Chapter 17
DANNY
“How is she?” Jane asks when I return to the living room.
“I think she’ll be okay.”
“We probably shouldn’t be here when she comes out.” Jane reaches for her purse and gives Andy a meaningful glance. “Come on, Andy.”
“Guys, you don’t need to leave. I can talk to Sadie in my bedroom.”
Andy stands from the couch despite my protest. “We have to pick up Lorenzo anyway. It’s all good, bro. Go take care of your girl.”
“She’s not my girl,” I grit out.
He smiles wickedly. “Whatever you say.”
I wait until they’re gone to check on Sadie. I knock first this time; I do not need to see her naked again. As much as I want to forget what I saw last night, it’s hard to erase the image of her perfect breasts from my mind.
And now I’m officially in perv territory.
“Come on in,” she says.
She’s dressed in the clothes I left her, and I won’t deny that seeing her wearing my T-shirt stirs feelings in me I shouldn’t look too closely at.
“How are you feeling?”
“Really awful.” She glances at the food I brought her and twists her nose.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to eat, but I’m afraid my stomach will expel anything I put inside.”
“Try the Saltines. They should be okay to handle.”
She nibbles on one, then immediately puts the cracker down. “What happened at the party, Danny?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, hating what I have to tell her.
“I don’t know who gave you the drug, Sadie. You said someone gave you a couple tequila shots. When I found you, you were with Nick Fowler.”
“What?” I shriek. “I’d never go near that guy of my own free will.”
“I know that. I was so angry, I wanted to punch that motherfucker in the face. But whisking you out of the party was my number one priority. He’s getting what’s coming to him though. Don’t worry.”
Her eyes blaze with fury. “Do you think he’s the one who spiked my drink?”
“I don’t know. Paris went back into the party to investigate and also to see if anyone else had been drugged. I haven’t talked to him yet.”
She pulls her hair back. “I can’t believe I was that stupid. I know not to accept drinks from strangers.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened, Sadie,” I say angrily.
Her eyes widen at my outburst. “Trust me, I’ve already given myself that spiel. I ran through the entire gamut of feelings when I was in your bathroom.”
I rub my face. “I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”
“Hey, don’t you go blaming yourself for it, either. You’re not my bodyguard. And why would I need one at a party anyway? Everyone should feel safe.”
“You’re right.”
We stare at each other for a moment, and I fight the urge to walk over and pull her into my arms. She breaks the connection first by looking at her feet.
“Was I a terrible burden to you after the party?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle. Don’t worry.”
“Nice evasion, Danny.” She looks up, her lips curled into a grin. “That means I was a nightmare.”
I smirk. “Fine. If you want to know all the gritty details of what a pain in the ass you were, I’ll tell you.”
“Go on. Spare me nothing.”
“After you puked all over yourself, my bed, and the floor, I had to stick you under the shower, hence why you weren’t wearing your shirt.”
“Why didn’t you take off my skirt too?”
“Uh….” I rub my neck. “Honestly, I already felt guilty enough that I’d seen your breasts.”
She laughs. “So what? They’re just tits, Danny. Cows have them.”
“Nothing like yours,” I reply, exasperated.
The satisfied smile Sadie rewards me with tells me I fell for her trap. Devious woman.
“You let me sleep with a wet skirt on. And if you felt so bad about seeing me topless, you should have given me a shirt to wear.”
“I covered you with the towel.” I cross my arms. “Stop making me feel worse.”
She shakes her head. “God, you’re so easy to tease.”
“You must be feeling better if you can think of ways to torture me.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Talking about my boobs is torturing you? Good to know. As for feeling better, I’m not so sure. I’m not quite myself yet. There’s the nausea, and I’m feeling weak as hell.”
“I can take you to the hospital. They can run some tests and find out what drug is in your system.”
The playfulness leaves Sadie’s face in an instant.
“No hospitals. I can’t deal with them.”
“Does your scar have anything to do with it?”
She looks away, bracing her hands on the back of the chair. “Yes. Maybe one day I’ll tell you about it, but not today.”
“I’ll be here to listen whenever you’re ready.”
“You’re a good friend, Danny.” She gives me a half smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Ditto.”
“Even after I reenacted a scene from The Exorcist in your room?”
“Yeah, even after that.”
Friends. That’s all Sadie and I can ever be. I want to make peace with that, but I can’t.
It seems this is going to be the lying season.