“Technically.” He licks my earlobe, making me shiver. “Mm. You’re sosensitive.” He nuzzles into me. “It’s Jack’s whole thing. He needs the game to be perfect. Every negative review completely guts him.”
“Why? The last game did so well. Surely he can relax a bit now.”
“He’s like a kid. Terrible self-esteem. He needs other people to pat him on the head and tell him he’s smart.” He finds the zipper on my dress and jangles it with his finger. “Last release day, we had to confiscate all his electronics to stop him obsessively refreshing the sales and review pages.”
I frown. That doesn’t make any sense. Jack’s a little awkward, but he’s always come across as confident to me. Why would he be so insecure when it comes to his work?
Cyrus gets impatient and starts to tug the zip down.
I grab his hand. “Don’t undress me in theliving room,” I hiss.
“Fine.” Without another word, he picks me up again, tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me into his bedroom, where he proceeds to show me some more of his special, secret moves. And now that we don’t have to worry about some poor cleaning lady, he has no qualms about coming on my face.
Thirty-Five
Beth
I wake up at five AM to an alarm beeping frantically. I groan, rolling over as the two warm bodies I’m sandwiched between start to shift.
I frown. Two? That’s not right, is it? I distinctly remember only shagging one man last night.
I force my eyes open. “Jack?” I whisper, watching the blonde man roll out of bed, rubbing his stubbled jaw. “When did you get here?”
He smiles down at me, bending to kiss my cheek. “Heard you guys come back in,” he says, in a raspy, sexy morning voice. “And I missed you.” He tries to straighten, but I grab his hand, trying to tug him back onto the mattress.
“Come back. Stay.”
“I can’t, honey. Cy and I are going up to Edinburgh, remember?” He yawns massively, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
I groan, flopping down onto the pillows. Two deep laughs rumble over my head.
“Jesus,” Jack mutters, “she lookswrecked. What the Hell did you do to her?”
“Shagged her,” Cyrus says. I hear the hiss of a deodorant can. “What do girls look like afteryousleep with them?”
“Cyrus danced for me,” I say dreamily. “Then he ate me out upside down.”
Jack chuckles. “I see.” He brushes my hair out of my face, trailing his fingers down my cheek. “Go back to sleep, Beth. We’ll see you on Monday.”
I want to sit up and kiss them both goodbye, but my eyes are too heavy, so I just nod. “Kay,” I mumble, mashing my face in the pillow. “Have a good trip.”
I feel two warm mouths kiss my cheeks, and then I’m out again.
I wake up naturally just before eight, and lie in Cyrus’s empty bed, looking around me sleepily. With the sunlight sifting through the window, I can finally see the inside of his room. It’s pretty; his sheets are deep red and silky, his lampshade is made of orange glass, and he has a big gold-framed mirror opposite his bed. His blinds are saffron-coloured and translucent, turning the morning sunbeams into warm yellow light. The whole effect is sultry and exotic.
A soft baby’s cry sounds from somewhere in the flat, and I sigh, sliding out of the bed and tugging the silky covers back into place. My rumpled red dress lies on the floor, and I grimace as I wriggle back into it. I may as well get my walk of shame over with. I can’t hide in here all day.
I look in the mirror and wince at my bedraggled appearance, then use some tissues and water to wipe off the makeup smeared around my face. It doesn’t help much. I still look like a total wreck.
I sigh, setting my shoulders, and head out into the living room. Sebastian is awkwardly carrying Cami out of the bathroom, his hair mussed around his face. He pulls up short when he sees me. “Beth?” He asks incredulously. “Why are you here?”
“I…” I clear my throat. “Cyrus... invited me to stay the night.”
He blinks a few times, staring at me as if he’s not sure I’m real. “Oh,” he says slowly.
My cheeks burn. I push my chin up. “I understand if… that poses an issue,” I say levelly. “If you want to find someone else—”
“No, no,” he says, looking slightly stunned. “That’s fine. I knew he was interested in you.” He looks down at Cami. She pouts up at him sulkily. “Are you staying?” He asks hopefully.