AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to…’ she gestures above her stomach with her hands ‘… you know.’
My brain fails to connect the dots. ‘I don’t know.’
‘If you need more room, you can take the pillows away. I promise I won’t cross the line.’
She won’t cross the line?
‘In addition to apologizing for forcing your involvement with Mary and Kayla, I should’ve also apologized for the sexual harassment.’
I almost choke on my next breath. ‘The what?’
From across the pillows her face stares solemnly at the ceiling as if making an oath. ‘I just want to let you know that I have never been so, um, sexually aggressive before. And I’m sorry that my actions were unwelcome.’
‘Alice.’ I remove the highest pillow between us. ‘I haven’t the slightest fuck what you are talking about.’
Her head falls toward me, her eyes wide.
In the small amount of light filtering through the blinds, I watch her tongue dampen her lips.
‘Did you just curse?’
‘What did you mean sexually aggressive?’
She grabs the next pillow in the line and covers her face with it. ‘Hand in lap… climbed you in Vegas… pasties… kissed you.’ It’s all mumbled behind the pillow, but I get the gist.
‘Alice.’
She pulls back from the pillow enough to be understood. ‘But I just want to let you know, on top of being really sorry about everything else, that I’m going to make sure you don’t have any other regrets.’
Regrets. Hearing her repeat the word I used in the dressing room gut-punches me in the lasagne.
I tug the pillow out of her hands and toss it aside. ‘Alice.’
Her eyes are squeezed shut again.
‘Look at me.’
‘I’d rather not. I’m super embarrassed right now.’
Fighting a smile, which is the last thing I thought I’d be fighting with Alice in my bed, I strive for an apologetic tone. ‘I should not have said what I said in the dressing room. I was angry.’
‘At me, I know.’
‘No, I—’ Exasperated with myself, I wish I was better with words. I’d only said what I said because I hadn’t known what else to say that would make it easier to hold her at arm’s length. But just thinking that makes me feel as lame as a hairless cat. Not going to even try and say it. ‘Don’t be embarrassed. I never once felt sexually harassed.’ I flare my nostrils to keep the smile at bay. ‘Or thought you overly aggressive.’
She opens one eye. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’
Both eyes now open, I’m suddenly hyper-conscious of the open space between us since I tossed the pillow to the floor.
‘Thank you for saying that.’ She gives me a small smile. ‘It makes me feel better knowing that you weren’t uncomfortable while I was having the best sex of my life.’ She freezes, as if realizing what she just said.
Surprising me, Alice laughs, rolling onto her back, hands covering her face. ‘I really know how to put my foot in it when I’m around you, huh?’
I lose the battle on the smile.
She’s an odd combination of smart and naive. She’s enchanting and sweet. She’s too good for me.
