and then grabbed his hoodie. While he was turning it right-side out and putting it on, she reconnected the clasp of her bra in record time, and pulled her sweater over her head. âLetâs just forget about it,â she suggested.
âWe kind of got carried away, didnât we?â Todd asked. Now that they were dressed, a little of the awkwardness had passed, but not all.
âA little.â She tried to smile at him. âI ⦠well. Letâs just say today has been full of surprises.â
He chuckled, the warm smile she liked returning to his lips. âIt has been that. And this was a good way to end it, I think.â
And speaking of ending it â¦
âToddâ¦â Never in a million years had she thought sheâd say these words, but they were coming out of her mouth now. âIâm not really in a relationship kind of place right now. So tonight should probably be it for us. I donât know what you had in mind, and maybe you werenât thinking of asking me out at all, which means I feel really stupid right now for making that assumption. I just want to be honest, and clear.â
âAs long as you donât say Itâs not you, itâs me, weâre okay,â he replied. âAnd as long as you donât have regrets. Because that was pretty amazing.â
It was. She hadnât had that many partners but she could honestly say that having an orgasm with her pants on had never happened to her before.
âMaybe we should call it a night,â she suggested. âGet some rest. Tomorrowâs going to be another crazy day.â
She got up from the sofa. There was a certain amount of dissatisfaction in the movement, because what she really wanted was to curl up in his arms, be warm and cozy, and fall asleep. For that reason alone, she needed to put some distance between them.
âMaybe youâre right.â He smiled up at her. âShould I apologize?â
She thought about it. âFor what? Todd, you were there. Clearly I was having a good time.â
âIf Iâd known it would be like that, well, I would have made sure we dated earlier.â His smile was so big now, a dimple popped in his cheek. It should have looked ridiculous and instead it was stupidly alluring.
She kind of wished he had, too, but what good did that do them now? Maybe in another time, another place, but Lainey wasnât in that place now.
âIâll see you in the morning, okay? Maybe put a few extra logs on the fire before you turn in. Itâll help with the heat. Sometimes the baseboards donât throw as much warmth as Iâd like.â
âYou got it,â he replied.
She had no idea how to make a graceful exit, so she gave a weak smile and disappeared into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. When she came out he was putting wood on the fire and she slipped into her bedroom and shut the door.
Once she was in bed she listened to the sounds punctuating the silence. There were the bumps and thumps of Todd getting ready for bed, the click of the light switch flicking off, the muffled sound of him settling on the sofa with his blanket. The wind gusted around the windows, creating a whoosh and rattle that was far from comforting, and the stinging snow pelted against the window as the storm raged on.
And she was in here, and he was out there, and she was wishing she didnât care so much about guarding herself that she couldnât take advantage of a gorgeous, sexy, willing man when she had the chance.
Chapter Three
Todd rolled over, blinked, squinted, and reached up to rub the grit from the corner of his eyes.
He was on Laineyâs couch, still in his hoodie and jeans from yesterday, curled up and covered by a thick quilted blanket. The perfect quiet told him that the storm had ended overnight, and sun filtered weakly through the curtains as day began to break.
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling.
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