Marlon continued to scratch and whimper.
“Can Marlon and I come in?”
“No,” I yelled back from under the blankets. “Go away, go away, go away,” I muttered.
“That was a good example of how coming in and out of each other’s rooms should work, so good job setting a boundary. But seriously. You don’t have to make this weird. We should talk.”
“I’m notmakingthis weird,” I said. “Thisisweird.”
“Come on, Vera.”
Yes, this was weirder than weird, but I also didn’t have any other immediate housing prospects. Eli and I couldn’t avoid each other forever, though I could certainly try if Morgan would let me conduct my job from the safety of my own bed with the covers pulled over my head.
With a huff, I threw my blankets back and stalked over to the door.
Marlon trotted in as I opened it just a crack and then darted back under the covers. It was better under here, where I could be mortified in peace.
The mattress sunk beside me as Eli sat down. “You gonna stay under there?”
“I’d rather not make eye contact right now.”
My headboard creaked as he leaned against it. A thrilling warmth unfurled from my belly button and radiated outward. The last thing I needed was to be mortified and turned on at the same time, but here we were.
“That wasn’t anything you haven’t seen,” Eli said.
“Not in twenty years,” I reminded him.
“Nineteen,” he corrected. “Vera, come on. We’re two grown adults sharing eight hundred square feet. Something like this is bound to happen.”
“No.” I shook my head beneath the covers. “It is not.”
He was quiet for a moment too long and the curiosity was enough for me to lower the blankets so I could peer up at him.
As I emerged, he slid down beside me on his side and propped his head in his hand. His breath smelled like coffee, and I couldn’t look at his hands without picturing his wrist disappearing under the sheets and that look of desperate arousal he’d worn on his face.
“Vera, I hate to break it to you, but I think it’s safe to say that at some point in time one of us is going to be masturbating while the other person is home. We just need—”
“Speak for yourself.” I bit down on my lower lip in an effort to shut myself up.
The muscle in his jaw jumped as he looked down at me from under those unfairly long brown lashes. “Vera.” He said my name like he was scolding me, and holy hell, the way my body responded tothatwas absolutely godless. “If you’re saying you only treat yourself to a little self-care when I’m not home, that is severely limiting your—”
I yanked the blankets back over my head to hide my violently red cheeks. “We aresonot talking about this.”
“Maybe we should, though. We could at least establish a schedule. I’d hate to barge in on your morning activities.”
“I’m not— I don’t—” My words erupted into a frustrated groan.
Slowly, he peeled the blankets back, so that he could see me again. Iinstantly regretted not getting dressed before going in search of Marlon. Whether it was from exposure to the air or the fact that my brain was currently a pornographic wasteland, my nipples had pebbled beneath my cropped black tank top. My breasts spilled out the armholes so that the curve of my chest was exposed on either side.
I lost myself in his lips as he sucked in a shallow breath. His gaze left a trail of heat from my throat and over my chest as he assessed my current clothing situation. “Vera Stein, are you saying you don’t masturbate?”
“Yes,” I said. “Wait. No.” I shook my head, giving up on words altogether.
“Have you— You’ve had an orgasm, right?” His voice was even and judgment-free and so much like the calm, certain tone he used at work when talking to residents.
Despite the smooth quality of his voice, I found myself resenting him for using his patient voice on me. “If you recall, you were there for one of them.” My throat felt warm and tight, the memory of us in that hotel room still so fresh and yet frustratingly distant. I sat up a little, holding my arms over my chest in a feeble attempt at modesty.
“People fake it sometimes. I was young and not nearly as adept as I am now. I guess if you’d been faking it, though, you did put on a good show.”
