Bait: The Wake Series, Book One(11)

Traditional.

Trying to keep my voice low, as not to wake up my guest—I didn't want to be inhospitable—I answered, “Sorry, I didn't hear my phone last night and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow. I'm fine. How was your night?”

“I can hardly hear you. Why are you whispering? Hung-over?” He laughed a little, teasing me, but he was right. I shouldn't have been whispering. I wouldn't if I were alone.

Trying to compensate for my negligence, I spoke at a normal morning volume, “A little? It was fun though.”

“Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ditched you. I thought that was why you weren't answering. I thought you were mad and you have every right to be. I should have come with you. I'm a stupid man. I'm sorry.” Very stupid as it turned out. And I was easy to distract.

Apparently, we both sucked.

“You better be. Listen, my luggage got lost on the flight. I have to go buy some clothes and get some things. I'll call you later, all right?” All true. Oh and there was a naked surfer-type guy in my king-sized hotel bed sleeping.

“That sucks. Not a very good trip, huh?”

“Uh, actually it's been pretty great. A girl can always use more clothes. Right?”

I hated shopping. I'd rather saw my arm off.

“Right. Well, pick up something nice. I'm taking you out Monday.” I heard the smile in his voice and I felt dread like I'd never felt before. What if he wanted to propose then?

I almost heaved. In my hotel room. With the very visible left-overs of my one-night stand still in my hotel bed. I spared a glance at a sleeping Casey. My conscience demanded explanations, but looking at him, I realized I would have a difficult time listing them all. Who are you and what have you done with the real Blake?

“Okay, I need a shower though. I have a lot to do. I'll call you later.”

“All right, I love you. Have fun,” he said sweetly and my vision blurred.

What had I done?

I turned away from the bed so I wasn’t facing Casey. It didn't seem right to profess love to one man, while I lusted over another. Merely turning away from him didn't make him disappear though, not like I wanted him to or like it would offer any kind of privacy, but I did it anyway not wanting Casey to hear. “Love you, too. ’Bye.” And I quickly hung up.

Before I turned back around, I heard a faint, “Lucky bastard,” come from my messed-up sheets. I looked over my shoulder and smiled. I lifted my phone showing him that I had been talking to someone, “Grant. Boyfriend.”

“Casey. Horny.” I chuckled. I supposed there wasn't any point in hiding anything from him. He was in the same situation that I was.

“Blake. Slut.” He frowned.

“You're a slut? Shit. I wish you would have told me that before.” He patted the bed were I slept beside him all night and I went to him and sat. “Regrets?” he asked.

Regrets? I thought about it and picked at my thumbnail. Do I regret it? I searched myself for the regret and it wasn't there. “No, I don't regret it. Do you?”

“I can't really remember what happened.” He bit his bottom lip. “You might have to refresh my memory.” Then, his smile broke free. There he went again smiling and wiping clean away any trace of sensible thought I had. That toothy, lopsided smile equaled big trouble.

“Nope. If you can't remember it, then maybe I dreamt it. That makes more sense anyway.” I replied to him facetiously as I thought about how I would very much enjoy to doing it again.

I inwardly chastised myself. But I had been drinking more than normal the night before, when I slept with a guy I had just met. I could explain it away with lots of excuses.

However, at that moment, I was sober. I had no excuses. Not his naked body. Not his pretty smile. Not his sexy, messed-up hair. Not the way his body pulled me to him. Nothing.

“As much fun as that sounds, I really need to be getting around. I have to find some clothes and I will perish if I don't get coffee soon.”

“Perish? We don't need that.” He sprung up and the sheet fell away from his body. He stood and looked around. It shocked me. He hadn't any modesty. It must have been written all over my face. I could feel my eyes about to bug out of my head.

“I know what you're thinking. How is he going to fit that big dick into those jeans, right? I get that a lot.” He rocked his hips forward, unashamed of his obvious arousal, and made a face like he was thinking, “Yeah.”