Page 35 of Sweeper
Zander breaks this kiss, his voice ragged and rough as he murmurs against my ear, “Tell me that you haven’t been sitting in your apartment and looking at that thin wall that separates us and wanting to break through it to fuck me.”
A nervous noise squeaks out of my throat. “Erm…”
“Because I have.” He runs his whiskered chin across my neck to whisper into my other ear, his hot tongue teasing me. “Nearly every fucking night since I got here, I’ve wanted you…thought about you.”
“Oh my God,” I groan at the overly sexual tone of his voice, my body positively melting in his arms as my nipples pebble beneath my shirt. Honestly, if he wasn’t holding me up against this wall, I’d be pudding on the floor.
“Tell me you want me, Daphney.” Zander’s voice is so confident, so certain. Like he’s done this before. Multiple times with multiple women.
The entire image of that assaults all my senses. If I were Phoebe, this would be an easy answer. Just say yes and let him shag the shit out of you, Daphney! You deserve this! You need a rebound.
Unfortunately, I’m not Miss Casual. I’m Miss Monogamous. Getting naked and sleeping with a bloke I’m not in a relationship with is sure to mean awkward and clumsy sex. I’ll be embarrassed about my body, and he’ll look like the fit footballer he is. Then we’ll have a strange goodbye and the wholewill he call or won’t he callmoment will make me want to die.
When you really think about it, casual sex is anything but casual. Sex with a boyfriend is truly casual. He knows what you like and don’t like, so you can just relax and enjoy yourself…worry-free. You don’t even have to worry about having an orgasm because you’re not trying to impress each other if you’re in a committed relationship.
What if I’m shit at casual sex? What if I freak out and can’t climax and have to fake it? I’m a crap actor…always have been. I can’t even lie properly! Phoebe could tell within seconds that I was fancying Zander, and I don’t think I even knew that myself yet!
Oh God, this is a terrible, terrible idea. I can’t do this.
“I want…” I rip my lips from Zander’s and press against his chest as I mutter, “You to take out your bloody rubbish. It’s called trash in America.”
Zander’s face falls, and I use his shocked reaction as an opportunity to detach myself from his grasp. I stumble over to my suitcase by the opposite wall and wheel it behind me as I scamper to my door. Once inside my flat, I collapse on the floor and consider hitting my head to try to give myself a strong dose of amnesia, so I never have to remember that embarrassing moment again.
I guess I know what happens when I stop thinking.
Zander
“Are you obsessing about the DNA test?” Link mumbles over a mouthful of protein pancakes.
“What?” I ask, my thoughts completely distracted as I sip my protein shake. It’s early Monday morning, and the three of us met up for breakfast at a café located directly across from Tower Park called The Full Monty. We have training in an hour, and I have to admit, I have no idea what they’ve been talking about because I’ve been seriously distracted.
“You haven’t got the results yet, right?” Knight inquires, cupping his mug of coffee.
“God, no. It’s only been a couple of days.” I shake my head to clear my thoughts as Link and Knight train their eyes seriously on me.
“Are you thinking about Saturday’s match?” Knight asks, a knowing look spreading over his face.
I wince and debate if I should lie and pretend that is what I’ve been distracted with, but then I say fuck it and go for full transparency. “I’m in the middle of a bizarre, sexual cat and mouse chase with my hot, handy neighbor who I’m pretty sure hates my guts but also wants to fuck me.”
“Come again?” Knight replies flatly.
Link’s brows furrow. “Is this the girl who delivered the food that night we were drunk at your apartment?”
I nod and prop my chin in my hands, gazing out at the traffic on the busy Bethnal Green road. “She’s been riding my ass super hard about being noisy and not following the building’s rules. There’s been some yelling, and I think I might be in love.” Not love love…but fuck, if I can’t stop thinking about that kiss, I have it bad.
“You sound like a creep, man.” Knight shakes his head.
“I know.” I stare up into the sky. “She inspires me.”
“Does she even like you?” Link cuts into my daydreaming with an annoyingly obvious question. “I didn’t pick up great vibes between you two at your apartment that night.”
“That was before.” I lean forward with a sneaky smile.
Link mimics my posture, his eyes blazing with curiosity. “Before what?”
“Before she pounded on my door last night and woke me up out of a dead sleep to yell at me about my trash in the hallway. Then out of nowhere, she shock tongues me.”
“What’s shock tongue?” Link asks, staring at me with wide, enraptured eyes. “Sounds aggressive.”
