Page 14 of Love Thy Neighbor

We collide, tripping over one another, limbs tangling in our awkward dance.

And I definitely touch his dick.

We freeze.

My back is against the wall, and he’s caging me in. He drops his head to the spot next to mine, and I try not to drop my gaze to see what’s hanging between us.

“Are youtryingto kill me?”

He swallowed glass—or at least that’s what his voice sounds like.

We’re quiet, and I’m not sure either of us has taken a breath.

My blood is pumping so hard I can’t even hear the TV playing in the other room anymore.

Time is standing completely still, and I wonder if I fell asleep on the couch and this is just a crazy dream I don’t ever want to repeat.

“Okay.” He exhales sharply, and another “Fuck”drops softly from his lips. He’s so close I can feel his stubble scratching against my cheek. “I’m going to go to my room and go to bed. To make up for fondling me, you’re going to say yes to going out tomorrow night and buy me drinks to help me cope with my trauma. Got it?”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

I mean, Ididjust accidentally grope him. He deserves drinks.

“Good. I’m going to walk away now.Do not move,” he instructs. “And listen this time.”

Another nod.

He pushes off the wall, and I slam my eyes closed again.

I don’t dare open them until I hear his bedroom door bang shut.

I run to the bathroom and push the door closed, locking it behind me for good measure.

I lean against the sink, dropping my head between my shoulders, taking what feels like my first real breath in hours.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

I turn the faucet on to the coldest setting and splash freezing water on my face until all thoughts of Cooper and his—nope!Not thinking about it.

I do it again. And again.

I don’t stop until my face is numb and my mind is blank.

Only then do I dare to open the bathroom door and slink out into the hallway with my eyes closed, too terrified to open them and see the spot where our friendship was rocked to its core.

I don’t open them again until I’m in my bedroom, my back pressed against the closed wooden door.

The boundaries we’ve carefully laid out were just blown to bits. Every line we’ve ever drawn was crossed.

It’d have been one thing to see him naked. It was bound to happen at some point.

But friends don’t look at each other the way I looked at him.

The throb between my legs hasn’t subsided, and I’m so keyed up I’m not even sure pulling out my sewing machine and working on my new design is going to relax me.

Images of a naked Cooper assault me.

His long, bare body.

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