Page 73 of Sharing Shadow Secrets (High Five Novella #6)

H earing Taylor sniffle, my chest tightens. I really hope we didn’t go too far.

“I’m gonna grab us water and some snacks,” I say gently, kissing the top of her head and giving Brandon’s arm a squeeze. They need a moment alone. And honestly, so do I.

I slide out of bed, peel off the condom, and toss it in the bathroom trash before grabbing my jeans from the floor and slipping out of the room.

The hallway is dim and quiet—but my thoughts are not. What if we missed something? What if we misread her?

My bare feet pad softly against the hardwood, and for the first time tonight, the adrenaline starts to fade.

I really hope the tears are from all of the newness, how overwhelming that can be instead of something worse.

My brain’s cycling through everything, replaying every step. We could’ve talked more beforehand. Walked her through it better. Checked in more often instead of trusting she’d speak up. She did … but maybe she wanted to stop earlier.

At the kitchen sink, I grab three glasses and fill them with cold water. The sound of the tap feels louder than usual.

She trusted us.

I hope we didn’t breach that trust. I don’t ever want to be the guy who confuses being fun with being careless.

Behind me, a giggle slurs through the dark. I turn, startled. The girl in the Avril Lavigne costume is leaning against the doorway, still fully dressed, makeup smudged.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asks, drunkenly amused.

How to answer this …

“Crashing,” I say simply, extending one of the glasses toward her. “Want some water?”

She shrugs, then steps toward me and takes it. Her eyes flick down my shirtless torso, then back up, her expression shifting into something smug. “I always knew she had a crush on you,” she says, taking a sip, then wobbles off.

I’m not sure what that was meant to be—but drunks always find themselves more philosophical than they actually are. At least I did.

My mind goes back to Taylor. And now I can’t stop thinking about whether she regrets tonight.

I turn back to the sink, grab another glass and fill it. Opening cupboards, I look for a tray and set the glasses on it and step to the pantry. I grab a mix of prepackaged snacks and catch myself smiling.

I really like her. Not just the sex. I like the way Taylor tilted her chin when she said what she wanted. The way she laughed when she got nervous. The way she looked between us like she couldn’t believe it was real.

I just hope tonight didn’t ruin my chance to know her beyond this.