Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
ADRIANNA
I wake up slowly, my head throbbing so hard it feels like a marching band is doing their thing. I grab my forehead and whimper as I roll over onto my back. My stomach rolls as my mouth waters.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Don’t throw up.
Once the urge to purge everything I consumed last night passes, I open my eyes and look around.
This most definitely isn’t my bedroom. The sheets are smoother than butter under me, and the walls are painted a light gray with accents of blue and white throughout the room.
What the hell did I do last night? Think, Adrianna, think.
Memories of Elijah and me doing shots at the office filter through my mind.
Slowly, I lift the sheets and see that I’m wearing a man’s shirt, and my underwear is still on.
I take stock of my body and sigh when I realize I don’t even have the slightest twinge hinting at us hooking up.
Okay, cool, I didn’t fuck my boss…again.
Very carefully I sit up, and when the room stops spinning, I stand.
At a snail’s pace I leave the comfort of the bedroom and go looking for Elijah.
The smell of breakfast hits me hard, and I don’t know if I want to eat or make friends with the toilet.
When I find Elijah in the kitchen, I have to lean against the wall for support.
Elijah is standing at the stove with his shirt off and gray sweatpants low on his hips. The back of his hair is messy from sleep. Something about the whole scene of me feels intimate.
“I can feel you staring,” he rasps before looking over his shoulder. “Like what you see?”
“I’ve seen better.” I push off the wall and make my way to his kitchen island and take a seat. “Please tell me you have coffee.”
“You know I don’t drink that shit.”
“Elijah…” I moan, making him chuckle.
“Hold on.”
While I wait, I lay my head on the island. The cool stone beneath my skin feels glorious.
“Here. Take these.”
I lift my head up and sit back right as he sets several pills and a cup of coffee on the counter. Looking at his counter, I see the box the coffee machine came in. I’m touched that he seemed to go out and get a coffee machine just for me, but I refuse to acknowledge it.
“What are those?”
“Pain relievers. You look like you could use them.”
“That’s rude. Are you saying I look bad?” I ask as I pop them into my mouth, washing them down with steaming hot coffee.
“Baby, your hair is a mess.” He chuckles.
I hate the way that him calling me baby makes my stomach flip, not in nausea but in excitement. I really, really shouldn’t be this attracted to him.
“What happened last night?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asks as he shuts off the stove and begins to plate the food.
“We were at the office drinking and talking.”
He nods as he slides the plate in front of me before grabbing his own.
“Then it got late, and we came back here.” He doesn’t meet my eyes as he moves toward me.
“Did we…” I ask as he comes to sit next to me.
Elijah gently spins the stool I’m on until my legs are pinned between his. His big hand lands on my upper thigh and squeezes. “No, we didn’t have sex last night. I would never take advantage of you or any woman like that.”
“But I’m in your shirt,” I point out quietly.
“Only because at two, you woke up freaking out. You came into my office in nothing but panties and demanded I come look for some monster under the bed. When I did, I also gave you a shirt to sleep in. After you fell asleep, I went and slept on the couch.”
I nod as relief flows through me. I didn’t really think we had hooked up, but it’s nice having the confirmation.
“Why did you bring me back here when you could have taken me home?”
“You were wasted, and I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaving you alone, so I decided to bring you back here to make sure you didn’t choke on your tongue in the middle of the night.” He shrugs and starts eating.
“That’s…sweet.”
“You say that like you’re shocked.”
“I mean, maybe a little.”
“I might find you insufferable and a pain in my ass, but that doesn’t mean I want you dead, Adrianna.”
“Think about how much easier your life would be, though, if I was,” I quip.
“That’s not funny,” he mutters.
“Not my problem if you’re uncomfortable with death jokes.”
“Please, nothing makes me uncomfortable,” he scoffs.
“Really? Are you sure about that?” I press as I take a bite of food.
I let it sit in my mouth a second as I consider if it’s going to make me sick. Once I’m sure I’m going to be okay, I swallow. The little bit makes me feel better, so I take another bite.
This time I savor the food, biting back a groan as the flavors hit my tongue. Jesus, not only is the man attractive, but he can cook too? Seriously, how can life be this unfair?
“Like it?” he asks with humor in his voice.
“It’s edible. For sure I’ve had better,” I lie.
Elijah scoffs. “Please, we both know it’s more than edible.”
“You totally overbeat them, and they are missing salt,” I tell him as I take another bite.
Elijah glares at the side of my face. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
“Am I, though?”
“You’re a pain in my ass, Ms. Baker.”
“I’ve never tried ass play on a man, but hey, if that’s what you’re into, no judgment,” I quip, leaving him speechless.
“That’s not what I meant,” he says loudly when he finds the words.
“No use in denying it now, Elijah. Don’t worry, I won’t spread it around the office. Your secret is safe with me.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
I smile sweetly. “Promote me to CEO of the foundation, of course.”
“I’m not failing the gala, sweetheart.”
I hum. “Time will tell, won’t it?”
“You keep dreaming.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I already know what I plan to do once it’s mine. I have plans for the office too. What do you think of painting the wall behind the desk a shade of pink? Almost a bubble gum shade so it’s not too loud.”
He scoffs. “You aren’t painting my office pink.”
“It won’t be your office then, now will it?” I hop off the stool.
Between the coffee, pain relievers, and food, I’m feeling better. I take my plate to the sink and rinse it off.
“I’m going to go get dressed and head home. Thank you for taking care of me last night and making sure I didn’t choke on puke.”
Elijah winces and pushes his plate away. “You’re welcome.”
I head back down the hall and into his room. I eye my clothes that are rumpled at the foot of the bed. How I missed them before, I don’t know. For a moment I contemplate putting them on but decide against it. I make my way to his dresser and start opening drawers until I find what I want.
