Page 91 of Cashmere Cruelty

If Corey hears anything in my silence, he doesn’t mention it. Instead, he says, “Look. I’ve had my fair share of guys who didn’t want anything serious. It’s not impossible to toe the line.”

“Thanks,” I sniffle. “I was really gunning for ‘not impossible’ right now.”

“‘Not impossible’ is still a lot of work,” Corey warns. “There are rules. More often than not, they’re unspoken.”

“Like…?”

“Let’s see. One: never leave your toothbrush at his place.”

I glance to the master bedroom’s ensuite, where my toothbrush is most definitely waiting for me.

“Two: never keep a change of clothes there.”

I look at the scattered items of clothing around the room. Somehow, a bra has ended up on the chandelier.

“Three: never take up a drawer.”

I stare at the giant closet I filled first thing on moving day.

“Four—”

“This is ridiculous, Corey!” I wail. “I’m living at his place. Where else am I supposed to keep my stuff? On Grisha?”

“Is the silver fox still there?” June asks with a touch of interest.

“June, no.”

“June,maybe,” she counters. “That guy wasn’t half-bad to look at.”

“Four,” Corey says loudly, drowning out our intermission, “don’t talk about feelings.”

I let this one sit with me. “So far, we haven’t,” I say honestly. Unless you count Matvey’s sparks of possessiveness, all thoseYou’re minehere andThis pussy is minethere, we never exactly had a heart-to-heart. Truth be told, I can hardly see it happening.

After all, it’s still up for debate whether Matvey has a heart.

Corey hums like a wise village elder. “Good. Keep it that way. And lastly?—”

“There’s another rule?”

“Lastly,” Corey repeats, “don’t ask for more. Don’t wish for more. Do not ever,everlet yourself think it’s okay to want more. That’s just asking for trouble.”

I stare at the ceiling, lost in thought. What would “more” even look like in our situation? We’re having a baby. We’re sharing space. We’re sharing dinner.

We’ve also been sharing someotherthings pretty much on the regular.

“What do you mean by ‘more’?” I ask eventually.

Corey gives a thoughtful hum. “Well, for starters, don’t sleep together.”

“Bit late for that, buddy.”

“I meanliteralsleeping together, Apes. Don’t stay the night. That’s just basic common sense.”

I think back to the past few nights. Sure, after that first time, Matvey’s been staying after the fact. But that’s only been to make more “facts” happen. Once I’m spent and sleepy, he always puts himself back together and heads back to his place. Or rather, his other place. I’ve still got no idea where that is, by the way.

“He hasn’t been staying over,” I tell Corey.

“See? That’s a win.”

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