“That doesn’t sound very nutritious, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” she said with a laugh. “Uh, I’m ready to do it the regular way now. Grab a condom.”
Thad held up a finger. “Wait exactly one minute,” he said before climbing out of the bed and making his way across the hall to the bathroom where he’d stashed the box of condoms he’d picked up when he got back from New York. He needed to get a nightstand with a drawer. That little side table next to the bed wouldn’t cut it.
When he returned to his room, he found Ashanti lying on her back, the covers pulled up to just above her breasts.
He thought about what she’d just told him, about her other boyfriends—the sad sacks of shit they were—not being adventurous.
Thad ripped open a condom wrapper and rolled one on, then he grabbed the edge of the covers and jerked them off the bed.
“Thad!” she screeched. “What are you doing?”
“It’s time for some adventure,” he said. “Roll over.”
Her eyes narrowed, then brightened as understanding set in. She scrambled onto all fours, then looked back over her shoulder. “Before you even ask, no I’ve never done it this way either.”
“Assholes,” Thad muttered. “But that’s enough talk about your old boyfriends. I promise you won’t remember their names after tonight.”
By the time they were done, they were both too weak tomove. The most strength Thad could muster was reaching over and picking the covers up from the floor.
“What time is it?” Ashanti asked.
He summoned enough energy to reach over to the side table and grab a phone. A picture of Duchess and a text message notification popped up when he touched the screen. He couldn’t help but read theWhere R Utext from Kara.
“It’s just after eleven,” Thad said, already anticipating and dreading what her reaction would be.
“Oh, shoot! I have to go.”
Shit.He knew she would say that. He handed her the phone.
“There’s a text from your sister,” he said.
She took the phone from him and sat up, her thumbs flying across the screen. It dinged with two back-to-back text messages moments after she finished typing.
“These girls. I swear,” Ashanti said.
“What?”
“I told them not to worry about me, that I was on my way home. These are the replies I got.” She turned the phone to face him.
The first one was from Kara:If ur with Thad stay the night.
The other was labeled Ken:The week. You need it.
“Sounds to me like you and Duchess are staying awhile,” Thad said.
She rolled her eyes, but then—thank you, God—she reached across him and set her phone back on the table. She once again settled against his chest like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“This feels weird,” she said.
Or, maybe not the most natural thing.
“Simon was the last person I was with, and once I ended things with him, I didn’t even consider bringing another man around my sisters,” she continued. “For them to know where I amandwhat we’re doing?”
“Actually, they encouraged you to do what we’re doing.”
Thad debated saying more, recognizing that he was probably crossing a line. But she needed to hear this. In just the short time he’d known her, it had become more than obvious that she put herself dead last.
“Maybe the twins realize their big sister deserves to have a life outside of her work and the job of raising them,” Thad said. “It’s too bad your aunt doesn’t see that.”
