“Yeah, sure.”
I follow him into the laundry room that’s twice the size of my kitchen. I wonder if the guys even do their own laundry.
I shove my clothes into the dryer and set the timer. When I’m done, I wipe my hands on the sides of my pants and turn to face Rhett. He’s standing much closer to me than I expected, and I take a step backward, only to bump into the dryer.
Feeling out of sorts, I tuck some wet strands behind my ear before pointing to the kitchen.
“Coffee… ahh… I’ll make some.” Ugh, I’m an idiot for getting all flustered just because there’s a half-naked man in front of me.
I squeeze by him, and when my arm brushes against his, it sends electric jolts darting from my arm to between my legs. It’s nothing compared to what I felt when he placed his hand on my butt, but it’s enough to jumble my emotions.
I’ve known Rhett for six months, and I still don’t have a clue how to act around him. Whenever he’s close by, it feels as if I’m standing on a piece of wood that’s being tossed around by waves. Everything becomes wobbly, especially my emotions.
When I see that his cup is empty, I glance at him.
“Can I pour you another cup?”
He comes to stand right by me and leans against the counter with his hip. Crossing his arms over his chest, he says in a rough voice, “Yeah, thanks.”
I devour his bulging biceps before I have to tear my eyes away. I’m grateful that I have something to keep my hands busy, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
I slide his cup closer to him, then take a sip of my own. I keep my eyes glued to the counter in front of me.
“How’s school?” he asks.
This is good. It’s safe. I’m used to Rhett asking me questions about school.
“It’s good.”
I want to ask him how his classes are, but I’m scared he’ll think I’m referring to his blowjob session with Josie. Instead, I drink my coffee.
“Tell me about yourself,” he says, which makes me swallow hard on the mouthful of coffee.
“Myself?” I say, my voice sounding croaky from the sip which almost ended up in the wrong hole.
“Yeah,” he says, and hearing the smile in the one word, I glance at him.
“But you know everything about me,” I say lamely, hoping we can move off this topic. I hate talking about myself.
“No, I don’t,” he argues. “Have you always lived in North Carolina?”
I nod and use the cup as a buffer to hide behind. Too quickly my coffee is finished. I rinse the cup before walking to the laundry room. I don’t care if the clothes are wet. I’ll only have to wear them until I get home.
“It takes more than ten minutes for clothes to dry,” Rhett says.
“I know,” I mutter, feeling a little irritated that he pointed it out. “I have to get home.”
Before I can reach the dryer, an arm slips around my waist. Rhett’s chest presses against my back as he lifts me off my feet.
Instinctively I grab hold of his forearms. “Put me down.”
Rhett chuckles as he walks through the kitchen, never letting go. Only when we reach the living room, does he set me down in front of the couch.
“Sit. We can watch a movie while your clothes dry.”
I scowl at him as I plop down on the couch. “Yes, Sir,” I say wryly. He’s so damn controlling.
When heat flares in his eyes, I regret being so snippy. I quickly look away as I scoot into the corner and bring my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.
Rhett sits down next to me and teasingly says, “Only women tied to my bed call me sir.”
My mouth drops open as my eyes dart to him. I can’t believe he just said that.