Page 93 of The Tape Job
No. Do you?
Liam
No.
Liam
Just text me whenthey go to bed.
I definitely don’t want to lie down while I wait, because I feel completely exhausted. Instead, I make myself a coffee and hope to Christ that Ryan and Jen turn in soon.
I consider tomorrow morning. Ryan will expect me to go for a run in the morning. With no practice or training scheduled, I can go back to bed in the afternoon for some extra sleep if I need it. But the more I run through my intent to stay with Vicky, I realise I don’t feel bad about it. I mean, Vicky and I are both single—free to do what we please—but the thought of telling my brother that I’m back in her bed fills me with dread. What if he disowns me?
Perhaps I’ll have just one last night with Vicky wrapped in my arms—my friendly arms, that is—then call it a day.
And I wait for her text.
Vicky
“Lee, what are we doing?” I climb into bed next to him and roll to face him.
“Going to sleep?” he says.
“No, I mean … what are we doing?”
Liam and I have been sneaking between each other’s rooms for a few weeks. And as much as I enjoy sharing my space with him, I’m beyond confused. Is this going to be our permanent state? Falling asleep in each other’s arms, then spending the next day trying to avoid stealing glances, acting like we are the most basic of basic friends.
It’s been purely platonic, and I thought I was okay with that. But I’m not naïve enough to think that Liam brings a mini hockey stick to bed to poke me in the back all night long. I’m horny. And he’s horny. But we’re in a state of limbo because I either want him to pin me down and fuck me into next week or leave me alone forever so I can shake the feeling.
“Do you want to watch your show? Because I’m happy with whatever, Vic. Or we could watch our tape?” He winks at me before he pulls me in closer, and I hear him inhale deeply. “Wait …did you change your shampoo?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t like it. I mean, I like it, but it’s not you, is it?”
“I’ve had to make some adjustments. I’ve even learnt how to do my own nails too. But you’re changing the subject.” I roll over to face him and he blinks at me, ever so slowly.
“What?”
“What?” I say, poking him in the chest.
“What, what?”
“Stop it,” I laugh. “Just tell me what we’re doing because we’ve been sneaking around, and I don’t really know why … oh, actually, Johnny would probably lose his shit if he knew, so I guess that’s why. I’m embarrassed to admit I really enjoy sharing a bed with you, despite the duvet hogging issue, but I’m just so—”
He leans in and kisses me as if it’s nothing. Soft at first, but then he nips at my lower lip and I snake my tongue out. And just like that, the muscle memory floods back. We’ve kissed a lot. And I know exactly what he likes, which means he knows exactly what I like too. Just before he’s due to suck on my lip, he pulls away.
I stare at him, mouth still in the kissing position, and he grins.
“Well, at least that shut you up.”
“You’re a douche!” I give him a playful nudge. I’m smiling and he’s smiling back at me—it’s infectious.
“For the record, I really enjoy sharing a bed with you, too,” he says after a moment. “I’ve been enjoying the time we’ve been sharing, and I guess I don’t want to jinx things. Because when we are together like this, we’re happy, aren’t we? Are you happy? Because I don’t even know—”
Now it’s my turn to kiss him. It’s a kiss that moves me into the clouds, floating me so high that I forget about anything else in the world—apart from the throbbing coming from my clit. That spot which feels too deep inside of me for anyone else to reach, bar Liam. His right hand is trailing along my side, down the curve under my ribs and up onto my hip. Back and forth, back and forth. But I want more.
“What do you want us to be doing, Vic? Because this could get complicated. What if we fuck things up again?” He pulls away abruptly, but I decide to play along.
