Katie Ashley - The Pairing

“I did.” He gave her a teasing smile. “And you’ll be calling out my name more than his.”

“I…” she began before she quickly clamped her lips shut. Her eyes widened before she scrambled off of his lap. Before he could question her on what she was doing, she threw up all over the front of her dress.

When she wavered on her feet like she was going to collapse, Pesh tumbled off the couch, reaching out for her. Grabbing both of her shoulders, he steadied her. She glanced down at her dress before gazing back at him. Pesh’s heart ached at the sight of tears pooling in her eyes. “Are you all right?”

Her chin trembled before big, fat tears slid down her cheeks. “Oh God,” she whispered.

“Please don’t cry.”

“T-This is s-so embarrassing,” she hiccupped.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

Moaning, she covered her face with her hands. “First, I made a fool out of myself coming on to you and now I’ve puked in front of you like some sorority girl who can’t handle her liquor.”

“Stop beating yourself up. Come, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He slid an arm around her waist to steady her on their way down the hall to the bedroom. She continued to weep softly as they made their way into the bathroom. Using his free hand, he flicked on the light. “Can you stand in the shower?”

With a weak nod, she replied, “I think so.”

“If not, there’s a ledge you can sit on. Let me turn on the water for you, and I’ll get you a towel.” He propped her up against the counter before striding over to the shower. Once he felt the water was a good enough temperature, he then went over to the closet. He pulled out a towel before returning to Megan who had her head in her hands.

With his free hand, he took one of her hands and pulled it away from her face. “Please stop beating yourself up. I hate to see you so upset.”

“I can’t help it. I’m such a fool.”

“No, if you’re a fool, then so am I. We both wanted each other.”

“But I got drunk…I never get drunk anymore.”

“It was an accident. Things like that happen.” He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “You are none of the negative things your mind is calling you right now.”

“Really?”

Her broken expression, coupled with her need for his reassurance, nearly crushed him. He had to fight from taking her in his arms. He knew if he did that, he would end up doing something he shouldn’t with her. Finally, he nodded. “But you do smell, so go on and get in the shower.”

The corners of her lips curved up in a half smile. “Do you have something I can change into? And maybe a toothbrush?”

He nodded. “One second.” Leaving her in the bathroom, he went back into the bedroom to his closet. He took out a pair of scrubs he knew would be too big and too long for her and then coupled it with an Emory University T-shirt. When he got back to the bathroom, Megan was struggling with the zipper at the back of her dress.

With a defeated expression, she dropped her hands. “Could you please help me?”

“Of course.” He sat the clothes down on the counter. He then reached up to tug down the zipper. The back of the dress gaped open, exposing her cream colored skin and navy blue lace bra and panties. He closed his eyes to try and block out the glaring images rocketing through his mind. His lips on her skin, his tongue licking up her spine, his hands curving around her ribcage to cup her breasts. He forced himself to step back. Clearing his throat, he replied, “Done.”

Glancing at him over her shoulder, Megan gave him a weak smile. “Thank you.”

He took out a spare toothbrush from underneath the counter and placed it next to the clothes he’d brought her. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Okay.”

Whirling around, he strode out of the bathroom. Not wanting to go too far in case Megan needed him, he began pacing around the bedroom. He momentarily faltered when he heard the shower turn off. He waited for her to appear, but she didn’t. Just as he was about to knock on the door, the whirring hum of the hairdryer started. He continued his pacing as she dried her hair. Next, he heard the sink water turn on as she brushed her teeth. When it was quiet once again in the bathroom, his feet froze as he stared anxiously at the bathroom door.

When it opened, Pesh’s breath caught. Appearing fresh-faced and clean, Megan looked so beautiful as she tentatively stepped into the bedroom. “Everything okay?” he asked.

She jumped at his voice. “Um, it’s fine. Thank you again for the clothes and for letting me shower.”

“You’re more than welcome. And there’s no need to thank me.”

Chewing on her lip, she glanced from the bed to him. “I texted my mother to tell her I was staying the night at Emma’s.” Before he could say anything, she quickly added, “Thank you for putting my purse in the bathroom. That was very thoughtful of you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. Then he thought of her text. “So you’re staying at Aidan and Emma’s?” After all, the last thing he needed was to have her here—a reminder of what he couldn’t have. It would be enough to drive any man crazy.

