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I finish off my coffee, leaving the cup in the sink as I move to the cabinet above the fridge. Pulling out the small first aid kit, I grab the Tylenol, putting it on the counter in front of her.
“I’m gonna take a shower before work,” I tell her. “You’re welcome to…” I want to say, join me, but given she hasn’t looked at me since she walked in, I’m not sure that’s what she wants to hear. Instead, I add, “grab one too, then I’ll take you back to your car before work.”
Penny nods as she takes another sip of coffee, her eyes closed. Exhaling, I rap my knuckles on the counter once before walking out of the kitchen and back to my bedroom. Stripping off my sweats, I take a hot shower, memories of everything that happened in here last night flashing through my brain every time I close my eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Penny doesn’t join me and by the time I’m dressed and walking back out to the kitchen, she’s standing by the counter, her dirty clothes from yesterday in her hands as she waits for me.
“Ready to go?”
She nods, her eyes briefly meeting mine. It’s quick, but it’s long enough that I catch a glimpse of the sorrow that’s there, punching me hard in the gut.
Yeah, she regrets last night for sure.
I grab my keys without saying another word, Penny following me back out to the truck. We drive to Somerville’s in silence, the car filled with a weird tension. I want to say something, anything to make her feel better, to let her know that even though she might, I don’t regret what we did. Even if it can’t go any further.
I pull up beside her car, the day early enough that no one else is around. That’s probably a good thing given I’m clearly dropping Penny off, dressed in my clothes, her hair a tangled mess that just screams we had a shit load of sex last night.
She opens the door, pausing as I say, “Pen.” She stops, looking over her shoulder at me, our eyes meeting. “You okay?” I ask.
I watch as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, her gaze never leaving mine as she gives a slow nod. “Yeah,” she says, her voice husky and a little raw. “I gotta run home and—”
She doesn’t finish her sentence, instead climbing out of the truck. Just before she shuts the door, she turns back to me. “Thanks for, um…” She turns, her eyes gazing back in the direction we came from, to my house, which is just a tiny blip out on the horizon now.
“You’re welcome,” I say quietly, wishing I could figure out what the fuck to say right now.
But I don’t get a chance as Penny closes the door and climbs into her car. I wait until she’s driven off before I get out of the truck, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. Exhaling, I shove a rough hand through my hair as I head toward the main building, even knowing no one will be here yet.
But as I walk inside, I run smack into Jack, his hand on my shoulder, steadying me. “Hey, how’s it going? You’re in early.”
I grunt a response back, already moving past him because I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
But Jack doesn’t let it go. “You okay? You look a little dusty.”
I squint back at him, trying to decipher what the hell he means.
Jack laughs. “Big night on the sauce, huh?” he asks. “Ohhh, you hang out with your online lady friend?” he adds, his eyes widening.
I shake my head, cursing as I walk off, not bothering with a response.
I hear Jack laughing, his teasing cries of, “Tommy, did you finally get laid last night?” echoing down the corridor for anyone to hear.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter to myself, as I pull my phone from my pocket and open up the matchmaker app.
Because despite Jack’s teasing, this is the woman I should be focusing my attention on. Not my much younger co-worker, a girl who has rapidly become a friend and who I’m not just insanely attracted to, but who was also quite possibly the best sex I’ve ever had.
No, I need to focus on someone more suited to me. Someone who’s actually available and wants the same things I do.
Me: hey, how are you? Sorry I was MIA last night, work thing. How was your night?
Chapter Nineteen
Penny
What in the actual fuck was I thinking last night? Sleeping with Tommy, not once, not twice, but three fucking times and then in the sober morning light whatever was between us the night before felt like it was now long gone. What it was between us was several bottles of wine and if we’re being honest here, a little bit of wanting the good old-fashioned big O. And holy shit did he deliver on that.
I won’t ever apologize for wanting to sleep with him in that moment. It was exactly where I was supposed to be and there will be no regrets. What I’m not a fan of is the way I handled it this morning, because I actually like him. The last thing I want is to ruin the blossoming friendship we have going, but I’m pretty sure that’s shot to shit by the way he dropped me off earlier.
I’m sure he looks at me as some young drifter without a fucking care in the world, moving from guy to guy just for the hell of it. And yes, I’ve slept around, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what I want. I know exactly what I want, and sometimes it is just a mind-blowing orgasm. But in this case, it feels like I want more, more than to just be seen as some girl who sleeps around. Maybe Tommy Andrews isn’t meant to just be a one-night stand.
