Her mouth tasted like something died in it, so she scrounged in the bathroom vanity for toothpaste. After she brushed her teeth with her finger and washed her face, she felt a little closer to human.
Last night, she had either sweated or rinsed off all her makeup so at least she didn’t have to contend with raccoon eyes and smeared lipstick. She also didn’t have to worry about wrinkles or stains on her clothing since she wore none. Small mercies.
Sheila was unsure about the protocol for the morning after. Her limited hookup experiences had all ended with her asleep in her own bed alone.
What am I supposed to do now? I don’t know the rules!
Was she supposed to gather her things and sneak out before the guys woke up? Should she try to wake them to express her thanks? Maybe she should order breakfast before she headed home. Gah, how was she supposed to make a decision without coffee?
She wrung her hands indecisively and paced in front of the mirror. A gentle tap on the bathroom door startled a squeak out of her. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she crossed to the door and flung it open.
A nude Derek greeted her with a beatific grin and morning wood that settled her frantic heartbeat.
“Hi,” Sheila said.
“Hi, beautiful. You’re up early.”
She blushed.
“Nature called.”
“Ah. We did our best to keep you hydrated,” he chuckled. “Can you come back to bed and sleep some more, or are you up for the day?”
She exited the bathroom so he could enter.
“No, when I’m up, I’m up, no matter how late I go to bed.”
“Fair enough. Give me a minute, and I’ll get some coffee going. Alexander’s still sawing logs, but I know where he keeps everything.”
As Sheila moved away from the bathroom, Derek stopped her with a hand on her arm. She looked at him in confusion, and heleaned in. He pressed a tentative kiss to her lips, and she opened with a moan. His kiss turned aggressive and heated quickly, and their tongues flirted before he pulled back.
“That’s my kind of good morning,” he said with a grin. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
Sheila left him in the bathroom. Still overheated from his kiss, she wandered back to the living room where she tracked down some clothes. Her bra and thong were nowhere to be found, but she put her dress back on.
She was significantly less comfortable nude in the early morning hours than under cover of darkness. Again, it was illogical, but it made sense to her.
“Okay, let’s work on that coffee. How’s your head this morning?” Derek asked when he returned.
Sheila admired his backside as he prepped the coffee pot and turned it on. The aroma of brewing coffee tickled her nose. He wore pants now, which both relieved and disappointed her. He likely wore them to set her at ease, which it did, but she missed his naked body.
His attention to detail and concerted efforts to put her at ease always went to her head. She had to remind herself again they were just having sex. He wasn’t a boyfriend and had no interest in being more. That fact was driven home by how eager he was to watch and hear about her sexual exploits with other men.
He looked at her patiently, and she realized he asked her a question.
“Fine. Good. Yes.”
Derek chuckled at her response, and she flushed with embarrassment.
“Um, sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m not at my best before coffee. What did you ask?”
“Your head. How’s it doing this morning?”
“Oh, yeah, that. It’s fine. A little headache, but nothing too bad.”
“And how’s the rest of you?”
It took her a moment to understand the significance of his delicate question. When she did, her face flamed bright red.
