I felt…good. Really good. Rested and satisfied, though Andrew and I hadn’t done the full range of things we could possibly do. We hadn’t even started. And I still felt pretty freaking fantastic.
I came out of the bathroom and heard sounds from the other room in the hall. I’d peeked into this room before and knew it was a workout room. Andrew was doing his morning workout.
He was on his back on a weight bench, doing chest presses. I stood in the doorway and watched for a minute, not wanting to startle him.
He was wearing a black tee and gray sweatpants. His arms and chest flexed, his dark eyes fixed on a point on the ceiling. A drop of sweat rolled down his temple and into his hair.
He put the weight down on its rack and sat up, looking at me over his shoulder. His expression was careful, unreadable. “Morning,” he said.
And I felt it—that little trickle of excitement, like champagne bubbles moving through my blood. The feeling of being with a guy I liked. Of being the focus of his attention, of having nothing else to look at but him. “Morning,” I said.
He swiveled on the bench, moving his legs off and putting his feet on the ground. I was getting used to it now, how Andrew arranged himself. It wasn’t weird or clumsy; it was just how he moved. I walked to the bench and sat next to him.
This was the moment when it might be awkward. I’d told him my rawest secret last night, and I knew his. We hadn’t talked about it. We would, eventually, and it would be a dark conversation. We both had unresolved shit, and Andrew was convinced I was going to dump him. We’d had sort-of sex, we’d slept together, and we were both in uncharted territory. I should be fumbling around, making excuses and leaving. Instead I looked at him and thought,Damn, girl, you got that. Get it again.
“I have to go to work,” I said, like a dope.
“Yeah,” Andrew said. He scratched his chin slowly, his fingers rasping over his beard. He wasn’t awkward either. He wasn’t defensive or throwing quips at me. This was thoughtful Andrew, his face relaxed, his eyes focused on the wall as the super-intelligent thoughts went around in his head. I looked at his fingers and thought of how they’d touched me last night, how they’d made me come.
He’d had a lot of women, once upon a time. I saw that now. I could see the twenty-three-year old who had all the women he wanted.
But none of those women were here now. I got him all to myself.
“You’re going to the photo shoot?” he asked, glancing at me.
I didn’t want to think about taking my clothes off in front of a lot of people, but I said, “Yeah. It’s the last day. Then I’m working a shift at Miller’s.”
He nodded. “You hungry?”
“I can’t eat right before a shoot. I’ll get coffee on the way. I’m going home to shower and change.”
“Okay.”
“I’m coming over later. After my shift.”
He looked at me again, his eyes catching mine. Something flickered in his, and he said, “You sure?”
It was the one and only time he’d ask me, I knew. He was giving me an out. “I’m sure,” I said.
He dropped his hand, still looking thoughtful. “Sex with me is going to be different,” he said frankly.
“Okay,” I said.
“I mean, I don’t really know how it goes. I’m pretty sure I can make it good, but I’ll have to figure a few things out. You need to be patient. It won’t be like you’re used to with other guys.”
I couldn’t help it. “You mean you’ll call me afterward?” I said.
Andrew sighed, but he looked amused.
“Okay, seriously,” I said. I reached out and put my hand on his arm, close to his wrist, wanting to feel his skin against mine. “Does sex with you involve your cock inside me?”
His face went still. “Tessa.”
“Because I haven’t had that yet and honestly, I’m pretty interested.”
“Tessa.”
I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “See you later.”