Page 9 of Hide And Seek

Tamsin nodded at me before replying to the others. “The way you’re all looking at me right now isexactlywhy I didn’t tell you before,” she said. “And if I hadn’t just finished my fourth beer, I probably wouldn’t have said anything tonight either.”

“Oh my god.” Jasmine’s head was slowly shaking. “We need all the juicy deets. Please.”

Tamsin sighed, and then a small, good-natured smile curved up her plump lips. “All right, fine. I’ll tell you what happened,” she said. She paused, lifting a palm. “It was just a one-off thing. I never intended for it to happen, obviously. I mean… ugh. He’s such a dick.”

Wren raised a brow. “No shit.”

“Anyway, it was the middle of the night, and I was suddenly craving sugar,” Tamsin continued. “So I was in the Snack Shed pilfering as many snacks as I could fit in my—”

“Pilfering?” Jesse cut in. “Is this a Charles Dickens novel?”

“Shut up! Do you want to hear the story or not?”

He grinned and leaned back, lifting his palms in a defeated gesture. “Carry on.”

“Jensen walked in and saw me. I guess he was having late night cravings too. And then…” Tamsin slowly shook her head as she trailed off. “I don’t know how to explain it. One second I’m standing there with four Milky Way bars in my hand, and the next I’m on my knees.”

“Um, thiswasconsensual, right?” Jasmine asked, forehead wrinkling. “Just to be clear?”

“Yes, of course. I would’ve said something if it wasn’t,” Tamsin said. Her cheeks had turned bright pink. “It’s just… I really don’t know how to explain it. I absolutelyhateJensen. Always have. But it’s like he has some sort of alpha male magic powers or something. I couldn’t resist him the second he turned on the charm.”

“I guess heispretty hot,” Wren said grudgingly. “Maybe not as hot as Rhys or Garrett, but still... not bad at all.”

Tamsin nodded. “Yeah. So we hooked up that night. And no, Jasmine, youdon’tneed all the dirty details,” she said, flashing her a warning glance.

Jasmine returned the look with a pleading expression. “Just something small to feed my gossip obsession. I’m begging you.”

Tamsin rolled her eyes. Then her good-natured smile reappeared. “Okay, fine. Let’s just say… he got two out of three.”

“Holes?”

“Uh-huh.”

Jesse’s forehead crinkled. “You guys better not have used any props, because if I find out one of those Milky Ways was in your—”

“Oh my god, no! Stop!” Tamsin was starting to giggle now. “There were no candy bars inside me at any time. Not even my stomach, because by the time we were done, I wasn’t hungry anymore. Just worn out.”

“I really can’t believe this.” Wren slowly shook her head. “Like, I’m hearing the words come out of your mouth, but I still can’t believe it.”

“Me neither.” Jasmine arched a brow. “Seriously, why didn’t you tell us? I know we all give each other shit about our hookups, but it’s not serious.”

“Yeah, we’d never actually judge anyone,” Jesse added. “Unless they were into some truly fucked up shit. Like… shit that’s illegal for a good reason.”

Tamsin’s giggles had dried up, and her smile had dropped, replaced with a somber expression. “I guess it wasn’t so much that I thought you guys would be judgmental. I was just embarrassed.”

“Why? I mean, he’s an ass and we all hate him, but heishot. We totally would’ve gotten it.”

Tamsin was quiet for a second. “That’s not why I was embarrassed. It was the way he acted the next day,” she said. “Obviously I wasn’t expecting a relationship or something. It was just a casual hookup. But I thought he’d at least acknowledge my existence afterward. So when I saw him the next morning, I gave him a little smile and wave.”

“And he ignored you?” Jesse asked.

“Worse. He was with some other girl at the time. Grace, I think? Anyway, she noticed me smile and wave, and I heard her say something like, ‘Why the hell isshesmiling at you?’. And then Jensen said, ‘No idea. You know how these local girls act. All desperate for the Hornbacher Hammer’. Then he walked away without a second glance. Like I was just no one.”

Jasmine blinked. “Sorry, he calls his junk the Hornbacher Hammer?”

“Holy shit.” Jesse was clearly suppressing laughter. “He’sthe one who should be embarrassed. Not you.”

Tamsin nodded. “After hearing that bullshit, you’d think I’d be glad he wanted nothing to do with me, right?” she said. “But… it just stung, you know? Like, I’m fine with one-time hookups. But don’t act like it never happened afterwards, or go around acting like I’m some desperate loser. That’s just nasty.”