Out of the Blue

Chapter 10

A loud bang woke me the next morning, and oh, how it felt like something had slammed into my skull. I squeezed my eyes tighter than they already were and buried my head under the pillow. It was so loud!

That's when I finally noticed the scent that always sent me into a tailspin. Justin's intoxicating woodiness enveloped me with the pillow, and I froze, eyes bulging as the night before come back to me in a mixture of fuzzy memories.

Wet pussies. Mixers. Vodka. More wet pussies. Justin. His arm around me. His scent as he held me close. Stairs falling out beneath me and him sweeping me into his arms on the way up.

My heart thumped. That was all I could remember. What happened next? I was in a bed that smelled like Justin Hart! Was he in the bed with me?

It took a lot of courage to lift the pillow the tiniest fraction and use one eye to peek at my surroundings. The other side of the bed was empty, and I let out a sigh of relief. Removing the pillow, I sat up and threw the covers off. My head spun at the fast movement, but I had to be certain.

Another sigh of relief. All my clothes were still on. My skinny jeans were tight, except the button, which was popped, and my bra was still on. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my shoes near the closed door.

Looking around curiously, other items in the room told me it was definitely Justin's. Not only did it smell like him, but I recognised the backpack he took to classes. There was an acoustic guitar resting against a very full bookshelf along one wall, a computer desk with two screens that looked like it was out of some crime-stoppers movie, and a photo on the nightstand beside me. He was in it.

I reached for the frame, curious about the young girl he carried on his back. My racing heart dropped the moment I recognised her. It was Claire, his little sister. It had to be. I'd met her once, as a newborn, and it was shortly after that meeting that I refused to spend time with Caroline. Back then, all I could think was that she finally had the daughter she wanted. She didn't need me anymore. Not long after that, she was officially removed as my adoptive mother.

I traced a finger around the edge of the wooden frame. Justin and Claire looked happy. He was smiling and she was laughing, her long brunette hair falling over his shoulder. They were on a beach. It was beautiful. They were beautiful. I quickly returned the picture to its place on his bedside table. No, I couldn't let those feelings take over. Not right now. Not when I was in Justin's bedroom, in his house.

Thankfully, I knew he didn't live with his dad, Claire and Caroline. He had his own place—which technically belonged to his father—that he shared with Dale and Darcy. They'd moved in with him when they all started university. Their parents lived on the central coast and this was much closer to campus. Sascha had also told me that they'd become a little more lenient and accepting of their children's career desires after their brother died. But that was another story altogether.

I got out of bed and looked around. Justin must be somewhere in the house. What was I supposed to do? I'd never slept in a someone else's bed overnight before. Well, except Sascha's and my cousins, but those didn't count. I quickly made the bed, pulling the soft navy sheets up and fluffing the pillows. That was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

One of the two other doors in the room stood slightly ajar. It was a bathroom. With relief, I stepped in to use the toilet. Waterproof makeup was my godsend in this situation. Most of my foundation was gone and I cringed at the fact it had rubbed off on Justin's pillow, but my eye liner and mascara were barely smudged. I used water to neaten myself up and rinse my mouth out. I wasn't game enough to use the toothpaste of mouthwash resting on the basin. That would be weird, right?