I hauled myself over so I was on my other side. “Technically, I have the entire bed. But if my best friend stays, she sleeps on the right, and I sleep on the left. Ergo, that’s my side.”
Wordlessly, he dragged his sexy self over to the right side of the bed.
“Thank you.” I forced myself to sit up. After a few rapid blinks to focus the room, I got up, using the dresser to steady me.
“All right over there?” The smugness that riddled his tone made me throw a tube of lipstick in his general vicinity.
“Fine, thank you,” I replied primly.
“You look like you’ve been fucked seven ways to Sunday.”
“You sound like you want to crawl naked across the hall to your own bed,” I shot back, pushing off the dresser so I could head for the bathroom.
He didn’t reply, but his laughter followed me through the wall and into the bathroom where I shut the door with a little more force than necessary.
Boy, I really hoped my downstairs neighbor was still at the party, or I wouldn’t be able to look old Marigold Targo in the face until, well, she died.
I waddled over to the toilet and sat down, cleaning myself up with wads of tissue paper and three flushes before I was finally ready to pee.
God, sex as a woman was so high maintenance.
In my next life, I was coming back as a man.
After I was done there, I brushed my teeth and cleaned my face of makeup. Or what was left of it, anyway. My mascara was smudged around my eyes, my foundation was breaking up on my forehead, and any traces of lipstick were long gone.
Fresh-faced and freshly wiped, I tossed the towel in the laundry basket and returned to my bedroom.
Kai was on his back, mouth wide open, fast a-freaking-sleep.
I laughed, grabbing a shirt and panties from the drawer. After tugging them on, I turned off the light and climbed into my bed next to Kai. He took up at least half of the bed, a fact I wasn’t too happy about—Tori was an edge-sleeper—but a solid poke in his arm didn’t move him at all.
Instead of griping, I rolled over and shut my eyes. With a deft flick of my hair in his direction.
He snorted, rolling over with his back to me, and I grinned, snuggling down into the covers.
***
The mattress creaked, and I blinked into the brightness of the sun as it streamed through the window.
Ouch.
That hurt my head.
“Sorry,” Kai whispered.
Kai.
Why was he—oh, shit, yeah.
Whoops.
“Do you mind if I rinse off in your shower?”
I waved a hand at him in a ‘go ahead’ motion and rolled over, sprawling out across the bed.
The click of the door announced his departure, and I blew out a long breath. Last night was probably the best sex I’d had in my life, and I wasn’t too keen to see him this morning. I was pretty sure that would be written all over my face.
So yes, I was going to stay here, in bed, until he’d gone.
I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I could go back to sleep. It looked early. I’d had a kind of late night, and I didn’t have to work until four this afternoon.
The shower started. The water pounded against the shared wall of the rooms, and it took me all of five seconds to realize one very sad fact.
I was not getting back to sleep.
It was annoying. I was one of those people who, once you woke them up, were awake.
I sighed.
After a small fight with the sheets, I extracted myself from the bed and grabbed a pair of pajama shorts from the dresser. I put them on and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee.
My phone was still on the island counter, and I blushed when I looked at it. Our clothes were still strewn across the floor, so after turning on the coffeemaker, I did a quick sweep around the apartment for our clothes.
I put Kai’s on the end of my bed and tossed my own in the laundry basket.
Now, how did he take his coffee?
Wait, screw that. I needed to clean my island countertop. There was no way I needed an unexpected visit from my grandmother when I hadn’t yet cleaned, well, you know, off the top.
That took a further five minutes. By the time the entire counter was clean and dry and sparkling again, Kai was done in the shower and had darted into my room wrapped in a gray towel.
Not that I’d looked.
Much.
I put the cream in my coffee and hit the button on the machine to fill his mug. I didn’t know how he took his, or even if he liked coffee, but I had a feeling he wasn’t going to leave immediately.
I was right.
He walked out of my room wearing nothing but his jeans. His socks were clearly tucked into his pocket, and the waistband of his boxers peeked out from the ball he’d made of his shirt.
I eyed him. “Are you trying to announce to the entire building we had sex?”
“If I were, I’d have crawled home naked last night.” He grinned. “Do I smell coffee?”
I pointed to the Eeyore mug on the counter. “I don’t know how you like it.”
“Cream, two sugars.” He proceeded to add both to his mug, stirred, and took a seat on one of the stools at the island. He hesitated before putting his mug down. “You cleaned this, right?”
I hit him with a flat stare. “Unless my vagina smells like bleach, then yes, I cleaned it.”
“Good point.” He took a large mouthful of coffee before setting his mug down. “Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s fine. I’m a pretty light sleeper. I’d get woken up by my own shadow.” I sipped my coffee. “About last night—”
Kai held up his hands. “Only last night. I know. As far as anyone else is concerned, it never happened.”
My cheeks flushed and I tucked some hair behind my ear. “Good. Good. Okay.”
“Ivy, you don’t need to blush.” He picked up his mug and cradled it. “It’s not your fault I’ll be thinking about bending you over a counter for the next week.”
I choked on my coffee. “Stop that!”
“But it’s so fun to embarrass you.”
“Oh, go away.” I tossed a dishcloth at him. “I have to shower and do laundry. Go on. Go away.”
“Do you often kick men out of your apartment before they’ve finished their coffee?”
“I don’t have men in my apartment!” I threw another cloth at him, and he laughed, catching it. “We’re not mentioning last night ever again, do you hear me?”
He slid both cloths across the island at me. “Don’t worry, Ivy,” he replied, then finished the rest of his coffee. His mug clinked against the counter and he scooped up his clothes. “As far as I’m concerned, I only get to do that to you in my dreams.”
With one final wink, he grabbed his phone and keys out of his pocket and left my apartment.
I stalked over and slammed the door behind him, a tight groan escaping my throat.
God, he was infuriating.
At least we were both clear about one thing: we were never, ever going to mention last night again.
Thank God.
The End… For now.
Ivy and Kai’s story continues in THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, coming on July 21st, where that one-night stand isn’t quite as one-night as they’d planned… Read on for a sneak peek!