25. This is Weird
Sophie
Something smells good. Woodsy with a hint of citrus, the scent fills my nostrils as the black void of unconsciousness slowly dissipates. I inhale deeply, then exhale on a contented sigh.
Delicious.
Wait. What?
My eyes flutter open as my brain starts to wake up. That smell might be pleasing to the senses, but it’s wrong. It doesn’t belong.
I don’t recognize it.
There’s a black, furry blob blocking my line of sight, and I blink several times to try to clear my vision. It doesn’t work, and as I lift my hand to rub my eyes, the blob moves. I rear back as a dark, decidedly feline head turns in my direction, its yellow eyes piercing my very soul as it opens its mouth to let out a soft mewling noise.
A scream rips up my throat, echoing off the walls as I roll away from the animal and right over the edge of the bed. I land face-down on the floor, groaning in pain as my body collides with a hard tile floor.
“Sophie?”
I’m on my feet in an instant, my pain forgotten as my gaze zips from left to right, looking for the origin of that voice. I freeze when I spot Jared in the doorway. My eyes travel down the length of him, from his mussed hair to his torso. My heart pounds a little harder as I study his bare chest, his hand lifting to rub against it as if my gaze burns the spot.
A high-pitched meow breaks my trance, and I squeal as I stumble backwards, my feet tangled in the sheet that has fallen over the edge of the bed with me. Strong arms circle around me, catching me against a hard chest and steadying me before I hit the floor. Again.
That woodsy scent fills my nostrils once more, and as if it has a mind of its own, my nose turns toward the source of the smell, inhaling deeply as the tip rubs over smooth, bare skin. A sharp inhale shatters the moment, and several things become clear in an instant.
My mouth tastes like a dumpster filled with trash, rotting food, and old liquor bottles.
There’s a tiny man with a jackhammer currently taking up residence in my head.
I did not sleep in my own bed last night.
And I just finished sniffing my asshole boss’s bare chest.
Pushing out of his embrace, I stumble back a few steps, my feet thankfully freed from that homicidal bedsheet. Jared lifts his arm to rub at the back of his neck, and I definitely don’t notice the way his muscles ripple at the motion. I also don’t notice the way his boyish expression makes him look––in Ava’s words from last night––so yummy.
My body stiffens and my eyes squeeze shut as disjointed memories flash through my pounding head. Drinks with the girls. Tequila shots. Ava and Zoey teasing me about Jared.
Texting him something about being growly in bed.
“Oh, my God,” I groan, lifting my palms to my head. “Please tell me we didn’t…”
My words trail off as I pry my eyes open. Jared is smirking now, and my frown deepens.
“Oh, if we had, you’d remember,” he says, and my eyes widen. He flinches, then holds up his palms. “I’m sorry. That was… What I meant to say was, of course not. I would never take advantage of someone unable to make coherent decisions.”
I nod before looking down at myself. I’m still wearing the clothes I had on last night, except for the shoes. Rubbing my palms down my denim-clad thighs, I meet his eyes again.
“I assume this is your place? How did I end up here?”
“You started to feel ill, and I offered you a ride home. You passed out in the car before telling me your address, so I brought you here. I slept in the spare bedroom.”
My brain is still too foggy to question why he’d put me in his bed and take the spare room instead of vice-versa. It doesn’t matter, anyway. What’s done is done.
Movement catches my eye, and I look back at the very real, very black cat still curled up on the same pillow I’d been using. Full-body shivers tremble through me as I consider the consequences.
If crossing the path of a black cat is bad luck, how horrendous will mine be after sleeping with one all night?
“That’s Deuces,” Jared says when he sees me staring. “I rescued him from the bushes behind the casino.”