The Exception by Lauren H. Mae

Twenty-eight

“Morning, sleepyhead. No run today?”

Sonya was surprised to see everyone awake and sitting around the breakfast table the next morning. She’d kinda thought they’d all still be passed out after their drunken escapades the night before. Instead, they were crowded around the breakfast table enjoying the food Emma had prepared for them all.

Sonya’s stomach growled at the sight, reminding her that she was actually starving. The studies were right. Good sex burned a whole lot of calories. She probably didn’t need to run for at least a week.

She grabbed a plate, filling it with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. “I decided to take a break.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed as she sipped her coffee. “That goes on the list of things I never thought I’d hear you say.”

Sonya smirked and bit into a piece of bacon. “You’re the one who told me to work on changing little things. You should be happy I’m taking your advice.”

Em shrugged. “It’s a start. I’ll be happy when you start taking my advice on other things. Especially when those other things make you as happy as I’ve seen you this weekend.”

An image of Trav looking up from between her legs with that grin she’d become addicted to flashed through Sonya’s mind and set her skin on fire. Thank God her blushes were virtually undetectable.

She slid into the empty chair next to Adam who gave her one of those she’s your best friend and you know how she is looks before refocusing on his food.

She was definitely going to tell Emma about the seismic shift in her relationship with Trav, but it wasn’t going to happen in front of everyone.

“Emma—”

“Morning.”

Trav’s gravelly morning voice and her accompanying belly-flip interrupted the rest of her argument. He’d appeared in the kitchen in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, much more than he’d been wearing the last time she saw him and memories of last night popped like fireworks in her brain.

Adam moved over, leaving the chair beside Sonya free, and Trav dropped into it, his arm brushing hers.

“Morning,” she answered. “How’d you sleep?”

He smirked. Shoot. Was that too obvious?

She sucked at this.

“Slept great,” he replied, eyes glued to hers. The air thickened with the idea of saying fuck it and kissing him good morning, but she had to act cool. Everything had changed last night, and she wasn’t about to let the whole room catch on to that fact before she had a chance to properly dissect it.

And maybe relive it a few more times.

“It’s the lake air,” Emma said. “I slept like a baby. I hate that we have to leave today.”

Dylan leaned back in the chair directly across from Sonya and flashed a grin that could only be described as devious.

What was he up to?

“I don’t know, Em,” he said. “I think this place might be haunted. I heard a door closing early this morning, like three a.m. Then footsteps in the hall.”

A prickle of nerves ran down Sonya’s spine, but she brushed it off. It was just a coincidence.

But then Dylan winked in her direction and she knew it wasn’t.

She’d kicked Trav out of her room at three a.m. on the dot. It had been torture, forcing herself to shake him awake and tell his adorable bed-head and sexy bare chest that they had to leave, but she’d been hoping to avoid exactly this. The early morning escape made the most sense. If anyone heard anything, they’d assume someone was using the bathroom or Cat was up with Lucia.

And that story still tracked, so it was fine. Dylan didn’t know a damn thing. He was just being annoying. Like usual. Teasing her to get her to look guilty and out herself.

Well, it wasn’t working. Of all people, she wasn’t getting outsmarted by Dylan.

She pasted on an unbothered grin. “You were probably still dreaming. All of those cookies before bed made you weird-er.”

Dani shook her head around her sip of OJ. “No, I heard it too. Sort of like a soft click, like it didn’t want to get caught.”

“Like a ghost didn’t want to get caught?” Adam laughed into a bite of muffin. “That makes no sense, Dani. Ghosts want to scare you. It’s their whole purpose.”

“That’s true,” Cat said. She handed Lucia to Josh and adjusted her shirt. “They want to get your attention. To deal with their unfinished business.”

Really? Sonya was itching to delve into the fact that her friends apparently believed in the paranormal, but their ridiculousness was saving her ass right now.

