Page 10 of No Strings

I don’t know when, but I must have fallen asleep because when I wake to the sound of alarms and stomping boots, I’m in my bed.

I roll over and pull my blanket up over my head. Don’t come in here, let me sleep. Please let me sleep.

No such luck.

The bedroom door flings open, and Rhys is bellowing at me to get up. I throw my pillow at him. “Fuck off.”

“We have coffee.”

I guess I can get up for coffee. Rhys is annoyingly still standing in the doorway with a stupid smirk on his face.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I stutter? Fuck off!” I yell at him.

With a laugh, he turns around and walks away, closing the door behind him. I look down to find that in my sleep, one of my breasts had slipped from my cami. Fuck.

Once I’m decent, putting away my rogue boob, I go to the kitchen. There I’m met with what seems to be all of the guys. I eye Rhys as he hands me a coffee, and he thankfully says nothing about the boob slip.

“Good morning, Morgana.”

“Call me that again and see what happens,” I say through clenched teeth.

He gives me his back, but that doesn’t stop him from looking over his shoulder with a smirk playing on his lip, “Morgana.”

He deliberately says it slowly, breaking down every syllable.

I react without thinking and throw my coffee at him. He just laughs, and that’s when I notice the coffee isn’t actually coffee. Just water.

“Can’t believe you were going to waste coffee like that. Good thing you’re so predictable.”

Predictable.The word ricochets around my head, and Rhys no longer sounds like himself. His words growing more harsh and laced with venom.Predictable.His strong stubbled jaw line rounds out and his full lips narrow, as his face distorts in disgust. Instead of Rhys's forest green eyes, they are now Ethan's mean dull blue ones.Predictable.

I stumble backwards and there’s the sound of a chair clattering next to me. I hit a wall, sliding down along it. My breathing coming in short quick bursts. Shane enters my vision, kneeling in front of me. I look at him pleading for him to help me.

He says something, but I’m convinced all of my body’s blood is rushing through my ears. My mouth and nose start to tingle; I can’t get enough oxygen.

Suddenly Shane is out of my line of sight and panic grips me further. I’m then scooped up and carried somewhere. There’s a sudden change in temperature that has me sucking in the first decent lung full of air.

“Breathe Morgan.” I suck in another breath and let it out. “That’s it. Slow breaths. In and out.”

His hand trails along my back. Stroking up and down.

“In and out.”

I follow the directions and my breathing slows down to a normal rate. The tingling sensation dissipates and the fog lifts from my brain. I cuddle into whoever is holding me. Relaxing into their hold. Once I feel myself, I let out a sigh.

“Better?”

Fuck. This is Rhys. I jump out of his hold.

“Fuck, sorry.” I brush my hands on my top, looking down, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Why are you apologising?”

“For all…that,” I wave my hand. “You must think I’m pathetic.”

He steps closer until I see his boot enter my field of vision. He places a finger under my chin and lifts my head so I’m looking at him. “You are not pathetic, I never want to hear you say that about yourself again.”

I want to agree, I should agree. But I don’t. I can’t. I turn my head to the side. “Whatever. Let’s pretend it never happened.”