My trembling fingers feel around until they grab hold of the long, hard, thick shape I was searching for. “My pepper spray,” I say, holding up the cylinder. “And if you come in my room again without knocking, I’ll use it to blind you.” My face is hot with humiliation. I can’t believe he just watched me get myself off. Tears burn at my eyes.
“You’re no fun,” he pouts.
“Get back out on the couch.” I glance at the clock and cringe. “It’s almost half past three in the morning and I have a meeting with my boss at nine. Please go away.”
“You’re going to talk to her about me?”
“I’m going to have to, Da—Simon. She has to okay all the ideas and the marketing and the stupid stunt you’re pulling. I’m just the writer.”
He nods his head, “Okay. But, are you sure you don’t need any help in here? Because that looked incred—”
“Get. Out.” Is he kidding me? I’m so embarrassed I could die.
“Okay, but one more thing.” He walks over to my dresser and pulls open the top drawer.
“Hey! That’s my underwear drawer!”
“It’s always the top drawer with you females, isn’t it?” He pulls out a pair of boy shorts and winks. “I don’t have any clothes, remember? And I’m desperate to say I’ve gotten into your panties.”
When he closes the door, I jump up to lock it and sigh in relief. Damian Miles, aka Simon Lowes, is a heartthrob. Before Dex, I might have jumped at the chance—never mind, that’s not true. Plain Jane would have never slept with a rock star; I would have written a funny article about him and hid in my hotel room reading a steamy romance novel or journaling a detailed fictional fantasy about him. I never did anything out of my comfort zone, not until Dex came along and there was someone to come out of comfort zone with.
I stumble back into bed, and the next thing I know, my alarm is blasting its dreaded sirens, and early morning sunlight is invading the sanctity of my comfortable darkened room. I instantly hate everything and everyone, especially the fact that I have to climb out of this bed and attempt to be human again. I’m freaking exhausted.
I make coffee and practically sleepwalk through a shower.
I drink more coffee and nod off into my toast as I sit at my small kitchen table, only to get woken up by someone banging on my wall. “What the heck is happening right now?”
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I rub my hands over my face and pad out into my living room to stare at my wall. Damian/Simon is asleep on my couch. Naked. “You are definitely not acock star,” I grumble, eyeing his junk all out in the open.
Bang. Bang. Bang. “Hey, Jane! Are you home?”
It’s Nate voice.
My once-upon-a-time Mr. Perfect is slamming his fists up against the same wall he screws Julia against so I can hear.
In his sleep, Simon chuckles and cups his balls. It’s as if my life has become a sitcom, complete with pre-recorded laugh track.
I knock back on the wall. “Yeah, Nate. I flew in late last night.”
“Are you headed to the office?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, glancing around at my current situation. I’m leaning over a naked rock star, talking to a wall; my life is like a bottomless bucket of awkwardness.
“I’ll ride in with you, just give me five minutes.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I am so not in the mood for Nathaniel Cross right now. I rush back to the table and gulp back the rest of my coffee. I’m going to need it to get through the morning with him.
Tying my hair up into a messy bun, I slip my feet quickly into a pair of ballet flats. Penning a short ‘Went to Work’ note on a sticky pad, I slap it on Damian’s forehead and rush out of the door.
Nate is already waiting in the hallway, leaning up against the wall opposite my door.
“Hey,” I choke out a startled laugh, closing the door quickly behind me.
“Hey,” he says, pushing himself off the wall toward me. “How was your trip?” He swings his arms around me, and I stiffen as he squeezes me into a clumsy bear hug. My feet even lift off the floor.
He holds me a little too long and a little too tight to be socially acceptable. “Oh wow, I get a hug, that’s—” He squeezes me tighter and sways me back and forth. “Okay Nate, maybe you should let me down now?”
