I needed a ninja. That’s what I fucking needed. I’d left a breadcrumb trail of awkward from the basement, up the stairs, and into my apartment, and I didn’t have a clue how to avoid it.
Me: I was in the middle of doing laundry. That’s why I hadn’t responded yet.
Reed: Liar.
Pfffft. That was fresh coming from the king of lies.
Me: Like you should talk.
Reed: There’s a time and place for playful lies, LoLo. I would never lie to you about something like this.
Well, shit. When he put it like that, I felt kind of bad about my disappearance from our text conversation. Instead of beating around the bush, I settled for point-blank honesty.
Me: I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say.
Reed: Are you still doing laundry?
Me: Well, I should be, but I can’t go back downstairs right now.
Reed: Why not?
Me: I just had a really weird conversation with some random guy while I was waiting for the washers to finish. He told me, “I’ve been swiping right on everything on Tinder.” And then followed that up with. “Are you on Tinder?” I started laughing like a lunatic, and well, it was just a lot of awkward, and now I can’t go back down there.
Reed: LOL. Well…at least he was being honest about his intentions. He deserves some credit for that.
He had a point.
He always has a fucking point. God, he’s an asshole.
Jon was looking for a one-night stand, and he wasn’t putting up pretenses to find it. He wanted sex. And he’d made it very apparent that was all he wanted. Albeit, it was really fucking strange and turned me into a crazy person, but there was definitely something to applaud in his upfront approach.
Me: Are you busy?
Reed: Nope. Would you like me to come over and serve as a buffer if Tinder guy is still downstairs so you can finish laundry?
Oh, boy. It was the best idea I’d heard all day. I probably shouldn’t have been smiling so goddamn much about it, though. I was a few centimeters away from splitting my cheeks open.
Me: YES. PLEASE.
Reed: All right, Roller Skates. Give me 30 and I’ll be there.
Me: THANK YOU!!!
Reed never failed to surprise or amaze me.
And I could no longer deny I was a fan.
The surprises.
The amazement.
Reed.
Huge. Fan.
“Banana?” Reed grinned and held up one of my tank tops that showcased a picture of my favorite yellow fruit.
“I really like bananas.” I shrugged, and from my perch on the dryer, continued to swing my legs back and forth. “And like you should talk, Reed ate waffles.”
“For your information, yesterday Reed ate French fries.”
I giggled and opened the pack of Twizzlers I had snagged from the vending machine. After peeling one away from the bunch, I took a bite and continued to watch lazily as Reed folded my clothes one-by-one as he took them out of the dryer.
“I guess I’m not just a buffer, huh?” he teased.
“Nope,” I said through a mouthful of strawberry goodness. “I really need to invite you over to do laundry more often.”
He chuckled softly and put the last of my freshly folded laundry into my basket.
“What time is it?”
My eyes trailed to the screen of my phone near my hip. “Two a.m.,” I answered, and when I looked up, Reed had relocated to across the room. I tilted my head to the side as I watched him shut the door to the laundry room. The click of the lock reverberated inside the otherwise silent room.
“What are you doing?”
Nothing but heart-pounding, silent anticipation filled the room as he strode back toward me. His eyes searched mine as his hands gripped my thighs, spreading them apart, and he moved his body between my legs.
My thoughts wandered from innocent curiosity to something that bordered on erotic and obscene. Oh, hell, who was I kidding? My head flying back as he sank inside me, sweaty, heated breaths, and a dirty gif of my fingernails scratching the smooth skin of his back—erotic and obscene was the only language my mind spoke at the moment.
“What are you thinking about, Roller Skates?”
“What are you thinking about?” I tossed back.
He smirked and put his lips to my ear. “About how tomorrow, my shirt is going to need to say Reed ate Lola.”
A weird noise escaped my throat—equal parts gasp and moan. My body both loved and felt shocked by his forwardness.
He kissed one side of my face and then the other. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
“Something along those lines,” I whispered.
He brushed his lips against mine, teasing, caressing, just gently enough to spur goose bumps on my skin. “Is that so?”
Done dancing around the fact that I wanted exactly what he wanted, I pressed my mouth to his and slid my tongue past his lips. He responded with fervor, kissing me deep and gripping my ass with his hands. He was already hard and ready and pressed right against where I ached and throbbed for him.