Page 51 of More Than Anything

She shook her head. “Ick.”

“Yeah. Even though it’s not that far, it would still be a big adjustment for her,” Avery said, pulling another piece of pizza out of a box.

“So she said, ‘See y’all in the morning.’ I suppose she thinks I’m staying the night,” Lydia said, grinning around her pizza.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Avery asked, his hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.

“I do, but not when she’s here. I want that to be something that we… well, we’re alone and have plenty of time to… you know,” she said, blushing.

Avery chuckled. “Yeah, I know. The first time we spend the night together, I don’t want to have to be all quiet and everything because there’s somebody across the hall.”

“Exactly.” They both fell silent. Another piece of pizza later, Lydia grinned. “I guess I’m a hopeless romantic, but I’d love to wake up in your arms.”

Avery’s smile was wide when he said, “I’d love nothing better than to wake up with you in my arms. I mean, I suppose that could happen, but unless we want to be super careful, that’s all we could do, just sleep.”

Lydia snickered. “Could you even do that?”

Avery drew back and scowled at her. “Well, yes. I most certainly could. I’m not some kind of animal. I do have some self-control.” When she gave him a sideways glance, he said, “Well, okay, not a lot, but enough!” That made her laugh. “What? What’s so funny?”

“You! You’re so silly. ‘I’m not some kind of animal.’ And I’m supposed to believe that?” she scoffed.

“Well, I’m not! You can ask Danette. The second time we were together, all we did was sleep.”

Lydia’s eyes went wide. “Oh? And what about the first time you were, um, ‘together’?” she asked.

“The truth?”

“No. Lie to me. Of course, the truth,” she snapped.

“The first time I banged the hell out of her.”

Lydia’s eyes went wide. “You slept with Danette?”

Avery nodded. “You wanted the truth, and there it is. The first time, I fucked Danette. Actually, it was more like she fucked me. Or we fucked each other. Oh, hell, it doesn’t matter. Point is, the first time I barely knew her. And after that, I got to know her better and I didn’t want that for her. I wanted her to have someone who respected her and treated her like a lady. And that wasn’t me. It was too late for that. But I could still be her friend.”

He could tell Lydia didn’t know whether to believe him or not. “So you’re not attracted to her?”

“Not like that, no. I wasn’t to start with. She’s the one who pushed for it. Afterward, I really felt bad, like I’d been a real bastard. So when she started in the second time, I just told her I didn’t want that for her.”

Lydia shook her head as she looked away. “Do you know how uncomfortable I feel now, knowing there’s a woman sleeping upstairs and you had sex with her at some point?”

“You shouldn’t. I just told you the truth about everything that took place between Danette and me. I could’ve lied to you, but I didn’t.” Avery sat for a second. “Yeah, I can see how you might feel uncomfortable, but just like with what took place between you and me, that’s all in the past. Danette is my friend, nothing more. She’s more like, I don’t know, a little sister or something.”

“A little sister you fucked,” Lydia was quick to point out.

“I told you, I didn’t know her then, not really. But you can ask her. Everything I just told you is true.”

Lydia smirked. “Don’t think for a second I won’t ask her, because I will.”

“Good! She’ll tell you the same thing I have, I swear.”

“Okay.” Lydia looked up into Avery’s eyes. “Should you go check on her?”

“Yeah. I think I will. Come with me?”

“No. I trust you,” she said, then laughed.

“Wow. Thanks, I think,” Avery quipped. “Be right back.”

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