I started to walk off.
He smacked my bottom.
Jumping in surprise, a high-pitched squeak flew from my mouth.
Without slowing down, I whirled around to glare at him from over my shoulder. Totally feigned of course.
He just cocked a smirk, the man never letting me free of the clutches of that gaze as I headed to the first floor using the main set of stairs. I hit the landing at the living room.
Laughter bubbled into the air, loud and a little obnoxious, and there was no stopping my smile as I pushed through the swinging doorway into my mama’s kitchen.
Melanie was there, sitting on the counter, swinging her legs over the side. She grabbed an apple from the fruit dish and started tossing it into the air. “Well, well, well, look who’s awake. Sleeping Beauty in the flesh. I heard things got interestin’ around here last night.”
Oh yeah, they got interesting, all right.
My mama looked over at me from where she was scrambling a big skillet of eggs on the stove. The lifted scowl knitting her brow emphasized the river of wrinkles mapping her face. “Good mornin’.”
I couldn’t tell if she was watching me with worry or speculation or because she was itching to give me another one of those talks about safe sex she’d brutalized me with when I was twelve.
Turned out, sex with Royce was anything but safe.
All concerns tossed right out the window. Consequences be damned.
I was pretty sure I’d be content to live out my years in his aftermath.
“Mornin’,” I managed, shuffling into the kitchen and trying to pretend as if my entire world hadn’t just gotten tipped upside down.
Set to right.
Nothing the same but somehow feeling as if it was exactly how it was supposed to be.
“Coffee’s ready.” Mama pointed at the pot as if I might have forgotten where she’d kept it for the last thirty years.
I beat a path for it. “Thank you.”
I grabbed my favorite mug and filled it with the steaming brew, bringing it to my mouth to take a sip.
Melanie grabbed the almost-empty container of vanilla creamer. “You want some of this, or did you get enough cream last night?”
I spewed out the coffee I had in my mouth, spilling half the cup onto the floor in the process. I swiped at my mouth with the back of my hand, flustered, heat racing to my cheeks and horror filling my belly.
“Melanie, what is wrong with you?” I demanded beneath my breath, glancing to the swinging door and praying my daddy hadn’t overheard.
She rolled her eyes. “What, you think you’re going to keep that news under the covers? Because we all know that’s exactly where you were rolling around with Royce last night.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s it. Your BFF status has been revoked.”
She rolled her eyes again. “Sorry, but you seem to be missin’ the forever part. You’re stuck with me.”
“Not if I kick you to the curb.”
“No thanks . . . I’m fine right here.” She crossed her legs and lifted her cup to her mouth as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
Warily, I let my attention slide to my mama. It wasn’t like I was a child, but this was her house and yesterday was the first introduction she’d even had of the man. And things had been . . . rough.
Mama arched a brow. “Well, if you want to keep secrets, you should probably do things in secret. You think I didn’t hear him sneaking out of your room at the crack of dawn this morning? You forget your old mama is up to welcome the sun.”
I cringed. By the way she was looking at me, I was pretty sure she’d heard him go sneaking in there, too. “I’m sorry.”
A soft smile graced her mouth. “What are you apologizing for? It was a rough night last night. You aren’t the only one who needed comfort.”
“Yeah, like poor Nile,” Mel piped in, feigned concern in her voice. “I bet he was wishing for someone to kiss his boo-boos. Poor thing.”
“You heard about that?” I asked.
She scoffed. “Whole town has heard about it. Nile gettin’ his ass handed to him by some city boy. Guy will probably never show his face again. Especially considering he got his nose busted good.”
Mama tsked a disappointed sound. “Well, Nile has been spoutin’ enough nonsense that he should have known he was eventually going to get what was coming to him. That boy has always had a sweet tooth . . . wanted his cake and to eat it, too. Think he can mess around on my daughter, and when he doesn’t get her back with a snap of his fingers, get aggressive? Oh no. I’m not about to stand for that.”
“Seems someone else wasn’t about to, either.” Melanie cocked a brow toward the ceiling where there was some light banging on the floor. I could almost see him, dressing in front of the mirror, pulling on one of those tailored suits.