Page 36 of Christmas in Quincy (The Edens 0.50)

Cleo

Someone was pounding a drum in the room next door. A really loud, extremely painful drum.

No. Wait. That was just my pulse.

“Fuck you, wine,” I groaned into the pillow, squeezing my eyes shut. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d had to drink last night at dinner with Austin—

I shot out of bed.

Oh. My. God.

Austin had kissed me. Austin Myles had kissed me.

He’d kissed me, right? Or had I dreamed it in my wine-hazed state?

My hand flew to my lips. They felt the same as usual. Maybe a little dry since I hadn’t put on my nightly sleep balm. I traced the edges, searching for any sign that I’d kissed the handsomest, sexiest man I’d ever seen, but there was nothing.

No chafed skin. No puffy swell.

But I hadn’t imagined it. I hadn’t dreamed it. I clearly remembered sitting on the couch in my happy buzz when Austin dropped his lips to mine.

After that, things got fuzzy. Reality had been scraped away by the stubble on his sculpted jaw.

The kiss hadn’t lasted long. There’d been no tongue or playful nips. Just Austin’s soft lips on mine and the all-consuming desire for . . . more.

Oh my God. Austin had kissed me.

Why? Didn’t he hate me? Wasn’t I this major annoyance in his life?

And where was he?

I turned in a circle, my head spinning. The room was empty except for me. I was alone but hadn’t come to the room alone. Austin had been with me. After the card game and kiss, he’d lain on the bed beside me and I’d smiled at him until I’d fallen asleep.

The pillow on his side of the bed had a noticeable dent. The quilt was rumpled because he’d slept on top of the covers while I’d burrowed in deep.

At least he hadn’t suffered on the floor.

He’d slept beside me and he’d kissed me. Or had I kissed him? Oh, shit. My stomach turned. Did I have this entire thing turned around?

“I’m so stupid.” I slapped a hand to my aching forehead.

Austin had no reason to kiss me. None. But I’d been tipsy on wine, something that always made me flirty and forward, and I’d kissed him. Then he’d brought me upstairs and put me to bed.

The man was probably back in California by now.

I tipped my head to the ceiling and groaned. “Montana was a horrible idea.”

Mortification oozed from my bones, making me cringe. I trudged to the bathroom and took in my disheveled state. My hair was everywhere and the makeup I hadn’t washed off last night was smeared on my face.

At least Austin wasn’t here to see the goddamn wreck I’d become. I was the farthest thing from desirable. Hell, I didn’t even want to be me at the moment. So I brushed my teeth, turned on the shower and got to work collecting the shreds of my dignity.

 

; So what if I’d kissed him? I could explain that it was a mistake and apologize. I could definitely pretend it had never happened. Once we got back to LA, I fully expected never to see Austin again, but whatever. He didn’t like me anyway and maybe I’d have an easier time letting go of this crush if Austin became a distant memory.

My shower was far from relaxing with the way my hands shook. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I refused to cry so I rinsed the conditioner from my hair and got out. Melodrama wasn’t going to make this easier.

I dried off and wrapped a towel around my body, then dragged a brush through my hair before twisting it up in a knot. When I emerged from the bathroom, I expected to find my room empty.