I’m not sure, but somehow he managed it. Dismissing the thought of a shower, I replied, “Uh... okay.”
Mental note: barricade the door before going to sleep.
“Thanks again for letting me crash here.”
“No problem. We like having company, don’t we Marvin?” she asked, rubbing the monstrous beast’s chest. That time I did shudder as the bird gazed at me with its gleaming black eyes that felt as though they were looking right down into the deepest parts of me. Plastering a smile on my face before Alyssa turned her attention back to me, I took a step backwards into the room.
“Well, goodnight.”
I waited until Alyssa and Marvin had disappeared down the hallway before I closed the door and shifted the armchair in front of it as quietly as I could.
“That is one creepy ass bird,” I muttered to myself as I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into my borrowed sleepwear.
It felt odd to be wearing someone else’s pajamas, especially when they consisted of a skimpy camisole and matching shorts that were barely decent. Living in the mountains where it was all but guaranteed to be below freezing most nights, my own pajamas were of the head-to-toe flannel variety. Not at all sexy, but a damn sight warmer than the scraps of satin and lace Alyssa seemed so fond of. The fabric was cool against my skin and tickled my breasts with every breath I took.
Well, that’s going to make for an interesting night’s sleep, I thought as I pulled back the covers.
Settling down into the feather mattress, surrounded by cloud-like softness, I soon realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about the slinky pajamas keeping me awake. Sleep flowed over me in a crushing wave, erasing all thoughts and worries as it swept me up in its powerful eddy. Even as I snuggled deeper into the pillows, I felt myself drifting off into the welcoming arms of sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS SOME OF my role-playing game friends would say, the night passed uneventfully, free of nightmarish visits from my gracious host’s terrifying bird. Stifling a wide yawn I stretched out in the bed, surrounded by feather stuffed pillows and the sugary smell of cotton candy. The sky was still murky beyond the blinds and layers of lace, and for a moment I thought about burrowing under the heavy warmth of the blankets and going back to sleep. The distant scent of fresh coffee, however, tugged at me.
Working the last traces of stiffness out of my shoulders, I threw back the covers and decided to tackle one need at a time. After visiting the bathroom I ambled towards the kitchen, yawning and ruffling my hair in an attempt to tame my serious case of bed head, moving with one thought in mind.
Must have coffee.
It turned out that Alyssa was a bit of a morning person, a rare breed of creature that lesser mortals find terribly annoying. I found them especially irritating before I’d had my first cup of coffee. It had taken Holbrook all of five minutes to discover that Riley before coffee was not someone to be trifled with. Alyssa, it seemed, had not received the memo.
Shuffling into the kitchen, I moved towards the coffee pot like a zombie zeroing in on a nice juicy cranium full of delicious brain mush.
“Good morning!”
The exuberance of my host made me cringe, and it took several long moments for a suitable reply to filter down to my mouth from my sluggish brain. I could all but smell the hot metal stench of the gears in my brain straining to move without sufficient lubrication.
“Morning.”
The first sip of coffee would have been pure heaven if not for the grating squawk of “Morning!” from Marvin. The foul beast appeared unfazed by the glare I shot at him over the rim of my cup.
“You hungry? I can warm up some cinnamon rolls.”
My mood instantly improved at the promise of sugary icing and baked goods, giving me enough of a boost to ignore the bird.
“That would be great,” I replied, leaning back against the
Mental note: barricade the door before going to sleep.
“Thanks again for letting me crash here.”
“No problem. We like having company, don’t we Marvin?” she asked, rubbing the monstrous beast’s chest. That time I did shudder as the bird gazed at me with its gleaming black eyes that felt as though they were looking right down into the deepest parts of me. Plastering a smile on my face before Alyssa turned her attention back to me, I took a step backwards into the room.
“Well, goodnight.”
I waited until Alyssa and Marvin had disappeared down the hallway before I closed the door and shifted the armchair in front of it as quietly as I could.
“That is one creepy ass bird,” I muttered to myself as I stripped out of my clothes and slipped into my borrowed sleepwear.
It felt odd to be wearing someone else’s pajamas, especially when they consisted of a skimpy camisole and matching shorts that were barely decent. Living in the mountains where it was all but guaranteed to be below freezing most nights, my own pajamas were of the head-to-toe flannel variety. Not at all sexy, but a damn sight warmer than the scraps of satin and lace Alyssa seemed so fond of. The fabric was cool against my skin and tickled my breasts with every breath I took.
Well, that’s going to make for an interesting night’s sleep, I thought as I pulled back the covers.
Settling down into the feather mattress, surrounded by cloud-like softness, I soon realized that I wouldn’t have to worry about the slinky pajamas keeping me awake. Sleep flowed over me in a crushing wave, erasing all thoughts and worries as it swept me up in its powerful eddy. Even as I snuggled deeper into the pillows, I felt myself drifting off into the welcoming arms of sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS SOME OF my role-playing game friends would say, the night passed uneventfully, free of nightmarish visits from my gracious host’s terrifying bird. Stifling a wide yawn I stretched out in the bed, surrounded by feather stuffed pillows and the sugary smell of cotton candy. The sky was still murky beyond the blinds and layers of lace, and for a moment I thought about burrowing under the heavy warmth of the blankets and going back to sleep. The distant scent of fresh coffee, however, tugged at me.
Working the last traces of stiffness out of my shoulders, I threw back the covers and decided to tackle one need at a time. After visiting the bathroom I ambled towards the kitchen, yawning and ruffling my hair in an attempt to tame my serious case of bed head, moving with one thought in mind.
Must have coffee.
It turned out that Alyssa was a bit of a morning person, a rare breed of creature that lesser mortals find terribly annoying. I found them especially irritating before I’d had my first cup of coffee. It had taken Holbrook all of five minutes to discover that Riley before coffee was not someone to be trifled with. Alyssa, it seemed, had not received the memo.
Shuffling into the kitchen, I moved towards the coffee pot like a zombie zeroing in on a nice juicy cranium full of delicious brain mush.
“Good morning!”
The exuberance of my host made me cringe, and it took several long moments for a suitable reply to filter down to my mouth from my sluggish brain. I could all but smell the hot metal stench of the gears in my brain straining to move without sufficient lubrication.
“Morning.”
The first sip of coffee would have been pure heaven if not for the grating squawk of “Morning!” from Marvin. The foul beast appeared unfazed by the glare I shot at him over the rim of my cup.
“You hungry? I can warm up some cinnamon rolls.”
My mood instantly improved at the promise of sugary icing and baked goods, giving me enough of a boost to ignore the bird.
“That would be great,” I replied, leaning back against the
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