by BJ Harvey
But all of that faded away when he floored me. The declaration he made reminded me of all those panty dropping moments you read in romance novels. He rendered me speechless. Firstly, he called me babe. I know he's always called Mac babe, but straight away, he's calling me that too. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I also couldn't stop looking into those gorgeous blue eyes of his and remembering my sex dream from last week. Okay, so it's the same sex dream that has been on repeat in a variety of different scenes and forms for the past week. Dream Zander has had me spread out in front of him while he does wickedly good things to my body in bed, in the bath, on the kitchen counter... there was even one where he has me in a park!
When he caught me blushing, I swear I saw a knowing gleam in his eyes.
“Well, I need to um, get into the shower and get an early night, but Mac will show you where everything is, and maybe we'll catch up tomorrow night after work, yeah?” I stumble across my words. My desire to run far far away from this, whatever this is showing itself in my words. Self-preservation 101.
“Sure, whatever you need to do. I don't want to be in your way or anything.”
“Zan, it's good. I'd rather have someone here then come home to an empty house every night. And Mac needs to do this, to move on with her life. It's not as if she's got time to waste, right?”
He watches me stand up, his eyes a mixture of confusion and concern that shoots straight through me. Fuck! This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.
“Well, goodnight then. Let me know if there's anything you need or can't find. My home is your home and all that,” I say hurriedly, waving my hand around in the air.
“Goodnight, Kate. Sleep well,” he murmurs behind me as I walk away.
Well, I'm glad that wasn't awkward or anything.
Popping my head into Mac's room, I see her sitting on the bed zipping up her suitcase when I hear Daniel's voice come from the living room. Looks as if I escaped just in time.
“You and I will need to have a talk tomorrow,” I say in a loud whisper. She looks up at me and gives a half-hearted smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes because they're filled with tears.
I'm being totally selfish.
My best friend is taking another step in her journey to living in a healthy and committed relationship, and moving in with the man of her dreams is bringing back bad memories from a past where the man wasn't what he seemed, and a story that didn't end well. “Aww hon. I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking about it until just now.”
A sob escapes her throat as I rush to her side and cuddle her into me. “I'm…. happy… it's just….. just….. oh, I don't know! The end of an era!” She waves her spare arm around dramatically.
“I'm not going anywhere, Mac. You're moving out to start your new life with Superman and your little super baby. Daniel is nothing like the men of your past. He is the man of your future, and there isn't anybody else I'd trust more to send you off to live with. He's it, hon. He's your happily ever after, so enjoy it. Then sit back and watch the tragedy that is my never ending search for mine.”
She giggles and looks over at me, wiping her eyes profusely. “Damn leaky eye syndrome. They should warn you about this shit in sex ed. Don't worry about the boobs, swollen va-jay-jay and cankles...that I can handle. This leaky eye crap? Nope.”
“God, I'm gonna miss the Mac crazy train every day.”
“I'll still be here, like, all the time. You do know that, right? You'll have to wrench my house keys out of my hot puffy sausage fingers to get them back.”
“You do not have puffy sausage fingers. You're beautiful, Mac. Now, how 'bout we talk about Zander.”
“He was caught short, and since you already know him, I figured it would be okay. I'm sorry, I can ask him to leave if you want-“
“No! I mean…it's okay. He's your friend, and I know he's a good guy. I'm sure he'll be a great temporary roomie. A heads up would've been nice though, Mac, that's all I'm saying.” I shoot her a fake angry frown with squinty eyes, which just makes her grin like an idiot.
“Duly noted. Well, I better go save Zander from Daniel. I know he'll be sweet, but he is an ex-lover, and as understanding as Danny boy is, I don't want to tempt fate. By the way, please tell me you can come with me to the ultrasound?”
“Of course, I'll just schedule my lunch break around it. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
“Okay.” We stand up, and I wrap my arms around her just as I feel a little kick against my stomach. “Oh my god!” I say, my voice cracking.
“It seems our mini superhero loves her Aunt Kate too,” Mac says with a smile.
And just for a moment, I think of Mac and her baby, and forget all about the fact that the man of my fantasies-the God of Gorgeousness and the witness to my most mortifying drunken behavior to date-will be sleeping in the room next to me for the next few weeks.
Fun and games.
ZANDER
After Kate goes to bed-a clear avoidance tactic which I let her have-I sit in the lounge taking in my new surroundings. I hadn't been looking forward to coughing up for a hostel or motel room for the time it was going to take for our apartment to be repaired, but since my family now lived in Indiana, there weren't many other options.
There is a fairly new 40 inch television in the corner of the room with a brown wooden entertainment center. The couches are arranged so that both the three-seater couch and the armchair are facing toward it, and between them is an oak coffee table with a magazine rack full of chick magazines. I'm just about to pick up a Cosmo magazine which has an article proclaiming a 'three date rule' being the key to meeting Mr. Right, when the front door opens and a tall guy in workout gear strolls in.
“Hey, man,” he says, greeting me. “You must be Zander.”
He isn't smiling, but he isn't trying to kill me, so I'm still not sure whether this is the famous Daniel or not.
