The Pairing (The Proposition #3)(21)

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.

“Hey, how do you feel this morning?” he asked.

“Like I’ve been run over by a truck.”

“Want me to fix you a good hangover cure?”

She peeked at him through her fingers. “You actually know a hangover cure?”

He smiled. “You think someone like me has never been drunk?” When she bobbed her head, he laughed. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there have been many, many times I’ve woken up just as you are now.”

“That’s hard to imagine.” She gazed down at the scrubs and T-shirt she was in. Although she doubted it, she couldn’t help but ask. “Did we…”

“No, we didn’t.”

She arched her brows in surprise. “If we didn’t sleep together, then why did you…I mean, why are you in bed with me?”

“Because you begged me to stay.”

She gasped in horror. Wasn’t it enough that she had thrown herself so wantonly at him, but now she’d begged him to stay with her? “I did?”

He nodded. “You said you didn’t want to be alone.”

Vaguely she remembered pleading with him to lie close to her. What a nightmare. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” When she started to protest, he held up a hand. “I have to admit it was nice being in bed with someone again—feeling their warmth, the softness of their body as they lay beside you.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve missed that more than I knew.”

Overcome with the emotions threatening to overtake her, Megan didn’t know what to say. All she knew is she needed to get out of there. “I need to get home…or to Emma’s. I can’t let my parents think I stayed out all night with a man I just met.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t dream of compromising your reputation.”

She stared at him for a moment. Sometimes the way he spoke made it seem like he was from a different world or time period. “I, uh, I need to use the bathroom.”

“Go ahead.”

Tumbling out of the covers, she then streaked across the room. Once she closed the door behind her, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding. She made it to the toilet just in time to throw up again. She wondered after doing the same thing the night before how there was anything left in her stomach to empty. Once she finished, she leaned over the sink, pooling water in her hand before bringing it to her mouth. After gargling to rid herself of the nasty taste, she eventually dug under the counter for some mouthwash, and then brushed her teeth.

Without a hairbrush or comb, she did her best to tame her out-of-control hair. Once she surmised that she looked presentable enough to face the firing squad, aka Aidan and Emma, she left the bathroom. Pesh had thrown on some clothes and stood in the middle of the room. He raised his brows expectantly at her.

“I’m ready to go now.”

“Of course.”

When she started for the bedroom door, she abruptly stopped. “Wait, my dress?”

“I’ll send it out to be dry cleaned.”

“Oh,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

In silence, they made their way through the house. Megan tried not to be so obvious as she took in the high ceilings of the living room, the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a large, spacious yard. Pesh had an amazing house—one that was far too big for just him. It certainly was made for a family—the one he sadly didn’t have.

As he started to open the door leading out to the garage for her, Pesh stopped and turned around. Staring intently at her, he said, “I’d like to see you again.”

Megan couldn’t help the shocked gasp that escaped her lips. She’d made a repeated fool out of herself the night before, and he still wanted to see her? “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

She gave a slight jerk of her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”

“But why?” he countered sincerely.

With a contemptuous snort, she replied, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“If you’re alluding to the fact you accidentally got drunk last night and then became ill, that has little relevance to me. Accidents happen, and I’m man enough to realize that.” He closed the gap between them. “I liked being with you yesterday.”

Remembering what Emma had said, Megan couldn’t help asking, “You want to date me, don’t you?”