Page 72 of Small Town Swoo
“That’s right. It’s Monday.” I propped my head in my hand. “What time is that?”
“I have to be there at one. What time is it now?”
I picked up my phone from the nightstand. “Seven.”
“Damn, that’s early.”
Laughing, I put my phone down again. “You can go back to sleep. I’m going to make some coffee.”
“I’m up,” he said, but by the time I came out of the bathroom, he was fast asleep again. Leaving him be, I threwon Dash’s discarded T-shirt from the night before and tiptoed downstairs.
After letting Fritz out, I filled the coffee maker with water for a full pot and measured out the grounds. While I was standing there waiting for it to brew, I gathered the front of Dash’s shirt in my hands and brought it to my face. Inhaling the scent of him sent a shiver throughout my entire body. I closed my eyes and lost myself to the feeling—I was light as a feather, floating through air. I was?—
“Oh, shit. Ari?”
Whirling around, I opened my eyes and realized I was half naked in the Buckleys’ kitchen and Xander had just come in the back door, which would have given him a nice clear view of my ass. “Xander!” I dropped the shirt and tugged down on the hem. I had no underwear on beneath it.
“Sorry,” he said, turning immediately for the door again. “I’m doing some work on the house this morning and needed a tool from my dad’s basement. I’ll come back later.”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, running for the stairs, holding the shirt down in the back. “I just put on a whole pot of coffee. I’ll go wake Dash.”
I hurried up the stairs and burst into his bedroom, throwing myself on the bed. “Dash!” I whispered frantically, pounding on his naked shoulder. He was buck naked, lying starfish-style on his belly. “Wake up! Xander is here!”
“Huh?” He picked up his head. “What?”
“Xander is here, and I think he saw my butt.”
Confused, Dash flipped over and sat up. “Xander saw your butt?”
“It’s possible.” I took a breath and put my hand on my stomach. My heart was racing. “I was downstairs innothing but your T-shirt and he came in the back door and might have glimpsed my rear.”
“He never fucking knocks,” Dash grumbled, getting out of bed. “Is he still here?”
“He was going to leave, but I told him to stay. Coffee is on.”
Dash messed around in his bag and yanked on underwear and jeans. “Okay.”
“Dash.” I sat back on my heels. “This means he knows about us.”
“Yeah.” He pulled a black T-shirt over his head.
“I’m sorry.”
Right away, he came over to me and tipped up my chin. “Hey. You have nothing to apologize for. Xander is the one that barged in here, and besides, he knew about us anyway.”
“He did?”
“Well, he suspected it would happen, although he thinks it’s a bad idea.”
“He said that?”
Turning toward the mirror over the dresser, he ran his hands through his messy hair, frowning at his reflection. “He’s convinced that friends with benefits doesn’t work, because even if the friends agree at the start about remaining just friends, sex changes things.”
“Changes things how?”
“He says someone always gets attached, and it ends badly.”
“Oh.” I vowed right then and there I would not get attached. This would not end badly.
