water in my stomach swelled like an alien was going to burst out.

Rushed footsteps and the creak of the garage door opening pushed me back into the counter.

My usual mantra of What Would Valaria Do didn’t come to mind. Not even my fictional wannabe inner tough girl could help me out of this nightmare.

Jaycee rounded the corner. “Dad! I’ve been trying to call—” She stopped so fast her shoes skidded on the hardwood. “Ms. Shaw?”

Jaycee’s gaze swept from my bedhead down to my bare little toes. My breath choked to a standstill in my throat. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to scream. I’d rather an alien bust out of me and spare me the career-ending mistake I’d just been caught with.

“Ms. Shaw.” Scandal dripped from Jaycee’s tone. “You and my dad?” An overnight bag I hadn’t noticed dropped from the girl’s hand.

In my mortification, I couldn’t help but think that Jaycee’s look fit her so much better than the stuffy uniform dress code of the academy. Skinny jeans, an oversized maroon sweater—the letters MCU probably