Read Online Tymber Dalton by Out of the Darkness - Free Book Online

sleep?”
    “He’s pretty hyper.”
    “That’s an understatement. What’s in his kibble, coffee beans?”
    “I warned you he’s a handful.”
    “Aw, he’s not that bad. We’re getting along pretty well.”
    “You could ask the vet for a tranquilizer for the trip. For him, not for you.”
    “That’s the other reason I’m calling, I’m coming down two weeks early, if that’s okay? I could use a vacation. I thought since I deserve hazard pay for babysitting this holy terror, I could sponge off you two.”
    Her heart skipped a beat. He’d be there in only three weeks! “Sure. Of course it’s okay. You’re always welcome. Plenty of room.”
    “Keep in touch, let me know what’s going on, okay?”
    “Okay.” She hung up and stared at the phone. Three weeks.
    Reality shoved her moment of thrilled anticipation back in its closet. She ran back upstairs. The furniture would arrive anytime, and she was nowhere close to ready. Stripping her clothes off as she ran, she yanked the pillow out from under Steve’s head and slammed it down on his face.
    “Get up, it’s nearly nine!” She started the shower and checked on Steve. He moaned, protesting the disturbance of his slumber.
    She offered no sympathy. “It’s not my fault you decided to take a midnight stroll. Get your ass up out of that bed.”
    It took the shower a moment to warm up. She jumped in and, despite her rush, her mind wandered.
    Having Matt in the house would be a blessing—and a curse. It’d been over eight years. While she tried not to think about the relationship they’d had, pleasant memories crept to mind, mostly due to her deteriorating relationship with Steve.
    She couldn’t lie to herself and say she didn’t love Matt and want to be with him. She’d always love him. Her problems with Steve didn’t help any.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sami’s pillow attack startled Steve, but he felt groggy, unable to get moving. Sami’s tone of voice more than her actual words finally broke through the veil of sleep holding him hostage.
    “What? What are you talking about?” She’d already jumped in the shower and couldn’t hear. She was pissed about something. He was well acquainted with that tone of voice over the past few years.
    And he knew his words or actions usually caused it.
    He rolled over and stared at the ceiling, scrubbing his face with his hands. Why the hell did he feel so tired this morning? It hadn’t been that late when he went to bed.
    Had it?
    He threw the covers back and sat up. Looking down, he realized with some surprise that his feet were filthy.
    “What the hell?”
    He pulled the covers down to the foot of the bed. Dark sugar sand coated his side of the sheets. Whatever he’d done last night, he had no recollection of it.
    A cold, hard rock settled in his stomach, chilling him. He shivered as gooseflesh pimpled his arms.
    He brushed the sand off the sheets as best he could and quickly made the bed. There was an identical set of sheets in the linen closet. He’d change them later when Sami was busy doing other things. Then he stopped, rational thought finally taking over.
    She already knew more than he did. Why else would she be so upset?
    Still, the sheets had to be changed. No reason to piss her off even more.
    He heard the water shut off, and he quickly stripped and slipped past Sami into the shower while she towel dried her hair. He snapped the shower curtain closed and turned the water on, nearly scalding himself until he fumbled for the handle and adjusted the temperature. He sloshed his feet around to rinse off the worst of the dirt.
    “I’m sorry I overslept, honey.”
    “Where the hell did you go last night?” From the tone of her voice he knew he had a lot of sucking up to do.
    He didn’t have an answer. Unbidden, his mother’s voice came to him, a memory from his childhood.
    “Gonna have to bell you, Stevie, wanderin’ off like you do in the night. Can’t get a decent night’s sleep sometimes, boy.”