Once the waves subside, I expect awkwardness, but it doesn’t come. He gives my cheek a kiss and moves back under the shower.
“I’m not sure if I’m not dreaming, but thank you, even if you are a fantasy, Alicia.”
“I’m real,” I answer, finally feeling the awkwardness creeping up on me.
“You are not.” He leans in and gives me a quick kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry about the mess. You should take it off so you can shower.” He goes to unzip my hoodie, but I move backward.
“Can I do it alone?” I ask, not meeting his eyes. He hasn’t seen me naked, and I know it’s not fair when I just saw him in all his glory, but I’m not ready to undress in front of him completely. Not yet.
He hesitates for a moment before answering. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”
He quickly washes off the shampoo and conditioner and steps out of the stall. Wrapping the towel around his hips, he turns toward me. “You know where the towels are.”
When he’s out of the room, I undress and take a quick shower, thinking about what had come over me. I’m not prude—not in my mind, at least—but I don’t do those sorts of things for obvious reasons. And here I am, jerking off the gigantic dick of my neighbor whom I’ve known for a whole two months.
I get out of the shower and realize I have no clothes to change into, so I wrap a towel around my torso and walk out of the bathroom. Mark’s making something in the kitchen, wearing grey sweatpants—help me lord—hung low on his hips, showing his pronounced sex lines. And by sex lines, I mean every single line on his body screamsraw sex. I can imagine them flexing when he’s jerking his hips on top of me. His arms on either side of my face, veins popping from the sheer strength of holding himself atop, his—
He clears his throat, and I look up, finding Mark biting the inside of his lips and trying not to laugh. My face goes hot, and I quickly turn away and find Ghost, who is doing his favorite thing, licking his balls.
“Want something to drink?” he asks and drinks half a bottle of water in one go. His eyes roam my body, stopping for longer on my bare legs.
“No.” I look everywhere but him. I came here with a purpose, but now, when the idea of him is so close, I’m chickening out.
“Are you okay?” Concern laces his voice, and it kills me.
I just jerked him off, and I’m twenty-six. I’m attracted to him, and he’s clearly attracted to me. So why am I scared? I take a lungful of air and blurt, “Can you have sex with me?”
ChapterEighteen
MARK
I stop breathing for the second time in the last two minutes, I think.
The first time was when she came out of the shower, wearing only my towel and nothing else. It’s the most skin I’ve seen on her so far. Her legs are gorgeous, shapely, and fit. Her hips are wide, perfect to grab on to. Her collarbone is so pronounced, and I’ve always been a sucker for those. It makes a woman fragile in my eyes. It makes me want to protect her even more. I can imagine myself leaving kisses across them.
And now, as she asks me… Did I hear her correctly?
“What did you just say?” My muscles go slack.
She inhales loudly and repeats the question. “Can you have sex with me?” She looks away from me, swallows, and says, “Please.”
“Alicia.” I exhale. “You don’t really want that.”
“I actually do.”
“Look.” I rake my hand through my wet hair, trying to find the right words. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Oh.” I see her closing like a shell right in front of my eyes. The light drains from her face, dissolving into her regular darkness. The blue of her eyes turns into grey, a clear of indication of a mood swing toward the abyss. Her shoulders go rigid. Her lips clamp shut.
I can’t stand the change, so I walk toward her, but she steps back. I stop halfway.
“Alicia. It’s not like I don’t want you.”
She snorts.
“It’s true.”
She rolls her eyes.
