a shower and then hunker down on the couch in my pajamas and eating enough junk food to fuel an army.
I spring upward, almost jogging to the bathroom, excitement coursing through my body at the thought of getting to use all the hot water. I strip quickly and step into the shower. The hot water feels like heaven on my skin. It’s so hot, my skin reddens, but that’s how I like it. I wash my hair twice with my favorite rose-scented shampoo and conditioner it just as many times. I take my time shaving my legs and washing off. I even use my in-shower lotion that I rarely have time for. By the time the hot water is running out, my skin feels like it’s been set on fire. I shut off the water then gather my hair over my shoulder to wring it out.
I pull the curtain open and stick my head and arm out to reach into the cabinet hanging above the toilet where we keep the towels, but the cabinet is empty. I look at the towel rack on the wall and the one on the back of the door, but both are towel-less. I guess Brad went to go do some laundry today and forgot to put it away. Not completely unusual.
Standing in the shower, I wring my hair free of as much water as I can. I fling my hands through the air, trying to shake the water off them. It only hits me now that I also didn’t grab clothes before I came in here. I’m so used to going from bathroom to bedroom that I completely forgot. Again. With a groan, I step out of the tub.
I open the door just a crack.
“Brad! Hudson! Anyone here?” I shout into the apartment, but there’s no answer. I quickly pull the door open and dash across the hall into the living room, where my things are now being stored. I start digging through the box in the corner, finding a pair of black lace panties. I quickly pull them on. Just as my hand touches a pair of plaid pajama bottoms, I hear the lock on the front door turn. I grab the pants to make an effort to put them on quickly, but the door opens only a second later, and Hudson comes walking through. I spin around to face him in a panic.
His eyes go wide with shock, and his mouth drops open with the corners turning slightly upward, like he can’t wipe the smile from his face at seeing me. I take the pair of pants in my hand and hold them up to my chest, covering my bare breasts.
“I’m sorry. I took a shower and forgot to bring some clothes…again. And this time, there weren’t any towels in the bathroom. Nobody was home, so I didn’t think it was a big deal,” I ramble.
He lets out a quiet chuckle and gently shakes his head. “It’s fine, Deven. Just…get your clothes and go get dressed,” he says, turning his back to me.
I quickly grab a sweatshirt off the top of the stack and head back to the bathroom to put my clothes on. I know I’ve already slept with the guy, but being caught naked is never fun. Embarrassment heats up my face and stains my cheeks a bright red. I brush out my hair and move back into the living room, collapsing on the end of the couch.
“Sorry about that,” I say again. “I wasn’t trying to tease you or seduce you or anything. In fact, I think you’re right. Nothing good could come from us being together behind my brother’s back. I mean, sure, he’s never home, and it would be totally easy to mess around without him knowing”—I’m babbling again—“but he already thinks that I’m a slut without a cause, so I probably don’t need to be screwing his friends to confirm his suspicions. Plus, you seem to have gotten whatever interest you had in me out anyway.”
He looks at me confused, his brows pulled together and his blue eyes narrowed. “What’s happening here? Are you drunk? Why do you keep rambling?”
I shake my head clear. “Something I do when I’m embarrassed or nervous. Don’t mind me, I’ll just…go die now.” I slide off the couch and head for the kitchen to make something to eat and to put some space between us. I place my hands flat on the counter and hang my head, trying to control