“I'm Daniel, Mac's boyfriend.” Mystery solved.
He steps forward holding his hand out. I stand up and shake it, trying not to make this any more awkward than it has to be.
“So I hear you're getting a new roommate?”
“Yeah, took me long enough,” he replies with a chuckle.
“Congrats. I'm happy for you both.”
“Thanks.” He walks over to the fridge and pulls out a beer. “Do you need another one?”
I pick up my bottle and gulp down the rest. “Never say no.”
“Sucks about your apartment. Insurance covering it?” he asks, walking over and handing me a bottle.
“Yeah they are. I'm just glad the smoke alarms went off, otherwise who knows what would've happened.”
“True,” Daniel murmurs, turning his head when footsteps sound against the wooden hallway floor.
I look sideways to see Mac walking toward us with a huge suitcase being dragged behind her. Daniel slams his beer onto the kitchen counter and rushes to her side. “Gorgeous, no heavy lifting. Remember that bit? It means No. Heavy. Suitcases.” He glares at her, but it loses its intensity the moment she grins at him.
“I only did it because my friendly neighborhood superhero was nowhere to be found.” She leans forward and goes to kiss his cheek, but just before she makes contact, Daniel turns his head, and their lips meet. He wraps his arm around her waist as the kiss becomes more than a simple hello. I look away and take a mouthful of beer. I don't feel uncomfortable because I know why he's doing it.
Although there is no way in hell Mac and I will hook up, he's staking his claim, making it clear that she's with him now. I get it because if I were in his shoes, I'd do the same thing, but the woman I want to get to know better is in her room avoiding me.
I hear footsteps and turn around to see Mac standing beside me. “Zan, she's tired tonight, and I'm emotional which means she's emotional too, so just give her some time. Treat her with care. I get that you like her, and I know she likes you...well, the nightdancer version of you, which I hope is the real you.”
“It's me, Mac. I haven't pretended to be anybody else,” I say, trying to reassure her.
“That's good. Well, my room is your room, second door on the left down the hall. Door at the end is Kate's room. The bathroom between our rooms is shared, so just make sure you lock her bathroom door before you shower...or don't. Whatever you're into.” She grins at me, and I know her mind has gone into the gutter, normally my favorite place for it to go. “Oh, and we combine food, so again, help yourself and then just sort out with Kate if you need anything picked up for you.”
“Gorgeous, we'd better get going,” Daniel says, dragging the suitcase to the door.
“Okay. See you soon, Zan.” She steps forward and gives me a hug. Out of respect for Daniel, I anchor my arms to my side. “And good luck,” she whispers in my ear before giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek and pulling away.
“Enjoy cohabitation, bab - uh, Mac.” I smirk, and she sticks her tongue out at me before heading toward the door, putting her hand in Daniel's as he leads her out of the apartment.
And now I'm alone, in Mac's house for the next two weeks, and I don't have a clue how to proceed with my Kate plan. Mac seems confident that things will all work out, but me, not so much.
KATE
After I go to my bed and leave Mac to her packing, I double check the lock on her bathroom door and have a piping hot shower to try and clear my head, wondering how on earth I'm going to handle seeing Zander in my house every day for the next however long it is going to take for his apartment to be repaired.
Don't get me wrong, I feel for the guy, and tonight has proven that the attraction I have to him wasn't just a drunken lust-filled haze. It was real, as real enough as I've ever felt, but like a bucket of cold water to my soul, his rejection still stings.
Once out of the shower and dressed in my most comfortable pajamas, I lie in bed for what seems like forever, wondering where I've gone wrong with my latest two dates, with my previous lovers-not that there had been that many-and now, with the God of Gorgeousness sleeping only a bathroom away from me, how on earth I'm going to find my Mr. Right when everything I've been comparing them to is close enough for me to touch?
I'm knocked out of my thoughts by Mac's bathroom door shutting and the lock being turned on my adjacent door. Holy crap, he's in my shower! I mean our shower. He's going to be naked and soapy with hot water streaming down in lucky as hell rivulets, caressing every hard as rock plane on his body. Hell, just the thought of him naked and close to me has my girly bits tingling and demanding attention.
It's been way too long, Kate.
You want to touch yourself; imagine it's his hands instead of your own.
He's so close.
“Oh, fuck it,” I whisper to myself, my words echoing around the room as I slip my hand down my body. One hand moves down under the waistband of my pajama bottoms, the other rubs over my tight aching nipples as I squeeze gently, wondering whether Zander would use his hands first or else jump straight into using his mouth on me. As my fingers touch my body, I groan at how wet I feel. Just thinking of him has me drenched, and I haven't even come yet.
As my ministrations speed up, I hear a groan, albeit a quiet one, from behind the door and my mind goes crazy at the thought that he might be touching himself too. It's not all that surprising; I have two older brothers, so it's not a huge secret that males in the shower take matters into their own hands, and often. But imagining Zander doing it so close to me makes me hotter than ever. I sink a finger inside of me and have to turn my head into my pillow to stifle the whimper that escapes as my thumb zeros in on my swollen clit.
