The Relationship Clause

Chapter 26

I wakeup the next morning with a pounding headache and so much brain fog, I can’t even remember where I am. I blink at the light filtering through the unfamiliar blinds. Where am I?

I don’t have long to contemplate this though, as the next thought I’m conscious of is that there is a beautiful, red-headed woman lying in my arms, snoring softly. I blink down at her, tracing the contours of her cheeks, her eyelashes, her pink lips… Wait a minute. This is Junie.

Holy crap.

I jump, realizing too late I’m startling her awake as I try to shove her body off of mine. She wakes with a start, eyes wide until they meet mine.

“Owen!” She reaches for me, but I’m still trying to create space between us, still trying to figure out how we got here. There are gaps in my memory. Big, wide, scary gaps. We’re at the ski lodge in Vail, that much has come back to me, but I don’t remember anything from the time I went to the bar until a few seconds ago.

“Owen, Owen, it’s okay. Calm down.” Junie’s soothing voice has no effect though. I have too many questions.

“W-what happened?” I stammer. “What—Why are we—I mean, how did we…?”

Junie’s hand makes contact with my bare shoulder, and the sensation is an immediate relief to my senses. Despite my unanswered questions, I allow myself to settle down. The relief doesn’t last long, though, because I look down and more dread swallows me whole. I’m wearing my underwear. And yes, I normally wear underwear, so that’s not the surprising part. What’s surprising is the fact that I’m wearing only underwear. And I was in bed with Junie.

I cover my face with my hands, shame filling me. “Junie, did I—I mean, did we…?” I can’t even bring myself to finish the sentence. Don’t get me wrong, physical intimacy is something I’ve thought about happening with Junie, but not this soon and definitely not like this. Was I kind to her? Was I a gentleman? Did I push this on her or wait for her consent?

All these questions and more smash into my skull like a battering ram, vinegar pouring into a wound. My breathing comes in rapid succession. Part of me is furious while the other is full of embarrassment.

But then Junie’s arms are around me. I’m frozen like a chunk of ice, but she’s warm and sure and here, not upset or afraid or anything she would be if I’d done something I shouldn’t have.

“No,” she says firmly. She places both hands on either side of my face. “Look at me, Owen. Nothing happened last night.”

“Really?”

“Really. We didn’t even kiss. You were drunk, but you were a perfect gentleman. Trust me, I wouldn’t have stuck around if you weren’t.” She lets go and grabs a pair of neatly folded sweatpants and a white t-shirt from the bedside table. Mine. I’m not sure when she grabbed them, but I’m grateful and pull them on quickly.

Relief washes over me, and I can breathe again. I gather Junie in my arms, more grateful than ever that she’s here with me now. “How did we end up in bed together?”

She doesn’t answer right away, and I pull back to get a better look at her. She bites her lip in that cute way that I love. “Well, you actually kind of asked me to stay with you. You said you didn’t want to have any nightmares.”

Ah. Right. Those.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I haven’t thought about the bad dreams I used to have in a long time, so the fact that I told Junie about them last night says something about my state of mind.

“Do you have nightmares a lot?” she asks.

“I used to. It’s been a long time since I’ve had one, but I guess being drunk made me afraid I’d have them again. They started when I was a teenager when my parents would fight badly in front of Kiera and me. I couldn’t ever shake them. There was a time in college when I tried to drink the dreams away, but that only made them worse. I committed to never drinking again after that. So I don’t know what happened last night…”

I ordered ginger ale at the bar, I remember that distinctly. It’s the drink that looks the most like beer, so it’s easier to blend in with people who are drinking.

I remember meeting with Craig, and then…

“You were drugged,” Junie says, voice small. “At least, that’s what you said you think happened.”

More memories start coming back to me, but finding them is like swimming through a swamp. “Yeah. I remember going to the bar and getting my drink. I remember seeing Craig. Actually, I think he’s the one who found me. We talked about skiing and my dad a bit. And then…” That is when things get more foggy. I scratch my head as if it could possibly help jog my memory. “He asked about Em3rge. I think I tried asking about his wife’s daughter, but he kind of avoided my questions.”

Another memory comes back to me, clear and sharp.

“He asked about Phase Three.”

But that’s not possible. He should have had no knowledge about that. Only my employees at our staff meeting could have known. Which means someone must have told him.

Junie’s eyes snap to mine. “He did?”

“Yes. He asked about it specifically. I’m sure of it.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him…” I rack my brain, but it’s no use. I can’t remember what I said. Whether I told him it was all fake in order to weed out the mole or not, I have no clue. But I know one thing for sure: Craig is the one who drugged me, so whatever is going on with his wife and step-daughter, Breanna, he’s part of it too.

And I’m going to find out exactly what part he’s playing.

With the gusto of a thousand convictions, I heave myself off the bed—and fall immediately back down. Nausea churns in my stomach, and my headache, which I’d almost forgotten about, pounds with renewed fervor.

I groan in agony until Junie’s sure hands land on my back. “Whoa there, cowboy. I know you’re ready to rally the troops and charge at Craig, but you should probably wait until you’re not hungover.” Her hands dig into the muscles along my shoulders and down my spine, and I swear it’s the best massage I’ve ever received, hands down. All that stuff I paid for yesterday was nothing compared to this bliss.

