Shades of Sydney (Sydney West #1) by Brittney Coon Page B

wouldn’t move. I wanted to yell at him, but my words were lost. Dreams took me over. I gave into them. No point in fighting.
     
    ***
     
    A rock was trying to crack my skull, I knew it. It wasn’t visible, but it was heavy and determined to be the end of me. My eyes were going to burst in their sockets. My whole being was about to explode. I loathed hangovers. They were hell. I used my fingers to rub circles into my temples, trying to ease the pain. A snore to my left broke the thoughts about myself. Who the fuck was in my room?
    I sat up, regretting it the instant I did. A whoosh went through my ears. My heart was pounding too damn loudly. The room was in shadows. Faint light streamed through my curtains. A groan came from my parted lips. It was followed by another snore.
    “Who’s in my room?” I asked aloud.
    No response.
    Swallowing my fear, I spoke louder. “Who the hell is in my room?”
    I saw a figure move out of the corner of my eye. I wasn’t deranged. Someone was in my room.
    My heart leaped into my throat. “Amelia? Is that you?” I asked softly.
    A moan drifted through the air. It sounded masculine. Fear froze my body, forcing my heart into overdrive.
    “Sydney?” a voice asked.
    “Yes?” I breathed, afraid to move.
    The man yawned and asked, “What time is it?”
    I clenched my fists, wishing I kept a pocket knife by my bed. “Umm…I don’t know. Who the fuck are you?”
    He laughed. “You don’t remember last night, do you?”
    “No…”
    Wait, I did. I got wasted and couldn’t walk straight. Jason brought me home. I got sick, and it was Jason who nursed me at my bedside. Jason had stayed over in my room without having sex with me. What the fuck was going on?
    “I remember now. Why are you still here?”
    “Nice way to thank someone for watching your back.”
    He groaned while stretching his arms. I could see him now. He was in the corner of my room in the office chair that belonged to the desk. I never sat there because it was too painful for my lower back. I wondered how much Jason’s back hurt this morning. Maybe I could rub oil on his naked body and take away his agony. Why did my mind always go somewhere dirty?
    I bowed my head and stared at my blanket. “I’m sorry. I’ve never woken up to—”
    “The way you left after we had sex, I’m guessing you never stay to morning.”
    His words tasted bitter, like vinegar.
    He couldn’t know the truth about me. I bit my lip, searching for the right thing to say. I gave up on perfect and said, “I was going to say I’m not used to people in my room. No one is allowed in my room.”
    His eyebrows knitted together. Those silver eyes pierced me, like storm clouds about to burst with rain. I forced my gaze to the curtains, glowing with morning light. “What do you mean?” he asked.
    Great, he wanted to chat, just what I wanted to do with a hangover.
    I looked at him, willing him to go with my eyes. He misunderstood my message and came to sit at the edge of my bed. If he got any closer, all bets were off. I was going to touch him. I knew it down to my bones. Jason was like a first hit of a powerful drug, leaving its user to crave more.
    His eyes pulled me in, trying to drown me in emotions. I dropped my eyes to my lap. “I’m the only one who enters my room. Amelia comes in to bother me, but she doesn’t stay. I never have sleepovers here.”
    Jason looked even more confused. He tilted his head like a lost puppy. “Sleepovers?”
    I rubbed my forehead. “That’s code for sex. I never have sex in my bed.”
    His silver eyes felt like hot metal trying to scorch me. “What? Why?”
    “Personal reasons,” I said, trying to be vague.
    “Oh— oh . I get it now,” he said dryly.
    His tone threw me. I rubbed my pounding temple and asked, “You get what?”
    Jason stood and paced in front of me, waving his arms in the air as he talked. “You don’t have sex here because you can’t escape.”
    I felt my face fall. Was I that