The Collectors: The Complete Series by Reed Autumn

Author:Reed, Autumn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Adele

I’d had quite a few optimistic ideas about facing the new year with a shiny new attitude. But now that it was upon me, I wanted to stay in bed. The morning sun was too bright, my head hurt, and I was exhausted.

The six of us had ended up spending the rest of the night binging on takeout, booze, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Because, what the hell else would we do to ring in the new year?

We’d paused the show to make toasts at midnight, and I’d carefully positioned myself next to Jem. It felt wrong not to kiss any of the guys, but when the moment was upon me, I’d chickened out. I couldn’t just take turns kissing Stowe, Noah, and Jameson in front of Mason and Jem. So, I’d awkwardly avoided everyone’s gazes, and they’d obviously gotten the picture.

We were going to have to sort it out...eventually. Actually discuss what was going on and what future—if any—they saw with me. Individually or together. I couldn’t wrap my mind around either option at the moment, so I was happily pushing that conversation off for another day.

When I arrived in the kitchen, Mason was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes, while Jameson chopped vegetables. Though Mason had decided to sleep over instead of driving home when we’d finally stopped watching TV at almost three o’clock this morning, I was a little surprised he was still here. I’d figured he’d want to head home to Sasha first thing, despite his insistence that he had staff at the plantation to watch after her.

“Good morning,” I said, attempting more cheer than I actually felt. Even my shower hadn’t managed to wake me up, and that was usually the key.

Was this what a mild hangover felt like? I mentally counted how many drinks I’d had last night. When I couldn’t easily determine the number, I decided that the answer was yes.

“Hey there, little thief.” Mason showed me one of his most charming grins. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve felt better.”

Jameson paused in his chopping to grab a small, white bottle from the pantry before filling a glass with water. He set them down in front of me on the counter. “Here. Take two painkillers, and drink all of the water.”

I didn’t even hesitate in following his instructions. He undoubtedly knew more about how to cure a hangover than I did. “Thank you.”

His responding smile appeared a little uncertain, which was new. Though not entirely surprising, once I thought about it. Jameson had opened up to me about Heidi last night. He’d made himself vulnerable, at least to a degree. And that kind of openness had a tendency to change things.

But when it came to Jameson, I knew not to expect too much too soon. Even if he quit the hot and cold routine, I anticipated stormy weather ahead. Yet, for the first time, the thought of clashing with him didn’t aggravate me. Maybe because I finally understood that the excruciating process of breaking through his walls would be worth it in the end.

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