Page 23 of Rebound

Once I’m certain he won’t catch me in his room, I open the top drawer of his dresser. It’s a mess of underwear and socks. Nothing is folded. The socks are all randomly thrown in. The rest of the drawers are all disorganized. Bothered by the mess, I slam the drawer shut.

There’s another dresser, and on top of it is a jewelry box. I open it up and find two championship rings inside. I would think he would have those in a safe or somewhere more secure. With as many women as I’m sure come through here, he’s lucky they haven’t gotten stolen.

I look around, pull one out, and slide it on my middle finger. It’s so big that I’m able to spin it around. I put it on my thumb and I get the same result.

Before I can put it back, I hear a door open. I gasp and look around and my eyes lock with his. I make the mistake of looking down. He’s not only bare-chested, he’s naked. Not only that, but he has water glistening all over his body. His tanned and well-defined body.

I stand rooted where I stand, unable to speak, breathe, or move like I should. I can’t even find it in me to have my eyes travel up his body. I can’t seem to stop looking at one particular part of him. It’s not even aroused and it looks big. Much bigger than the only dick I’ve ever been around. My brain is telling me that I need to put the ring down and leave this room, but my body can’t seem to act on my brain’s commands.

So, I wait for him to ask me what the hell I’m doing and to order me to go, only he doesn’t. He steps away from the bathroom door and into the bedroom. It bounces with each step he takes. Water droplets fall everywhere, and I still can’t move. He shakes his head and water from his hair hits me in the face, and even if this apartment was on fire, I would not be able to move.

“That ring won’t fit you at all,” he says as if it’s perfectly normal for him to find me in his bedroom. He takes the ring from my hand, and I assume he’s going to put it back in the jewelry box, but he doesn’t. He looks around and finds a gold chain. He puts the ring on it, and I think there’s no way he’s about to do what I think he’s going to do.

He stands behind me, and despite the cool air blowing around, the room feels like it’s one thousand degrees. My hand flies to my neck, and I have it on my tongue to tell him no, but he puts the chain on and clasps it. Then he puts both of his giant hands on my shoulders.

“Looks good,” is all he says. Then he bends down and opens the bottom drawer. I can’t help but look at his ass while he rummages through the drawer and pulls out a pair of underwear. He puts them on, and I’ll never admit this to anyone, but I miss the view.

My brain starts functioning again, and I clear my throat. “Do you have to walk around me naked, Whorekowski? What the hell?”

“I left you in the kitchen. Why are you in here snooping through my jewelry box, hmm? And I was in the shower. I don’t know about you, but I do that naked.” He dares to roll his eyes at me before he strides to his walk-in closet. Instead of leaving, I follow him to the closet door so I can snoop in there. Everything on the built-in shelves is neatly folded. There are a few shelves with baby clothes and shoes. He pulls out a pair of cargo shorts and a black tee and puts them on.

He then bends down again, and my eyes go right for his ass. God, it’s perfect. I remember the first time I noticed how nice it is. While he’s looking down, I fan my face and remind myself I need to find a man. If I’m getting hot over Seth Wakowski, I need to get laid and get laid quickly. Just not by him.

He stands up holding a brand-new pair of high-top sneakers.

“I have a bunch of these since I’m one of their spokespeople. You want to look through and see if any will fit anyone you know?” He points to a box in the corner. I move closer and look through it. There are about twenty pairs, and they’re all new. I pick one up and look at the size.

“I don’t know anyone who wears a size sixteen shoe.” I put it back.

“Well, I have some other stuff in the guest bedroom. You can look through those and take whatever you want.” He walks past me out of the closet and back to the bathroom. I follow, and the room is still steamy from the shower. He runs a comb through his hair and tosses it down.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I ask, following him out of his bedroom and back to the kitchen. He picks up his phone and looks down at it.

“I’ve never been mean to you. You’re the one who judges me.” I open my mouth to argue and realize he’s right. He’s never been nice, but I’m the one who set the tone for our relationship.

“If this is some trick because you think you have a chance of getting me into bed—”

“Have I ever tried? Besides, I do fine in that department.”

“Whatever,” is all I say. “I don’t trust you.”

“Yeah. I can see how you wouldn’t since you just found me looking through your jewelry.” He smirks when our eyes catch. “Oh, right. That was you.” He points at me.

I finger the chain he put around my neck when I hear a loud knock on the door. He jogs to it and returns moments later with three big brown paper bags. He pulls the different containers out and puts them on the kitchen island. He gestures for me to sit, and I do. After grabbing a container with a piece of chocolate cake, he brings me a bottle of water and takes the seat next to me.

I pick up the cake and take a huge bite. He slides another dessert in front of me. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s delicious with caramel and walnuts. He looks at me and grins, and something in the room changes. He looks boyish and handsome. He leans over and wipes the tip of my nose with his bare hand.

“Napkins are over there.” He points and I reach for a paper towel.

“Can you call your mom so I can check on Jasmine?” he asks. I want to tell him that Jasmine is fine, and if she wasn’t my mother would have called, but I don’t say that. He’s reasonably worried, so I call my mom and put her on speaker.

“Oh, the baby is fine. You should see her eat some of this chicken and white rice. You two have fun and don’t worry about her.” Mom hangs up before we can ask any questions, but I did hear Jasmine laughing in the background.

Seemingly satisfied, he grabs a big cookie. To my shock, he breaks it in two and gives me half.

“Thank you,” I say with my mouth full.

“You want to go for a walk after we eat? I don’t usually eat so much sugar,” he says as if it’s the most normal thing to hang out together.

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