I’d brush your hair back and kiss your neck.
Then I’d tell you to lock the door.
Turn off your phone.
And let me prove that I’m more than just words.
I don’t say yes.
But I don’t say no either.
When I finally step into the hallway, I walk so lightly my boots barely make a sound against the tile. The scent of perfume follows me out the door. Every time I catch my reflection in the glass, I’m grinning, though I’m not thinking about any one person in particular… They don’t yet have names.
But I am thinking about the last thing said in the app…
Locke:
One day, you’re going to let me in.
And once I’m in, I won’t leave.
Not even if you beg.
We’re watching Eris. Of course, we are. I mean, I’m trying to work on some code for a new project, but I can’t commit when she’s in view. She’s our favorite celebrity, and this is the best show on TV… Except, it’s real. And I don’t want her autograph.
I want her here. In my lap. In my bed… Just around in general.
I’m tired of waiting for the right moment.
“She’s smiling.” Kieran’s voice is soft, almost reverent, like he isn’t sure he’s allowed to say it with more volume.
His fingers fly across the keyboard, messaging Eris in the app. And suddenly, she drops her towel.
I lean over his shoulder to watch the feed more closely as I pointlessly say, “You’re supposed to look away while she’s changing.”
But there she is… Naked… Then clothed.
Eris walks out of her bedroom in a black dress that hugs her like a second skin. The combat-style boots make her appear a little less delicate than normal. Her red lips make me want to crawl through the monitor and into her apartment.
Her expression, though?
Yeah. That’s new.
She isn’t faking confidence. Not that I ever suspected she was. This is just a new level.
She looks… Happy?
“Is that what it takes to make her smile?” I ask, glancing at the open chat and smirking at Kieran. “Dirty morning sexting from the ghost in her phone?”
Kieran doesn’t answer, but his jaw twitches like he’s suppressing his amusement, and that’s all I need.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I mutter, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Getting bold, Hollow. You should tell her you’ll make coffee when you really mean to bend her over the table. I’m proud of you.”
“She likes it,” he says, quirking a brow at me. “She could have changed in her bathroom, where she knows there isn’t a camera, but she didn’t. I’m not turning away if she’s going to drop her towel for us to watch.”
I tilt my head. “You sure this is you and not Cipher? I’m positive she’s still got Silas running laps in her head after the hotel night. When are you going to make your move?”
“Just because I’m not racing to jump into bed with her, doesn’t mean I haven’t been making moves.” Kieran watches Eris leave her building before giving me some of his attention again. “She’ll dream about me. You and Silas are going to haveto put more work in because you’ve both treated her like a hook-up.”