A few more strokes and the addition of another finger to fill me further has me writhing against my hand as I hear another groan from the bathroom. What if he wants me to hear him? Maybe he wants me to know what he sounds like. What if he's regretting that night as much as I am, but for different reasons? The thought that Zander may want me has me spiraling out of control and catapults me over the edge as I cry out and quickly bite my pillow as I ride out my orgasm, coming down from a spectacular high, the likes of which I've never experienced.
I hear the water shut off, and my cheeks flush with heat as I realize that if I could hear him, he definitely could have heard me. I wait until I hear the shower turn off and his bathroom door shut before jumping out of bed and cleaning myself up. When I'm finished, I bury myself under the covers and resume my errant thoughts until I can no longer keep my eyes open.
Well, if nothing else, at least my self-love sessions will be hotter.
ZANDER
It's been ten days since I moved into Mac and Kate's apartment.
Ten nights since I heard her.
There was no mistaking the moans and whimpers coming from her room that night, and it just made me harder than ever. She sounded beautiful, but I wanted it to be me causing those sounds.
I didn't want to do that in Mac and Kate's shower. Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about jerking off; I'm a man, we do it, it is no state secret, and knowing that she was just a few feet away touching herself would make even the most strong-willed man weak. And I didn't try to hide my own sounds. If I could hear her, there wasn't a shit show in hell I was going to pretend they weren't affecting me. Because when it came down to it, my firebird touching herself so close to me made me want to break through that wall and help her out, or put the fire out in my own unique way. Whatever she needed.
It's now Saturday which means a day off from the academy, and having worked three gigs last night, I have tonight off, so I've decided that it's time to make some progress with Kate. Since I've moved in, it has been very cordial and friendly, but I can tell she's avoiding me, and there has only been one message to nightdancer. It was a very quick explanation about how she was really busy, but that she hadn't forgotten about me and that she'd have more time on the weekend to chat. That's something, I suppose.
I'm not sure how that is going to work with us living together. I can't imagine being in the same room as her and chatting to her on the laptop, but thankfully, it hasn't become an issue...yet.
I need to start the day, so I get up and throw some clothes on before sleepily making my way out into the living area where I'm planning on enjoying the kick ass coffeemaker that Mac and Kate have.
I feel my phone vibrate against my leg, and after fixing my coffee, I see a text from Mac.
Mac: How's it going?
Zander: Great. You have the world's best bed. Why didn't I know about this earlier?
Mac: Because you're more into casual?
Zander: Says the queen of non-commitment?
Mac: Shut up! How are the apartment repairs coming along? Not that you have to move out, or anything, but just thought I'd check in.
Zander: Zach called me yesterday, damage is worse than first thought. It's going to be a few more weeks at least.
Mac: Bummer. Oh well, you've got my room as long as you need it. I'm loving this living with my man business, should've done it months ago! Anyway, did you see Kate this morning before work?
Zander: No, just got up. I assume she's left already.
Mac: Yeah she had to be at the salon at nine this morning to open up since the boss is away. She'll be home around five this evening. How are things going with her? When is your first date?
Zander: What first date?
Mac: God! You men are all the same.
Zander: I need to get her to talk to me first without avoiding me.
Mac: What do you mean?
Zander: She's been rather scarce since I moved in.
Mac: A week and a half and you've barely seen her?
Zander: Long story.
Mac: ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? How can I help you if I don't know everything?
Zander: Her story to tell, babe.
Mac: Well, I'll send you her number. You just need to spend time with her. There's no way she'll be able to resist your charms ;)
Zander: Maybe, or even see if she just wants to hang out.
> Mac: That'll work too. Has she contacted nightdancer?
Zander: One quick brush off message saying she's busy and will talk soon.
Mac: Report back to me how things are going, including the internet thing.
Zander: Yes, Mom!
Mac: Quit it.
I grin as I run through what I need to do before Kate gets home tonight. Basically, it consists of a quick trip to the grocery store for supplies, and maybe a quick tidy up of the house to show that I'm house trained - my mom had one boy and three girls, so she made sure I could cook and clean before I left home.
Before I do any of that, I grab my protein powder from my room and make a shake for breakfast. I try to think about how to approach Kate tonight. If I come on too strong, she'll think it's all about sex, but too soft, and she'll think I only want to be friends, and there is no way that I'm going to be friend-zoned with her.
Grabbing my phone, I ring the one person who I know can help me with this.
“Zoe…”
“Hey, big bro, long time no hear. How's the big city?”
“It's good. How's the tattoo artist?” I ask with a smile.
“God, Mom has a big mouth. He's great. So I know you're not ringing me just to ask about my boyfriend.”
“You caught me.” I sigh dramatically. “No, I need a woman's opinion.”
“Holy shit. Is this about the woman you told Mom about? You'd never ask me for dating advice.” I can hear the shock in her voice, although it's laced with humor. She's loving this.
Out of all my sisters, Zoe is the only one I could trust with this kind of advice. Probably something to do with the fact we're only two years apart. When Dad died, we both stepped up and helped Mom get through it. We'd always been close, but living through something like that just brought us even closer.
