Page 24 of A Little Secret
I turn toward the sound, and Finley stops short.
“Oh. Hi,” she announces.
I lift my chin in greeting, then turn off the faucet and take a drink, watching her over the rim of the glass.
What are you gonna do, Finley?
“So.” She swings her arms behind her and clasps her fingers at the base of her spine. “How’d you sleep?”
“Fine,” I offer. “You?”
“Fine.” She hesitates, and I swear we’re in a standoff. A game of chicken. Hell, I feel like I’ve been transported to an old Western movie and am waiting for her to yell, “Draw!”
“There a problem, Finley?” I prod.
“No problem.” She runs her tongue along her teeth, staring at me. “Did you…invite anyone over last night?”
She heard me. It’s all she needs to say for me to know the truth. She heard me, and she thinks I had company. The question is, if she heard me, why the hell did she touch herself afterward?
I quirk my brow. “Is this your sleuthing face?”
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing, I just… Don’t get me wrong. I know it’s been a while since you’ve even looked me in the eye, but I figured you’d have a better sleuthing face than this. Honestly, it needs some work.”
She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Did I invite anyone over last night?” I repeat, tossing her own words back at her. “I don’t know. How ‘bout you, Fin?”
“Why would I have company over?” she volleys back at me.
“So, it was only you, huh?”
Her throat tightens on a swallow. “Okay, so the vents go both ways. Noted. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She hobbles closer on her bum ankle with her shoulders backand her head held high, moving to the coffee pot beside me.
I grab her a mug from the cabinet, set it beside the coffee pot, and wait, refusing to back down or give her more room than necessary. Hell, if anything, I give her less. Call me a dick, but I’m curious. We’ve been dancing around each other for weeks now, masturbated a floor away from each other, and she’s gonna…what? Pretend like nothing happened?
Her lips purse as she sidles up next to me, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing as I stare down at her and silently call her bluff.
Clicking her nails against the countertop, she stares straight ahead, like she can’t feel my presence, until she finally blurts out, “There’s nothing wrong with a little self-care.”
“Not at all,” I agree.
“Although, you should probably stick to the shower,” she adds, craning her head up to look at me. “You know, so I don’t have to be scarred and all.”
I chuckle dryly. “You didn’t sound very scarred.”
“Maybe I was on the phone with Drew.”
Liar.
My fingertips turn white against my glass. I steal another sip, ignoring the sizzle in my veins from his name alone. “Trust me. I know when you’re talking to Drew.”
“Oh, you do, do you?”
“You said so yourself. The vent goes both ways. And you weren’t cursing or crying, so…” I hesitate and cock my head, taking her in. “I take it back. You did curse…right before you said my name.”
Her gaze narrows, but a blush hits her cheeks. “You need to have your hearing checked.”