Page 57 of Secrets in Love
Clearing her throat and marching inside, Evie briefly paused at the foot of my bed, biting her lip as she ran her fingers across the unmade sheets.
“It’s very comfy. I slept like a baby last night,” I lied as I moved closer while desperately trying to stop my hands from shaking. Her blue eyes widened when I was within arm’s reach, and she quickly dropped the sheet, let out a cute little squeak, and then shuffled her way to the window.
“Nice view,” she whisper-yelled as she gazed down at the alley it overlooked.
“Yup. That’s the real New York, right there. I watched two drug busts and possible sketchy police bribery the first night and had lots of fun counting the rats last night.”
“Never a dull moment here.” She laughed nervously, letting the curtains slide through her fingers as she turned to face me.” I always admired that about you. Somehow, even in the darkest tunnel, you always find the light.”
“Aoife, I don’t want to alarm you, but that almost sounded like a compliment. I’m glad you see at least one redeeming feature in me. It gives me some hope.”
She looked down and picked at her nails. “You have many excellent features, Nate. You’re a great guy.”
“I thought I was an idiot.”
“You are, but luckily for you, I quite fancy idiots. In fact, I’m very fond of one idiot in particular.” After taking a deep breath, she padded my way, sat, and placed her hand on my knee. If I wasn’t mistaken, my heart went into tachycardia. “You look exhausted, Natey,” she said with a squeeze I felt right between my legs. “Why don’t you lie down and take a nap?”
I forced my million-dollar smolder. “I will if you will.”
Evie’s long lashes blinked rapidly, and her lovely breasts rose in a sharp inhale. “Okay.”
It was a barely audible whisper. But I heard it.
“What?!” Utterly ruining the sexiness of the moment, I jolted like I had suffered an electric shock and fell from the bed. Slipped right off the side and landed on my shoulder. Riotous laughter roared above me as I scrambled to rejoin her like nothing had happened. “Shit, I didn’t expect you to say yes. Are you for real?”
“I am. All that stuff with Christian has worn me out, and I don’t have time to go home and rest before I get Iris. But it’s just a nap, no funny business.”
Fuck. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure if it was delight or terror. “No funny business. Scout’s honor.” I could totally handle this.
We sat in silence for several heartbeats. Neither of us seemed willing to make the first move, watching each other from the corners of our eyes.
I needed to break the ice. She must have thought the same because, in perfect synchronicity, we jumped to our feet.
“Do you know there are no tigers in Africa?” I spoke.
“I’ll just need to use the bathroom,” she said.
Evie disappeared into the bathroom, and I slapped myself in the face. “Tigers in Africa? What the fuck?” The lock clicked, and I swung into action. Taking off my jacket, I decided it best not to take off my jeans, then laid my notepad and inhaler on the bedside table before doing a quick pit and breath check. Once satisfied I was stink-free, I jumped beneath the sheets.
What girls get up to in bathrooms was a mystery to me—one I was happy to remain unsolved. But this particular girl was taking forever. I needed to know what she was doing in there. Imagining what naughty things it could be made me increasingly impatient to feel that body against mine—if she would allow that, of course. I stared at the wall, the ceiling, the mini fridge, anything I could to distract and contain my excitement. That became a harder task when she emerged from the bathroom. Damn, she looked cute. Her cheeks were flushed the softest pink, and the wisps of hair decorating her face were damp.She must have washed her face. Maybe she needed to cool down.
With her head aimed at her now bare feet and muttering that she was setting the alarm on her phone, she shuffled to the bed, placed it and her bracelets next to my things on the nightstand, and then silently lay beside me.
I’m in bed with Evie Austen.
To be honest, it was much more comical than I’d imagined. Perched on the very edge of the bed, she lay stiff as a board with her hand stretched above her gripping the mattress for balance. It worked for the most part, except for the occasional curse-filled wobble.
She didn’t want to touch me, so I rolled as close as I could without making contact, and whispered, “Life’s tough as an edge dweller. Why don’t you shuffle back a bit? No hands. I promise.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, Gidge.”
“Okay, then. But one false move, and I’m out of here.”
“Hey, after the way you were drinking in my flesh yesterday, I think I have more to worry about than you do.”
Silent laughter shook her body as I rolled away, and she slowly eased her tight little body back. I tried with all my might not to look at her ass, but I am only a man—and a weak one at that. It was a true thing of beauty—tight, and toned, and plump, thanks to years of hard work and dance practice. The dip of her waist and the curve of her hips had me biting my lip. I sighed heavily, swallowing down the confessions desperate to escape. This was the closest to paradise I had ever been and may ever get. I couldn’t let the screaming ache building in my cock ruin it.
