Page 27 of A Break in Communications

Veronica rolled her eyes, setting her cup down. “You can just admit you want to fuck. I’ll go more readily.”

I closed my eyes, letting out a long sigh through the politest smile I could maintain. I didn’t even like to think the thought.

Worst part was, I’d bet money Lucy was good in bed. And she’d lord it over me, and I’d refuse to ever admit it, but she’d know, and I’d know, and she’d know that I knew.

I really was desperate, if I was letting my mind dwell on things likewould Lucy Masters be good in bed.Gross.

“Well,” I said, finally, “some of us like to keep a little mystique.”

“Ooh, mystique,” Veronica said, standing up. “Well, let me just wash my dishes so they don’t get in the way of some filthymystiqueover the counter.”

I put my hands up. “Even if I was about to have sex, you talking about it like that instantly kills the mood, you know.”

Lucy hummed next to me, kicking one leg up over the other. “Doesn’t kill any moods for me.”

Ugh—I wasnotletting her get a rise out of me. I smiled at her, standing up. “She’s notyoursister, darling. I’m going to go take a shower. You know—get in the mood.”

And it worked—that smug smile faltered a little, and she took a split second to get it back, with that glint in her eyes she got whenever I called her bluff. Like she was having fun with it? There really was no winning with this damn woman.

And she delivered the coup de grace, raising her eyebrows, and she said, “Need some company?”

My first thought wasew,and my second thought was that I kind of did. Just… not from her. I kind of thought I’d outgrown my horny college years—hadn’t had sex in a long time and hadn’t thought about it once—but the thought of a woman in the shower with me was just…

Just not Lucy Masters. I was going to feel dirty in the shower picturing her there.

“I’ll be fine myself,” I said. “You know—have to save a little mystique.”

Got kind of hard to focus in the shower, as mortifying as it was to admit. I was going to kill VeronicaandLucy for screwing with me as much as they had… I stood under the warm water washing my hair for an eternity, my mind spinning back around and around the memory of the sudden heated kiss from last night. Just… trying to strip away the fact that it was Lucy.

Was it so much to ask for someone else to kiss me like that? To offer to join me in the shower?

I seriously hadn’t been like this in years. I didn’t know what the hell was happening, but if this was Christmas magic, I wanted to send it back to Santa’s workshop.

I needed to get it out of my system. I turned the water warmer, and I leaned back against the shower wall to take care of the… situation. Felt gross knowing Lucy was in the next room, let alone the fact that it was still hard not to picture her there right next to the bathroom, but once I’d gotten into it, I didn’t give a damn. Almost—exciting in some way. Maybe I was an exhibitionist now too. I didn’t care anymore.

I felt embarrassed and awkward once I was done, like I didn’t know how to stand, how to position my arms or where to look, but I went through the motions dutifully getting cleaned up and heading out of the shower, toweling off and getting dressed, spending longer than I needed fussing over my hair. Mostly just to pull myself back together and be able to look Lucy in theeye without my face burning. No use, though—I got out of the bathroom, found Lucy at the kitchen table with her laptop out and another coffee half-finished next to her, and as soon as she looked up at me, I felt my face flare up hot. If I was going to think about masturbating in the shower every time Lucy looked at me now—I’d just jump from the window and hope there was enough snow to bury my body in one fell swoop.

“Nice shower?” she said, and I swear there was just a touch of something in her voice like sheknewand was rubbing it in my face. I guess I didn’t normally take that long in the shower. How the hell would she know that, though?

Or maybe I was just paranoid. Probably that. Like how you smoked weed and suddenly thought everyone was an undercover cop out to bust potheads, I rubbed one out in the shower still seeing Lucy’s face and suddenly thought everything was a sign Lucy knew.

“Water wouldn’t heat up properly,” I lied, walking past her with my dirty laundry. “So, awful, all things considered.”

She leaned back in her seat, closing her laptop halfway. “Need something to warm you up, darling?”

I fumbled a little, shooting her a look. “Don’t be disgusting, Masters.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m offering to make you coffee.”

She—was absolutely not. Ugh—of course she was. Like I thought she was propositioning me? Lucy didn’t want to sleep with me any more than I wanted to sleep with her. Or—I guess—she was making it sound like that on purpose to rile me up, and—and she was winning, by how long I’d just been quiet. I felt my face boiling hot now, and I rolled my eyes hard, huffing and looking away.

“I’m not giving you access to the documents just because you offer me coffee.”

“And if I offer you something else?”

I shot her the most withering look I could manage. She smiled.

“I’m not talking about sex this time either.”

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