Lead Me Astray is now published as a Wattpad Book! As a Wattpad reader, you can access Wattpad Books Edition upon purchase and the Original Edition for free.
"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
September 8 | Sunday Morning
I slept through the thunderstorm, replaying memories of Aurie in my arms at the Supernatural nightclub and Mys at the bar flashing smiles that gave away more than intended. Each vision culminated in the explosive sexual interlude afterward.
I tasted Aurie as surely as if she were present in my bed. Her elusive phantom scent filled my nostrils...but the smell of someone cooking breakfast intruded.
Tegan? My lips turned down at the corners. I tried to cling to the sultry dreams until my colleague nudged the partially open bedroom door and tiptoed in. When the mattress groaned from the weight of her climbing in next to me, I looked over my shoulder.
"What's up?" I groused.
"Should be you. It's almost ten. So, I brought you breakfast in bed."
I was expecting something like eggs and toast, but Tegan had raided my fridge to whip up shrimp and grits. Strong black coffee released steam from one corner of the breakfast tray she had dug out from somewhere. Though I wanted to stay annoyed, it was impossible. Tugging the comforter over my bare chest, I repositioned and found a drowsy smile for her.
"Thank you," I mumbled.
"My pleasure. Now, what made you text me at the ass-crack of dawn?" she asked with a grin.
Shrugging, I stared at my plate, wondering if I was reading too much into things. I had given my partner the guest room. She was even dressed in frumpy pajamas, and there wasn't a hint of seduction about her. On the other hand, she smelled like her perfume and my soap. It was oddly discomfiting.
When I met her gaze, tellingly, she ran a hand over my cheek. I ducked to shovel a spoonful of grits into my mouth. No, I wasn't reading too much into anything. She wanted more, but that didn't change the fact I needed someone at the station house I could trust. Tegan Stoney was my best option.
"I had a meeting with my mother last night," I said, chewing.
She took a slow sip of coffee. "Oh, yeah? That's why you called me over?"
"Mum told me I should probably learn to trust you." When Tegan gave me a hopeful glance, I clarified, "With the case, by letting you into my world the way you asked."
"Are you ready to do that?" Her voice was velvet as she leaned toward me.
Nodding, I struggled for a way to talk about Overlay City without sounding like the nutcase people thought me to be. A lifetime of keeping my mouth shut made that difficult, however. I was saved by Tegan's phone ringing in the other room. "You want to catch that first?" I asked. She heaved a sigh and hopped from my bed.
As she disappeared out the door, I went to the en suite. A shower would buy me time to figure out what my partner needed to know and didn't. Plus, I wanted to put something more substantial than boxer briefs between us.
