“You’re perfect,” he says, touching me slowly. Too slow.
“That’s enough,” I say, pulling him on top of me. “No more talking.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I wake to creaking floorboards and the smell of instant coffee. I crack my eyes open and see Bradley standing at the camp stove. My mouth is dry, my head is throbbing, and I need to pee—but I’m not yet ready to face him. Not until I’ve processed what happened.
I slept with my boss. I slept with a married man. I slept with the husband of a person who plots murders for a living and who threatened to kill anyone who did what I just did.
I feel ashamed and confused. Why is he still here? He should have slunk out as soon as we were done. He cheated on his wife, after all. And if he’s not the type to feel shame, then I’m sure to be just another notch on his belt.
“Morning, sunshine.”
Damn.I wonder if I can find a mirror before Bradley sees me. “I’m still asleep.”
“Early bird gets the worm.” He’s wearing a towel and nothing else. I figure his clothes are still soaked from last night.
“I think I already got the worm,” I say, wiping my eyes and quickly running my hands through my hair.
“Worm!” He takes two steps, then jumps onto the bed, straddling me. The towel falls to the side. “More like a python. Anaconda, maybe.”
“I think worm is accurate.” I give him a push, but he doesn’t move. “Bradley, we need to talk.”
“My worm doesn’t like the sound of that.”
I roll my eyes, then nod to the kitchen. “Your water is boiling.”
“That’s quite the metaphor.”
“No, dummy. It’s literally boiling.” I give him another push, and this time he rolls off me. “Last night was a mistake. We were drunk.”
“I disagree.” He holds up a canister of coffee. “How do you like it?”
“I take it black.”
“Black instant coffee? I thought you were from the city. Don’t you want a double shot Americano with a splash of oat?”
“Are you calling me bougie, English professor?”
His smile fades for a second. Shit—I completely forgot about his losing tenure. “Hey, I’m the same. But unfortunately, I can’t find the espresso machine in here.” While he pours the boiling water into two mugs, I look around for my clothes.
“Can you pass me my bag?”
“Spoil sport.”
“I’m actually naked here.”
“Same. That’s just the way I like it.”
“Bradley!”
He grabs the bag from the floor and tosses it on the bed beside me. “As long as you promise to take it off again soon.”
“Turn around.”
“Are you kidding? I saw it all last night.”
“That was different. I was drunk. Now turn around!” This time, he does what I ask. I quickly change into a skirt and hoodie. “You can look.”
