“Please respect my friendship boundaries, Lane.”
“Don’t worry.” I wince. “I just got my dick smashed in. I’ll be out of action for a while now.”
“Music to my ears.”
I sigh and stretch out on the bed. “In fact, a professional massage would probably do me good.”
“So gross.”
“Oh, come on. This is just another day at the office for a PT.”
“Did you get that from Lewis?”
I nod, just as she shakes her head. She looks me up and down, biting her lip. She’s kind of adorable when she does that.
“Okay, let me go grab a rolling pin. I’ll be right back.”
She flings herself out of the bed and dashes out of the room, and luckily for me, she doesn’t come back. I look down. A hard-on has sprung up out of nowhere.Oh, for fuck’s sake. Getting hard for Lois? Really?I drag the comforter over my lap—just in case—and make a mental note to call April ASAP. It’s been way too fucking long since I got laid. All I need is a quick fix to set me straight again.
After my shower, I find her sitting in the living room, deep in conversation with her mom.
“I’ll be there late afternoon. Yeah, got it. Me either. I can’t wait.” She smiles. “Sounds good. Tell Dad I love him. And tell Kesley to get out of my room. If I find his Kleenex in there, I’m shoving them up his ass.”
She hangs up and walks over to join me by the fridge.
“When are you leaving, again?”
“Saturday. I’m psyched. Ten whole days back home.”
She pours herself a glass of water and gulps it down in one. “Are you getting a tree?”
“Nope. It’ll just be me, Carter, a few games, and a microwave meal for two.”
“Keeping it rock ’n’ roll,” she says, pumping the air. “It’s sad you aren’t seeing your parents, though.”
“It’s been that way since forever. It’s a good thing, trust me.”
She frowns, and I tense up. I can feel questions bubbling away under the surface. All I’ve told her is we aren’t close—no more, no less. She didn’t press me for details. I’m guessing she can tell it’s a touchy subject. She’s a good friend like that.
“I’ll be back on the thirtieth,” she says after a while. “Any New Year’s Eve plans?”
“I’m still waiting to hear what we’re doing—Lewis is checking whether we can hang out at one of the cabins. Somewhere not too far.” I pause. “Would be cool if you came with us, though.”
A smile tugs at her lips. “Then I guess you’re stuck with me on New Year’s.”
“Wow. Didn’t expect you to say yes so quickly.”
She rolls her eyes and ignores me.
“By the way,” I continue. “I need to drive Hope and Prudence to a tea dance at seven and bring them home afterward.”
“So you’re their driver now? That’s cute.”
“They helped me out that evening on your birthday, and I told them I owed them one. Definitely no problems on the memory front.”
She whistles. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into!”
“I don’t mind. I kind of like them.”
