Free First Kiss: The Ghost Bird Series: #10 (The Academy Ghost Bird Series) by C. L. Stone Page A

“Hang on,” he said with a chuckle. “I can’t open the door and hold you at the same time.”
    I pulled back, waiting. Kota opened the door and reached back around my waist to pull me against him, picking me up to carry me into the hallway.
    I was met with a wave of heated air—Nathan’s house was warmer than Kota’s—and I breathed in deeply, catching the leather and wood scents of the house.
    Kota locked the door behind us and urged me on. I shuffled forward, and then stopped and listened when I heard an unfamiliar sound.
    Someone was in the bathroom in Nathan’s dad’s room. I was usually the only one who used it since everyone else liked Nathan’s new shower.
    Kota turned his head toward the sound. “Looks like someone beat you to it,” he said, before turning me toward the hallway bathroom. “You’ll have to settle for a warm shower instead of a bath.”
    A memory of being inside the shower at Victor’s house sent waves of nausea to my empty stomach.  I almost whimpered but coughed to cover it. “I could wait.”
    “You’re freezing,” Kota said with a chuckle, though his eyes were concerned. “Your lips are turning blue. You need to get warm.”
    As I stood still in the kitchen, hesitating, I touched my lips. The sprint here and fear were warding off the cold, but that wasn’t the point. I pressed my lips together, secretly hoping whoever was in that bathroom would finish quickly. There wasn’t an argument I could make that would make sense.
    I could wash in the sink, but wouldn’t he notice if I never turned the shower on?
    Before I could say anything, Kota moved ahead of me to the hallway bathroom. He opened the door, turning on the light, looking at the fog on the mirror. “Someone’s been in here already,” he said. “Hopefully, there’s some hot water left.”
    I stood in the doorway, holding myself together as Kota got a towel from the linen closet. “Go find some clothes so you can change,” he said.
    I escaped to the bedroom, finding some breathing space as I searched in Nathan’s closet. Not a big deal. So I’d go into the bathroom, wait until Kota was distracted and wash up in the sink. I pressed a hand to my chest, over my heart beating rapidly against my ribs. I searched for clothes that would be appropriate to wear today since it was cold. I found a pair of black cotton slacks and a large sweater that would fall over my hips and grabbed underwear and a bra.
    I dropped all of the clothes at the sound of the shower turning on in the bathroom.
    “Sang!” Kota called out to me. “Hurry up. I’m getting the water ready.”
    I gasped in panic. I bent over, picking up the clothes with shaking hands and hugging them to my body so I wouldn’t drop them again.
    But I couldn’t stand up. I remained frozen in fear, knees bent, head down, eyes closed. The patter of water spray hitting the shower tiles echoing in my head was all I could hear.
    Telling myself to calm down, I tried to talk myself into moving. I could go into the bathroom. I had gone in before with Nathan when he thought he might be hurt. I didn’t have to actually go into the shower stall. The water didn’t have to touch me.
    “Sang?” Kota called, his voice louder.
    I forced myself to stand, to suck in some air and draw some courage. Don’t look at the shower. Just walk in and face the sink.
    I turned, carrying the clothes close to my chest.
    I passed Kota in the hall, although I didn’t say anything.
    “It’s ready,” he said quietly. “You have everything?”
    I nodded quickly, and before I could reconsider, I stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.
    The shower was much louder now. I stood with my back pressed to the door, staring at the floor, and the clothes in my arms. The cold tile chilled my already cold feet. Steam drifted to me from the running shower, and I breathed in the warmth.
    I was still standing. That’s progress, right?
    I put the clothes down on the counter and I started to strip