Page 31 of Pieces of Us
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
I roll over to face him, placing my hand on his chest. “Listen, Linc, that was amazing. I didn’t think we could top the last time, but we did. It’s just that I don’t think it’s smart if you stay. Someone could see you leaving my room in the morning. And friends don’t have sleepovers.”
It’s dark in the room, but I can see his face. He looks like I just slapped him with my words. He pulls back the duvet, rolls over, and sits on the edge of the bed.
“Friends don’t exactly fuck like we just did either, Mel.”
“Linc…”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll head back to my room.”
“Thank you for tonight. I needed it.”
He shoves his legs into his pants, puts on his shirt, and grabs his shoes and jacket before heading to the door. His hand pauses on the door handle before he turns to look back at me.
“Glad you got what you needed, Mel.”
He turns and walks out the door.
Chapter Twenty
Linc
Iget back to my room, throwing my shoes and jacket on a chair, stripping off the rest of my clothes. I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. Leaning on the vanity, I look up at my reflection in the mirror. Fuck if I don’t feel used right now.
I step under the water and grab the shampoo. As I scrub my hair, I can’t get her words to leave my mind. The fact that she wanted me to leave should tell me exactly how she sees me. She set her boundaries with me. Normally, this would be exactly what I wanted—no strings, no sleepovers, no room for error. So, why am I so fucked up over it happening with her?
I rinse off and turn off the water. Once I’m dry, I say to hell with clothes and just get into bed. I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her until I finally pass out.
It’s a little after nine o’clock when I head down to meet Marcus for breakfast. We’re the first ones downstairs, so we claim a couple of tables for the group.
We sit and I ask, “What time did you finally go to bed?”
“Last time I looked at a clock, it was three.” He pours a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table and passes it to me.
“Was everyone still hanging out?”
“It was just me and Gigi. We watched a movie.”
“Watched a movie? Until three?” I inspect his face for any clues.
“Calm down. She has a boyfriend. Unlike you, I can be just friends with a woman.”
“I can be friends with a woman.”
“Yeah? Tell me what went down with Melonie last night then. Saw you two leave together.” He takes a drink of his coffee.
“Not sure I really want to talk about that yet.”
“Don’t fuck her over, Linc.”
His words reignite the frustration I felt hours before. “For your information, she pretty much fucked me over.”
He looks at me, confused. “What?”
I huff out a breath. “We slept together, then she told me to leave because friends don’t have sleepovers.”