Megan shook her head. “Do you mind if I stayed here instead?” When he started to open his mouth, she shook her head. “I promise no funny business. I just don’t want to go home yet. If you don’t want to me to stay, you can take me to Emma’s.”

“Of course you can stay.”

“I can sleep on the couch or in the guest room.”

He shook his head. “You’ll sleep right here.” He walked over to his massive king-sized bed. He turned down the covers before glancing back at her. “Come on. Getting some rest will make you feel better.”

She eyed him hesitantly. “I really can’t take your bed. That would be imposing.”

“I don’t mind. I promise.”

“Only if you’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Tentatively, she started walking over to him, her eyes never leaving his. She eased down onto the mattress before sliding beneath the sheets. When she appeared comfortable, he covered her up. As he started to go, she reached out to grab his arm. “No, please don’t go. Don’t leave me alone.”

His brows shot up in surprise. “You want me to stay with you?”

“Yes, please.”

“In this bed…with you?” When she nodded, he exhaled a ragged breath. “Megan, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Don’t overthink it; just stay with me.”

Although his brain was raging war at him to make the sane and responsible decision, he replied, “Give me a few minutes.”

“Okay,” she replied softly.

Turning, he strode into the bathroom. He didn’t bother glancing in the mirror because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t like what he saw. Instead, he stripped off his suit and tie. Although he probably should have thrown on more clothes, he left his boxers on and grabbed a white shirt off the hamper. After pulling it over his head, he went back out into the bedroom.

Megan lay on her side in the bed, her face turned toward the bathroom. Her eyes were closed, but they popped open the moment he entered the bedroom. Without a word to her, he walked around the other side of the bed and climbed inside. Lying on his back, he propped one arm over his head. His other hand rested on his chest. He twisted his fingers into the fabric of his shirt over his heart. Somehow he wanted to still the erratic beating.

Just when he thought he might be comfortable, Megan turned over to face him. “You’re so far away,” she whispered.

“I thought it was for the best.”

The corners of her mouth momentarily turned down in a pout. Then she inched closer to him. He sucked in a breath and tried not to hiss when he felt her head nuzzle against his chest. Before he could stop her, she had thrown an arm around him. Thankfully, she didn’t try anything else. And within a few minutes, her labored breathing signaled she had fallen asleep. Pesh stared up at the ceiling and willed himself to be able to go to sleep as easily.

Surprisingly, as Megan’s soft snores echoed against his side, his eyes grew heavy. For the first time in two years, he fell asleep with someone in his arms.

Sunlight streamed across Megan’s face, causing her to squint her eyes tighter closed against the bright invasion. She was warm and comfortable, and she didn’t want to wake up. But the tranquility of her morning was shattered when a soft snore came from behind her. It was far too deep to be one of Mason’s.

Panic prickled its way up her skin. Where am I? Her eyes frantically scanned the room. Overcome by both masculine décor and smells, she realized she was in a man’s bedroom, or more importantly a man’s bed. She hadn’t woken up this dazed and confused since she got hammered for the first time. She couldn’t even remember what day it was. This was bad. Very, very bad. She had to get out of there and get home to Mason. What kind of mother was she to wake up in a strange man’s bed?

As she tried to roll over, she found herself entrapped by a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Her gaze flicked down to the tan, muscled arm. Who the hell did that belong to? A whimper escaped her lips. Oh God, had she actually slept with a man she had no memory of? Never in her life had she made such a mistake as that. Nausea overcame her, and she knew she needed to get out of bed and into the bathroom.

She shoved herself so hard away from the person that she ended up elbowing him in the ribs. He groaned. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she quickly apologized.

“It’s okay, Megan,” he murmured drowsily.

That voice. It took only a second for her to register who she was in bed with. And with that realization, everything from the night before came crashing down on her. She had accidentally gotten drunk off her ass, Pesh had taken her to his house to sober up, and then…oh God, she had come on to him like a brazen floozy. She buried her head in her hands and moaned.