I grab a pair of sweatpants that are clearly well-loved.
I chuckle as I look into the mirror. I look like a slob in oversized clothes, but that’s okay.
As I go to shut the drawer, a flash of gold catches my attention from inside.
Very carefully I move his clothes out of the way and pick up a framed photo.
In the photograph is a younger Elijah with a woman.
They are holding onto each other and look happy.
For some reason the picture makes me feel sick as I study it.
Who is she and why is he hiding the photo?
I want to walk out there and demand he tell me who she is, but I know I don’t have any right to ask.
He’s not mine, and he’s free to do whoever and whatever he pleases.
Very gently, I put the picture back where I found it. The photo might be out of sight, but it’s not out of mind.
ELIJAH
Chuckling under my breath, I stand up and push our chairs in before picking up my plate.
Rounding the island, I go to the sink and start cleaning up the mess I made.
As I wash the dishes, I think about how good she looked in my shirt with her legs on display.
I might have been a gentleman last night, but that was the last thing I wanted to be just moments ago.
She drives me fucking mad, and I love it. Hell, even when she’s clearly hungover, she manages to have a sharp tongue with witty comebacks ready at a moment’s notice. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like her.
Olivia would love her. When thoughts of Mason’s wife filter in, I can’t help but think about her best friend, Chloe, too. God, if the three of them got together, the world would end. Not in a bad way, but in the way they would take over the world as we know it.
The sound of soft footsteps coming down the hall makes me look up. It’s a kick in the gut when I see her standing there with her clothes from last night in her hands while she wears my shirt and sweats.
An image of us curled up on the couch in front of the TV as we lounge the day away pops into my mind. Her head would be on my chest while my arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and my feet would be propped up on the coffee table.
It’s been a long time since I considered such domestic thoughts. I thought I would be more freaked out by them, but it feels right.
She feels right.
“Nice sweats,” I rasp as I push the picture out of my mind.
“I hope you don’t mind. I’ll give them back after I wash them,” she says as she sets her clothes on the island.
“Not at all, and keep them as long as you’d like.”
Adrianna rolls her lips together and drums her fingers on the countertop.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I lean against the counter.
I don’t miss the way her eyes drop to my arms and then the waistband of my sweats. Should I have put on a shirt this morning? Probably, but I wasn’t going to do something different just because she is here.
Besides, I like the way she fucks me with her eyes when she doesn’t think I’m paying attention.
I’m a conceited bastard like that, what can I say?
“I found a photo of you with a woman in the bottom of your drawer,” she blurts out, making ice fill my veins.
“Did you now?”
I didn’t even consider that when I saw the sweats. It’s a photo that brings me a lot of pain. Most of the time I forget it exists, but I keep it as a reminder of what can happen when you let people get too close.
It’s a cold splash of water on the domestic thoughts from before.
“I know I shouldn’t have looked, but I couldn’t help it. Who is she?” she asks softly.
I hum as I start wiping the sponge over the already clean sink. I should have known that if I invited her into my home that she would snoop.
“Elijah…”
I look back up at her and tell her bluntly, “My mother. It’s a photo of my mother and me.”
Adrianna’s head jerks back in surprise. “Wait, really?”
I nod as I put the sponge back in its place and dry my hands. “Yes, really.”
“She looks so young.”
“She had me when she was young.”
“But why are you hiding a photo of your mom and you in your dresser? That doesn’t make sense,” she says with a wrinkle between her eyebrows.
“Because she’s dead.”
Adrianna’s mouth drops open, but nothing comes out.
Huh, I guess I can make her speechless after all.
I know that she’s going to ask questions whether I like it or not, so I answer before she can ask.
“She died when I was nineteen. We were extremely close. She was one of my best friends, and I took her death hard. I put the picture of her away not because I didn’t love her or because she was a bad mom, but because it was hard to look at day in and day out.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she says quietly.
“Thank you.”
No one talks about how awkward it is after you tell someone one of your parents has passed. They feel obligated to give you their condolences when they didn’t even know the deceased. It almost feels ungenuine.
I know Adrianna didn’t mean to open up this can of worms, but she did.
She probably thought that it was a photo of some ex-lover I that I’m still holding on to.
Or hell, maybe she thought it was a photo of someone I’m involved with currently and hid it simply because I didn’t want her to know about it where we’ve slept together.
The thought of her thinking I’m a cheater makes my stomach roll. Does she really think so little of me?
“I should probably go,” she says, pulling me out of my head.
“Do you want me to give you a ride?” I ask as I push off the counter.
Adrianna shakes her head. “No, I ordered a rideshare before I left the bedroom.”
“I see.”
“Elijah, I’m sorry for looking at something when I shouldn’t have and bringing up something that’s clearly a sore spot. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she says sincerely.
“I know, but you did.”
Her phone dings, and she looks down at the screen.
“That your driver?”
“Yeah,” she says as she grabs her things.
Rounding the island, I place my hand on her lower back and guide her toward the door.
“I really am sorry,” she says as I open the door.
“I know. Get home safe,” I tell her as she steps outside.
“See you on Monday.” She smiles.
Leaning against the doorframe, I watch her walk outside before I shut the door. I run my hands over my face as grief hits me like a freight train.
As much as I miss her, I know she’s in a better place now that she’s no longer in pain.
Originally, I had plans to hang out at home today and do nothing, but now that’s not an option, otherwise, I’ll spiral down the grief hole.
“Run, I need to go for a run,” I mutter to myself.
And if that’s not enough, maybe I’ll go steal Ari from Mason and Olivia and take my girl for ice cream. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. Ari is always up for a good time, and you don’t have time to be sad with her.
With a plan in place, I head toward my bedroom to get ready for the day.