boiling water.
Chapter 16
Audery
My face instantly paled upon hearing Edwin’s proposal.
“You can stay with me tonight.”
Without meaning to, I took a step back and quickly shook my head. “Not” I blurted out, “I can’t. —”
“Relax, kid” Edwin finished stirring the pasta and tapped the wooden spoon on the side of the pot, then reached over to saule the garlic and spices in the pan. “I didn’t mean is like that. I have a spare room here you can use
My mouth worked uselessly for a moment as I watched him work. A thousand refusals reached the tip of my tongue, but they all died there,
I didn’t have much of a choice, Linda was waiting outside my dorm to get revenge, and besides…
Dinner was ready.
The guest room that Edwin showed me to was small, just big enough for a twin–sized bed, a side table, and a dresser. He flicked the lamp on, casting the little room in a cozy amber glow as he began stretching the clean sheets over the bed. In the far corner were some piles of cardboard boxes and plastic bins.
“Sorry for the mess,” he said as he worked. “I’ve basically only been using this room for storage.”
“It’s okay.” I helped him tuck the sheets in, carefully avoiding his gaze, I didn’t want to admit it, but I actually felt a little disappointed; I supposed that a part of me, maybe the same part of me that had had that erotic dream about Edwin the other night, had secretly hoped we could share a bed.
But this was fine. And it was better this way.
Once we were finished, Edwin straightened and turned. He pulled open one of the drawers in the dresser and rifled through it for a moment before producing a plain white t–shirt, which he held out to me.
“Since you
don’t have pajamas, you can wear this,” he said.
Feeling the knot that had formed in my throat tighten ever so slightly, I hesitantly reached out and took the soft, clean shirt. Our fingers brushed as I did, that all–too–familiar current running through my hand and up my arm
For a moment, I felt that sensation roll around in my chest, that unmistakable yearning heating up inside of me. This close, with our rooms right next to one another, we could.
But it was gone just as quickly as it came. Edwin lowered his hand and turned, heading for the door.
“You already know where the bathroom is,” he said, seemingly oblivious to my turmoil. “I left a clean towel in there for you. Feel free to use whatever you need for a shower.”
I nodded and watched him go, only during to release my breath once he had disappeared down the hall. Clutching the shirt to my chest, I scurried toward the bathroom, where I turned on the water and jumped into the frigid water before it even had a chance to heat up.
A little while later, I stepped out of the bathroom wearing Edwin’s shirt. It fell almost to my knees because of our disparity in size, practically becoming a nightgown on me. But it smelled like him, and with my skin freshly washed from the shower, I felt strangely comforted.
The apartment was mostly dark as I padded back to the guest room–save for a single light in the living room. Figuring that Edwin was reading. I quietly made my way down the hallway,
And I stopped in the doorway when I saw what was waiting for me on the bedside table a tray with warm milk and a small digestive cookie.
My breath caught in my throat as I stepped forward, observing the gesture. Slowly, I reached out to touch the warm glass–only to pull back abruptly and whirl armand when I heard a floorboard creak behind me.
Edwin’s eyes only momentarily flicked over me in his shirt, his expression betraying nothing, before he nodded to the snack. “I know it’s late, but I was having some myself he said, leaning against the doorframe. “Figured you might want something to help you sleep
I swallowed and east my gaze back to the floor, the gesture was so sweet and tender that it not only made me blush, but aho brought tears to my eyes.
“That’s, um–That’s very kind of you,” I said quietly.
Edwin shot me a curious look. “Are you sure? You look like you might cry.”
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Chapter 16
Feeling my face redden even more, I shook my head and blinked the tears back. “No, it’s.. It’s just that it reminded me of my mother. That’s all
There was a silence as Edwin took in my words. Slowly, haltingly, he took a few steps forward. “Your mother?”
I nodded and gestured to the milk. “She used to do this for me every night. She’d tell me bedtime stories and tuck me in, too. But… She’s gone now.” 1 cringed at the thought, my mother had died years ago. I could still remember her voice, although the memory of it faded more and more with each passing year.
After a long beat of quiet, Edwin let out a sigh. He strode forward and, before I even had so much as a chance to react, he kissed my forehead.
I wished that the kiss meant something, but when he stepped back and I saw the stony look on his face, I knew that that tender touch had been devoid of all desire; more of a soothing gesture than anything romantic,
“There,” he said, raking a hand through his dark hair. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you any stories, but…”
I quickly shook my head and turned to hide the disappointed look in my eyes. “It’s fine. Thank you for the snack.”
With that, Edwin turned and headed back toward the door. He paused there, though, his hand on the doorframe, before glancing over his shoulder
at me.
“Goodnight, Audrey,” he said, his voice so low it was hardly more than a whisper. “Don’t have any more nightmares about grading papers tonight.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound faint on my lips. Without another word, Edwin slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him.
Edwin stroked me in slow circles with his first two fingers as his tongue wandered the soft skin of my neck. The solid warmth of his chest pressed into my palms, his wide, hot member thrusting deeper and deeper with each movement.
I felt myself get to the brink of coming on him. He seemed to notice the tightening of my muscles, his eyes flickering with desire as he pulled back – just enough to watch me.
With a smirk, I pushed my hands into his shoulders and flipped us over. I ground my hips on top of him, tossing my head back.. and I came to the sweet sound of his moans.
When I opened my eyes, I reached out for him almost immediately. The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains and warmed my face, causing a slow smile to spread across my lips. But instead of feeling Edwin’s warm body nestled up against me, I was met with nothing but empty
space.
And then it hit me it had been a dream.
Another erotic dream.
Almost as though my body had been loaded with springs, I shot up and threw the covers back. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I saw that there were no wet spots on the sheets, but.. still. I couldn’t be here anymore. I couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes after having a second wet dream about him. I just couldn’t
So, before he even began to stir from the next room over, I yanked my pants on, grabbed my bag, and rushed out of Edwin’s apartment without even remembering to take off his white shirt.
