Chapter 10

Ian

I blinked muzzily as I woke up, feeling better rested and more sated than I had in a while. My arm was still curled around a woman—whoever last night’s fling had been. I started mentally thinking through what I had in the house for breakfast food. I never wanted my one-night stands to get the wrong idea and think this was going to be a dating sort of thing, but I was good about giving them something for the road at least.

I blinked at the blond head beside me, startled out of my breakfast thoughts. Abigail.

The previous night came rushing back. This wasn’t just any one-night stand. I had slept with my roommate, my best friend’s sister, Abigail. I wasn’t sure which of those things was worse.

Not that I didn’t like her. It just made things complicated.

Still, whatever thoughts my mind was thinking, my body couldn’t help but remember the previous night. I hadn’t intended to sleep with her, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself from kissing her, and then I hadn’t been able to stop myself from stripping her down, and then I hadn’t been able to stop myself from leading her into my bedroom and pushing her toward the bed.

I didn’t regret anything we’d done. Fuck, it had been good. Hands down some of the best sex I’d ever had. Something about the way she moved, something about those little noises she made, the expressions of desperation and lust on her face. I just couldn’t get enough of that.

Even now, my dick twitched with interest. I wanted to grind against her, maybe thrust into that warm cavity between the cheeks of her beautiful, rounded ass. But she was sleeping peacefully, and I didn’t want to wake her up.

I slipped out of bed, dragging on some boxers before heading into the kitchen to make coffee. I was perched on the edge of the table, watching coffee drip into the pot, when Abigail wandered out of my room, one of my shirts pulled around her. It was big on her, but she looked adorable like that, and for a second I was tempted to drag her right back to bed.

But I knew better than to do that. As good as last night had been, I didn’t know where Abigail and I stood, and I wasn’t sure I should make this a thing.

“Hey,” she said, running a hand through her hair.

“Morning,” I said. “Coffee’s almost ready, and I was thinking of making some pancakes.”

“That’d be nice,” Abigail said. She paused. “Sorry about falling asleep in your bed. I meant to move to my own, but I guess I just didn’t have the energy.” She gave a self-conscious laugh and then plucked at the shirt. “Also, sorry for stealing a shirt, but all my clothes seem to have made it off before we got to your bedroom. Not that it’s anything you haven’t seen already, but it’s a little chilly to be walking around naked. I’ll go get changed though.”

“Either way,” I said, not wanting to admit that I liked the look of her in my clothes.

Abigail paused, eyeing me for a moment, and then shrugged, walking farther into the kitchen. She sat down at one of the seats, and I poured her a mug of coffee, adding just a little creamer like I’d noticed she normally did.

“Thanks,” she said.

“No worries.” I cleared my throat. “About last night, though—” I broke off, not sure how to say it.

“No one can find out about that,” Abigail said before I could finish. “Zach would kill me if he found out I had slept with you, his best friend.”

“He’d kill me first, though, for sleeping with his little sister,” I joked, glad we were on the same page about it. Already, there seemed to be a lack of awkward tension between us, not like when I’d seen her after the shower. I was relieved. Maybe last night hadn’t been such a bad idea.

“Last night was really good, though,” Abigail said slowly. “At least for me.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said, flashing her a smile as I got to work mixing pancake batter. I glanced over my shoulder and then asked tentatively, “So are we, like, roommates with benefits?”

I didn’t know where the words came from. It was a terrible idea. If we kept sleeping together, it was only a matter of time before Zach found out somehow. But at the same time, if we both agreed that the previous night had been pretty good, and if neither of us seemed to be able to keep away from the other, then maybe labeling it as roommates with benefits was the best idea. At least then we wouldn’t get too attached to one another. It was just a roommates thing.

I wasn’t sure whether I was preparing to convince Abigail of that or if I was trying to convince myself of it.

“I like that,” Abigail said. “Roomies with benefits.” She smiled at me.

Again, I was tempted to drag her back to the bedroom, benefits and all. But I refrained. The previous night was enough for now. Besides, I usually went to the gym early in the morning on my days off. I was already a bit later than I’d like, having slept in past when I would normally be up.

I continued to concentrate on the pancakes. “Have any plans for today?” I asked Abigail idly.

“Same as always,” she said, sighing. “I have to find a job.”

“You never take a break, do you?” I asked. I admired that about her, but I was sorry I couldn’t do anything to help her.

Abigail shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get something soon. I’ve got another batch of resumes to hand out, and I figure today I’ll hit anywhere they might need a secretary. It’s something anyway.”

“I’m sure you will,” I agreed, sliding a plate of pancakes in front of her. I sat down across from her with my own plate, trying to ignore how strangely domestic this felt, as if this weren’t just a roomies-with-benefits situation.

I finished eating quickly and headed for the gym. When I got there, Zach was already in there, working out at one of the machines. I quickly jammed my headphones into my ears, pretending not to notice him. Again, just like when I’d seen Abigail naked after her shower, I just had the feeling that Zach somehow knew, even though that was impossible.

I’d always done a good job of hiding my feelings for Abigail, and I didn’t think Zach had ever suspected. So, I had no idea how he would react if he did find out what had happened the previous night, or if he knew Abigail and I had agreed to a casual sexual relationship that morning.

I tried to pound out all my chaotic thoughts into a workout, but I kept lagging behind my usual pace on the machines and feeling shaky on the free weights. I was just too distracted to make it a good workout, especially since Zach kept passing by me, clearly puzzled by my avoidance of him.

I just hoped he didn’t realize I was avoiding him. Hopefully he thought my random path around the gym was just some new style I was trying out.

The truth was, I didn’t want to sacrifice my friendship with Ian to sleep with Abigail. Ian and I had been friends since pre-K, and I couldn’t imagine not being friends with him anymore. But I kept telling myself that things would blow over, that we’d find our rhythm again. It was just that this thing with Abigail was so new; that was why I was so flustered around Zach. But we’d gone through periods before where we’d been less close, and yet here we were, still best friends. This was just another one of those times.

I couldn’t seem to sink into the workout and clear my brain like I normally did, and eventually, I decided to call it quits early. Every once in a while, a man needed a day off. And anyway, I had given it a good shot—not enough to feel my arms or legs burning, but I’d at least made an effort and sweated a little.

I wiped off my brow and headed for the locker room, disgusted with myself. If things with Abigail were going to be this distracting and complicated, maybe it was better to nip it in the bud.

But I remembered what it had felt like to wake up next to her that morning. It had been sweet, seeing her lying there against my pillows, resting in my arms. And last night, didn’t that count for something? In fact, maybe that was all this was really about: I had just about had my brains fucked out the previous night, and now I just couldn’t think straight.

I tried to tell myself that was the situation. I almost believed it.