Page 104 of A Little Tempting

I chuckle knowingly and glance at the closed bedroom door. “Phone sex, huh? I tell ya, video calls brought a whole new angle to the game.”

“You act like you were around before video calls.”

“I heard stories.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hums. “From who? Your current geriatric clients?”

I snort. “Past clients, but yeah. Guess you could say so.”

Her lips part, and I swear I can feel the question on the tip of her tongue, but instead of asking me why I corrected her, she darts right back into her little tortoise shell like a baby turtle and changes the subject. “Apparently, Drew didn’t get laid while he was in town and figured Finley could make it up to him tonight.”

“And you’re the one paying the price by having to hang out in the hallway.”

“Yeah. And it’s not like I can go downstairs since I might run into Everett, and if he asks why I’m not hanging out in the room?—”

“You’ll crumble like the Cave of Wonders and tell him his baby sister’s doing the hanky-panky over the internet?”

“Cave of—” Her yawn cuts her off, and she covers her mouth. “FromAladdin, right?”

“The one and only.” Tilting my head toward my bedroom door, I add, “Come on.”

“Oh, I don’t have to—” she yawns again.

“Come on, sleepyhead. You can hang out in my room until Finley’s finished.”

Grudgingly, she places her hand in mine. “Fine. But only because you insist.”

“Glad I can be of service.”

She pauses and tilts her head, taking in the fresh shiner on my cheekbone. “Okay, seriously, though. What happened?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Not exactly an answer,” she murmurs.

“Come inside?”

“Fine.” Her bare toes are painted blue. I don’t know why I notice, but I do as she makes her way into my bedroom. Staring at the bed, she rocks back on her heels and folds her arms.

“There a problem?” I ask.

“I feel weird.”

“About what?”

“Being in your space.”

“You’ve been in my space before,” I remind her.

“Yeah, but last time I was in your space, I was exhausted, and I wasn’t thinking straight, and I, apparently, drooled on your pillow, and…”

“And what?”

“I don’t know? You’re the one who mentioned crusty sheets when we were cleaning out Griffin’s room, and?—”

“Are you asking if my sheets are crusty?” I muse.

Her nose wrinkles. “Ew. No. Um…forget I said anything."

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