Read Tease: A Kings of Korruption MC Novel for Free Online Page B

overwhelming need to pee slowly pulls me from my sleep.   Groggily, I bury my face deeper into the pillow and groan.   I feel like shit.   My head throbs, my body aches, and my mouth tastes terrible.   Feeling wetness on my cheek, I lift my head and touch the pillow.   Gross.   Drool.
    Sliding my hand along my chin to wipe the excess from my skin, I yawn and stretch, trying to wake myself up.   My brain is fuzzy as I try to remember what the hell I did last night.   Reaching out, I pat the air intending to pat Dex.   He likely hates me right now.   I don’t remember taking him out to pee last night at all.
    My hand searches the blankets beside me but comes up with nothing but air.   Dex isn’t there.   Weird.   “Dex.”   My call is barely more than a whisper thanks to my dry throat.   Hearing a noise from the kitchen, I bolt upright in bed.
    “Dex!”   My voice is louder this time, and my heart pounds in my chest as I wait to hear something from the other room – anything.   Suddenly, I hear the tinkling of Dex’s dog tags coming closer, followed by the heavy thump of footsteps.   Fear causes my blood to run cold.
    “Hello?”   The door squeaks quietly as it’s pushed open, and suddenly Dex is on the bed, his wet nose pushing into my hand.   I reach up and give him a stroke, straining my ears for the sounds of footsteps.   Slowly, I lean toward my nightstand, feeling for the large paper weight I keep there.   It’s not much of a weapon, but it could cause a serious headache if it were to crash its way into the skull of an unwelcome houseguest.   “Who’s there?”
    “Just me.”  
    Relief floods me when I realize that it’s Travis, but is quickly replaced with confusion then embarrassment as the events of the night before come flooding back to me.   Oh God .   My drunk dialing him had not been my wisest move.   And topping it off with slicing my foot open was classic.   Way to show him what a great catch you are, dumbass.
    Groaning, I bury my face in my hands.   “Oh God.   I’m such an idiot.”
    His footsteps approach the bed.   “I made you breakfast.   Your foot’s gonna be sore for a few days, so you need to stay off it.”
    I sink my head lower into my hands, and my words are muffled.   “Thank you.   I’m so freaking embarrassed.”
    An amused snort fills my ears, coming from closer than he was before.   “Babe, it’s cool.”
    It dawns on me then that it’s morning, and he’s still here.   “You stayed the night?”
    He inhales heavily.   “Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure you didn’t get up in the night and fall again.”
    Anger creeps its way into my thoughts making my cheeks flush with heat.   I have to work to control my voice.   “Cause I’m blind?”
    Annoyance clear in his voice, he replies, “No, because you were flat on your ass drunk with glass sticking out of your fuckin’ foot.”   As quickly as it came, the anger washes away with relief at his honest answer.   “I slept on the couch, took the dog out, made you breakfast – you need to eat.   It’ll get rid of that hangover.”
    My cheeks flame brighter.   He slept on my couch?   I may not be able to see him, but I’ve felt him … kind of.   And his voice comes from high above me when we’re standing.   I know he’s tall, so I don’t know how he fit on my short, flowery couch.
    “Well … thank you for staying.   And for the breakfast and dealing with Dex.”   An awkward vibe fills the room, and I search my mind frantically for something to say, but he beats me to it.
    “Yeah.”   The awkward silence remains until he breaks it with his gruff voice.   “Look, I gotta go.   Get some food into you, and stay off your foot for a while.”   His footsteps moving toward the door and my heart pounds.   I need to say something – anything.
    “Travis?”
    His steps pause, but he says nothing.
    “I’m making stuffed manicotti for supper tonight.   Did you want to