“Is it technically called hungover if I was never drunk?” I moan, leaning into her touch. Also, I kind of wish I was still shirtless.

“Good question. We can look it up later.”

I reach back and catch one of her hands, pulling it forward until I’m able to kiss the tops of her knuckles. She leans against my back, and I want nothing more than to pull her into my lap and kiss her, but my head is still pounding.

“So, what do you say we find you some Aspirin, get you some breakfast, and then we’ll see about coming up with a plan on how to deal with Craig and Breanna?” Junie asks.

I smile. “That sounds like an excellent plan. But, do you mind being in charge of the medicine and food? I think I might hurl if I try getting off this bed again.”

“Will do. You sit there and look pretty.” She winks and leaves the room.

“Thanks. Will you grab my phone too? I think Shane’s going to want to be a part of this discussion.”

I shut my laptop and immediately scrub my hands over my face and mouth.

“How are you feeling?” Junie asks.

“Like I ran with the bulls while wearing a Santa suit,” I mutter into my hands. Our little conversation with Shane turned into a two-hour meeting with him and our lawyers. After discussing the situation and weighing our options, I’m exhausted.

“Why didn’t I choose a job with less responsibility and lower risks?” I ask the palms of my hands. “Librarian. Why didn’t I become a librarian? I bet they never have trouble sleeping at night.”

Junie giggles. “Maybe. Until someone gets mad at you because you can’t remember the name of ‘the book with the red cover.’”

Her fingers gently tug my hands away from my face, and then she’s sitting beside me. Right beside me. Her thigh pressed against mine in a way that makes me almost forget all the stress building up inside me like a tightly coiled ball of wire.

Her gentle caress makes my pulse thrum in an entirely new rhythm. It’s exactly what I need at this moment, and, acting on impulse, I tug her closer until she’s sitting on my lap. The pressure of her body on top of mine has the same effect I imagine a weighted blanket would have. Soothing and reassuring. I gather her to my chest, burying one hand in her hair while the other rests comfortably on the curve of her waist.

“This is better,” I whisper against her ear. I feel a shiver move through her body, and knowing I can create such an effect in her does something primal to me. “I’m sorry we have to cut our trip short though.”

During our discussion, we decided it would be best if Junie and I fly back early. We’ve already booked the first flight out of here tonight, a red-eye that will get us back to South Carolina by morning. After I drop Junie off at her place, I’ll turn around and leave again, this time with Shane to meet with our lawyers. From there, we’ll quietly fire Breanna and go forward with the lawsuit we’re preparing, along with any necessary damage control.

“Don’t worry,” she murmurs back. One of her hands traces my neck down to my collar bone. Now I’m the one shivering. “I think I’m ready to be done here anyway. I skied, I spent a day at the spa, and I watched your dad get drunk again. All my boxes have been ticked.”

I smirk. “Yeah, but I feel like I’m leaving you after I promised I’d never do that.”

She shakes her head firmly. “You’re not leaving me. I know exactly why you’re going and when you’ll be back. I have zero sad feelings about this.”

“Oh, yeah? Zero sad feelings, huh? And here I was thinking maybe you enjoyed my company enough to miss me when I’m gone.”

Her fingers dig in a little, tickling instead of massaging, and I try to squirm away. We have a brief little war, but I cry uncle when my head starts to pound again.

“I will miss you when you’re gone, you know,” she says, settling against me again. “Especially since…”

I squeeze her hand. “Since what?”

“Well, I forgot to tell you before because of everything that happened at dinner, but remember how I left to take a phone call?”

I nod. I had forgotten about it, but I’m glad she brought it up again.

“It was my dad. He’s coming into town and asked if I could have lunch with him Monday. I was going to see if you wanted to come with me so you could meet him…”

“What? Junie, oh my gosh.” I hug her tighter. It’s becoming a habit. I literally can’t get enough of her. “I’m so sorry. I would have loved to meet your dad. Should I rearrange things with the lawyer?”

“No, no, no, don’t do that.” She waves her hands. “You need to take care of things for work. I wanted you to know that, well, I do want you to meet my dad. Someday. In the future.”

I bring her lips to mine. She tastes faintly of the peanut butter and chocolate candies she’d been eating during our meeting. “I would love to meet him someday.”

She sighs contentedly and grabs a nearby throw, draping it over our laps. Her head rests on my shoulder. My new favorite place is now and will always be anywhere I can hold her just like this.

“By the way,” she says, nuzzling my neck, “happy Valentine’s Day.”

I start and check the date on my phone, immediately groaning. “Seriously? Great. Now I feel even worse. We don’t even have time to have a nice dinner together or anything.”

She shrugs against me. “S’okay. It’s an overrated holiday anyway. At least we get to spend the day together, even if we will be packing.”

“Maybe. But I still think I need to find a way to make it up to you when I get back.”

“You could. Or…” Her eyes dart to mine playfully. “We still have a few hours before we need to leave. How much time do we really need to pack anyway? What if we order room service and cuddle up on the couch with a movie?”

I hand her the remote and kiss her forehead. “Done. You pick the movie, I’ll order the food.”

She smiles happily, her head leaning against my shoulder. “What are you interested in watching?”

“Doesn’t matter to me.” I don’t intend on fully paying attention to the movie anyway.