Dylan nodded like he was contemplating new evidence. “Thing is, it had already been banging around all night. Bang, bang, bang—right on the wall behind us.”

Dani choked on her juice.

Sonya’s neck burned with the heat of a thousand suns. She studied her friends’ faces one by one, trying to get a read on the room. Where they busted or was everyone still interested in Dylan’s campfire tale?

Cat and Josh chatted with each other, both seemingly oblivious to the I will kill you and your boyfriend look Sonya was giving Dani. Adam was back to his breakfast, haunting forgotten.

But Emma. Her face scrunched curiously, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

They locked eyes and Sonya swallowed. Beside her, Trav shifted in his seat, knocking her chair with his elbow as he raked a hand through his hair. She recognized that habit after weeks of riding his ass at work. It meant guilty as all hell.

He shot her a sideways look, cheeks pink, but his smile was unbothered.

Son of a…

“Well, ghosts aside, it was still a great trip,” Emma said. She stood to gather the coffee carafe, walking it to the sink. She served Sonya a private look. “I’m sure we’ll all be talking about it for a very long time.”

* * *

The ride home was long and quiet, everyone exhausted from a weekend of full-body sports, but Trav was wired with anticipation. Last night had been amazing, and then the morning had been awkward, but not in a bad way. At least he didn’t think so.

They’d obviously been found out, but no one seemed to be surprised. Of course tomorrow at work might be more weird, but they’d obviously talk before then. Right?

God, he felt a little like he was waiting for her to check yes or no on a note he’d slipped her in class.

“I’ll just walk you to your door,” Sonya said when they finally pulled up to Trav’s condo.

He grinned. “How chivalrous.”

She shot him a look and slipped out of the car.

“It was great to meet you,” he said to Dylan and Dani. “Thanks again for letting me tag along.”

Dylan slapped his palm and winked. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you. Just remember what I said.”

“What did you say?” Dani asked, her eyes darting between them.

“Don’t worry, Dani-pie. Just a little man to man.”

Trav grabbed his bag from the back and Sonya fell into step with him on the concrete walkway.

“So,” he said when they reached his door.

“So.” Her smile was soft, timid. She reached up to twist a braid between her fingers, glancing over her shoulder at the SUV.

Trav was fully aware that they had an audience, but the desire to kiss her again burned in his chest. And if she was anywhere near the same page as he was about this, Dylan and Dani were going to find out sooner or later so… “Sonya, I—”

“I’ll call you,” she said at the same time.

His stomach sank with a flash of self-consciousness. Maybe they weren’t on the same page. “Okay. We should talk before my shift Tuesday.”

“Yes. We will. It won’t take me long to drop them at Dani’s, then…”

“Right. Sonya?”

“Mmm?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

Trav leaned in, turning his shoulder to partially shield them from the car and the others who weren’t hiding the fact that they were watching through the window. “Last night—that wasn’t an accident, right?” he whispered in her ear.

She brushed her fingers over her neck, eyes darting over her shoulder. “It wasn’t an accident.”

“You’ll call me later?” He fingered the hem of her t-shirt, letting his thumb brush her hip.

“Yes. I’ll call.” More breathlessness. His confidence started to climb again. She wasn’t blowing him off, she was just easing into it. He shook his head, grinning down at her. He could play this how she wanted. He’d been asking how high to jump since he met her.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Time to go before he did something he wasn’t sure she would forgive him for.

Sonya nodded and headed back to the car while he unlocked his front door, thinking about a cold shower. Just before he stepped inside, her voice stopped him.

“Trav, wait.”

He turned to see Sonya toss the keys to Dani who’d been hanging out the window eavesdropping.

“I’ll pick it up tomorrow,” she said over her shoulder. And she ran up the sidewalk to the threshold where he was glued to the ground. Two feet short, she launched herself at him.

He dropped his pack and caught her, eyes wide as she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him.

“I’m going to stay,” she said. “Okay?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”