Page 45 of The Illicit Play

“I can see that.” My stomach revolts at the sight of that sticky sweet mess, but I manage to keep my smile in place. I think. My teeth are clenched pretty tightly.

Sienna’s watching me, mercifully not saying a thing, although her gaze feels like judge and jury. I dart my eyes at her, and she’s not glaring or anything. Maybe it’s just me who feels like I deserve a hammer loudly falling, smacking down on the wood with a clear verdict.

You messed up last night, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Shit, I want to ask just how bad it was. Who brought me home?

But my courage fails me, especially when Zander saunters in. The second he spots me, his face lights with a teasing smirk. As he brushes past me, he softly whispers, “Morning, party girl.”

I bulge my eyes at him, spitting out my usual defense. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, so you’re gonna play it like that? Okay.” He nods, moving around me to lift Sienna up so he can take a seat beneath her. She flops back onto his lap, feeding him a bite of pancake before grinning up at me.

I frown at their all-knowing expressions, hating how clueless I feel.

How bad was I? What did they see? Where did they find me?

Zander’s playful smile starts to fade as he obviously waits for some kind of explanation on my part. Maybe an apology?

With a soft sigh, he gives me a pointed look. “You know you spent the night inourbed, right? And we had to creep up to the room you’re sleeping in?”

I swallow and softly rasp, “W-why? Why didn’t I just go up to my room?”

Sienna winces. “Not sure you could have made it up there.”

“You smelled like a brewery and had puke all over your clothes,” Zander adds, driving that knife all the way in.

Shit!I can feel myself going pale. I must look translucentright now. Or maybe just a dull shade of gray or that puke-green color.

“Grady didn’t want to have to carry you up the stairs, right past the living room, and risk waking your brother,” Sienna explains.

“It didn’t help that you started singing sea shanties when he pulled into the driveway.” Zander laughs. “That’s why he came to us for help.”

Grady helped me? How did he even know where I was?

I glance at Zoey, wondering how much of this she’s absorbing. We probably shouldn’t be talking about this in front of her, right? She might run and blab to my brother.

She probably doesn’t even understand what you’re talking about. Just wrap this up and get to the bathroom already!

“Thankfully, this little one was with my parents last night, so moving up to your room wasn’t a big issue.” Sienna gives me a reassuring smile, but I don’t feel any better.

I’m so embarrassed.

Sea shanties?

Really?

And Grady had to carry me because I was so wasted I couldn’t even walk?

I don’t remember any of this!

Oh shit! Did he see me puke?

Humiliation washes through me in a wave so thick it nearly bowls me over.

I want to buckle under the pressure of it all, drop to my knees and wail my apologies before crawling into a dark corner and just sleeping the day away.

But I don’t get that chance, because before I can sayanything else, a middle-aged couple with bright smiles and loud voices stroll into the kitchen.