Without warning, he turned to face her. “Good morning,” he said. He seemed to be fully awake.
“Um. Hi,” she responded. Dammit. She did not want to make this awkward. But she was often awkward, even when the situation didn’t call for it.
She had been so adventurous last night, at least for her. She’d been very vocal and had told Eli exactly what she wanted from him. But now, in the light of day, everything felt less certain.
She looked at her clock. If she got up right then, she’d barely have time to get ready for work. And she had to shower. She didn’t want to wash his scent off, but every part of her body smelled like Eli, and she could not go into the lab like that.
If she got up now, she’d have to walk to the bathroom naked. Unless she pulled the sheet off with her. Hadn’t she seen people do that in movies and television shows?
If Eli were her coworker or a friend, she’d just hop up and make a mad dash for the bathroom. But he was her boss. She didn’t want him to think she regretted the previous night. She also didn’t want to kick him out. What if he wanted to shower?
She supposed he was going to have to go home and change clothes himself. He couldn’t very well wear a rumpled tuxedo into the office. Lord, she hoped he didn’t tell anyone they’d slept together. Everyone in the lab would hate her. They wouldn’t bother to consider that maybe they’d both gotten carried away. They’d all blame Ava and think she was trying to win favor by sleeping with Eli. And they might hold it against him, too. Some of them might think he’d taken advantage of her, which wasn’t the case at all. And what if the other women started hitting on him, assuming he’d take them to bed, too?
Her stomach churned just as a bright ray of sunlight hit her in the face. She covered her eyes with her hand and tried to concentrate on breathing.
“Ava?”
She lowered her hand.
“Are you okay? Are you ill?”
Eli was so sweet. He probably thought she was acting like a crazy person. “I’m fine. I probably just need to eat or drink something.”
“Oh.” He smiled. “That’s good.” He stood up then and stepped away from the bed. Like her, he was completely naked. She stared at him, unwilling to tear her eyes away from his toned body.
He seemed to realize he wasn’t wearing clothes, and he looked around until he found his tux pants. He pulled them on without his underwear, and zipped them up but didn’t button them. “I’ll get you something.”
Before she could say anything, he was in the kitchen. She heard the refrigerator door open. “Do you want orange juice?” he called out. “Or water? Or tea?”
“Orange juice is good,” she managed to say. Her voice sounded squeaky. Why was she still lying there, letting her boss wait on her? This was her apartment. She should be the one in the kitchen making breakfast.
She scrubbed her hands over her face. She had no idea what the etiquette was for this situation. While he was gone, she hopped up and grabbed her robe, quickly tying it around her waist.
Eli came back holding a full glass of juice and a toasted bagel. She usually only drank just a little bit and she never ate this early, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
“I hope you like cream cheese and jam.”
“Of course.” She accepted the plate from him. She stared at his empty hands. “Don’t you want anything?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “No, I better go. I still have to go home and shower.”
She was ready for him to go. Not because she didn’t want him there, but because she needed a moment to freak out in peace before going into the lab. But she didn’t want him to feel like she was pushing him out. She inclined her head toward the bathroom. “You’re welcome to shower here.”
She thought she might have seen the hint of a blush on his face. “Thank you. I appreciate that, but I better go.”
She was still sitting on her bed like a dork. She put the plate down on the bedspread and stood, catching her leg in the sheets. She fell forward, but he moved swiftly and caught her in one smooth motion.
She covered her mouth with her hand. “Thanks. I would have smashed my face on the floor if you hadn’t caught me.”
He didn’t let go of her. “We definitely don’t want that.” He pulled her a little closer and kissed her forehead. Then, he let go of her and started gathering his clothes.
Not wanting to look unappreciative, she sat back down and started drinking her juice. She took a big bite of the bagel, watching him as he shrugged his dress shirt back on. The white contrasted nicely with his tan skin. She flushed all over, remembering him naked against her white sheets. And inside her body.
He draped his jacket over his elbow. “You sure you’re okay? You can take the day off if you need to.”
I’m fine. I’m only turned on thinking about you in my bed. Right.
She coughed. She had to get moving. She stood up, bagel in hand. “I’m good. It just takes me a while to wake up.” That wasn’t true at all. But he wouldn’t know that, and she couldn’t imagine they’d spend another night together. It was obvious from his skills that he was not inexperienced in the bedroom.
He moved to the doorway of her bedroom. “Thank you again for accompanying me to the event last night. Your presence made
