Reason and Romance (River Valley Book 1) by Jenn Young

including the adults must have gone to bed.
    Alex got out of the car while Adrian fumbled for her forgotten shoes. Justin had put them somewhere, but damned if she could find them. She was still looking for them when Alex came around to her side and opened the door.
    “Come on,” he said.
    He grabbed her shoes and wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned on him as she stumbled into the house.
    Her bedroom was closer, so he stopped by her door and disengaged himself. “Why don’t you hit the shower? You take the one here, and I’ll take the one upstairs. Pop some aspirin when you’re done. It’ll help with the hangover in the morning.”
    She groped at the wall, inching her way to the bathroom. It was, luckily, right next to her bedroom. He was gone before she even made it to the shower.
    The bathroom lights were harsh, and she winced and threw up a hand. Then the coldness set in so deep that she was shaking by the time she untied her halter. Had she just tried to … what the hell had she tried to do with Alex?
    Her fingers clumsy, she let the halter fall to the floor. She undressed and stepped into the shower. The hot water pounded on her naked back and pounded the misery out of her. She reached mechanically for the shampoo bottle. It was slippery in her fingers, and she clutched it to her breasts like a trophy. What was the use?
    She slid down to the shower floor and rested her head on her knees. The tears didn’t come, but that was nothing new. Ever since she was little, she’d always had a hard time crying. Yet another part of the legacy her mother had left her.
    Maybe that was the cruelest thing Jason had done. He’d hurt her and made her lose control, and that, more than anything, she couldn’t forgive. She’d shed tears for him, back in that grocery store parking lot. Oh, Jason had played it well: he’d claimed to love her.
    Liar! If you loved me, you wouldn’t leave me!
    She didn’t know who she screamed it at. Jason, her mother, her father … they were all the same, weren’t they? Her skin pruned under the incessant assault of hot water, but her heart was empty and cold. When the water cooled, she finally got up, using the wall as her guide. After she’d finished washing and scrubbing, she stepped outside the shower. She toweled herself off and rubbed her hair dry.
    When she stared at the mirror, her eyes were feverish and bright. She looked as if someone had slapped her. Those eyes belonged to a stranger: sad and lonely. Was this what Alex had seen? Was it the reason he’d turned her down?
    She breathed in and out deeply. Then she scrubbed her face free of all makeup and used her toothbrush. Her mouth still felt cottony, so she used some mint-flavored mouthwash. Remembering Alex’s advice, she downed some aspirin that she found in the cabinet. She put her bathrobe on, gathered her clothes, and left.
    Alex’s room was right next to hers. The light filtering under his door told her that he was still up. She hesitated, then walked resolutely into her room. Dumped her clothes on the floor and got into bed, but after tossing and turning for what seemed like a couple hours, she got up. This wasn’t working.
    Oh, what the hell …

    She moved quickly before she could think better of it. Resting her hip against the door frame, she knocked and then tried the knob. It was unlocked, so she let herself in.
    Surprisingly he was still up. He was listening to some music, but he sat up on his bed when she entered. He’d shrugged off his T-shirt, but he’d changed into loose athletic shorts.
    “Why are you here, Adrian?”
    His wariness made her smile. Oddly enough, she felt better by just looking at him. With Alex around, there could never be any comparison to Jason because Alex Montgomery would never let you think of anyone else but him.
    “Your door was unlocked,” she said, shutting it behind her.
    Alex met her halfway before she even made it to the bed. “Let me take you back to your