Anna had only been living with Lincoln for three months, one week and five days when he walked in on her masturbating. He'd originally left with an overnight bag swinging from his clenched fist and a casual comment thrown over his shoulder to let her know he was spending the weekend at a friend's place.
Ten minutes after he walked out the door she stripped down to her tank top and panties, feeling an urgent need to relieve some of the tension that being around him regularly caused.
Everything about Lincoln made him the perfect housemate, except for the fact that he was gorgeous. That had proven to be a distraction. His eyes and hair were the colour of rich espresso and his addiction to running, combined with his job as a personal trainer, helped maintain a long lean body. The playful way he had about him, from his sense of humour to his relaxed personality, unfortunately pushed all the right buttons. Often.
She'd removed her bra and sat cross-legged on the couch with a Channing Tatum movie playing on TV for inspiration. Just as she really started getting into it—one hand inside her panties and the other cupping the breast she'd tugged her top down to expose—Lincoln barged into the apartment rambling about having forgotten something.
He stopped mid-sentence and stared. His mouth opened and closed. Shocked amusement filled his eyes.
Anna recovered first and screamed, "Oh my God, Oh, my God! Get out! Close your eyes! Stay there! Shit. Just GO!" She scrambled to yank up her top and clamped her legs together, throwing the remote at him as a distraction while she sprinted from the room.
Embarrassment swept over her again at the memory and she wondered for about the hundredth time whether she'd ever get over it. Luckily she hadn't been calling out his name at the time. If he'd turned up thirty seconds later it would have been a different story.
She sipped from her can of Pepsi and stirred the brown rice bubbling in the pot on the stove. It was already after seven. He'd be home any minute now.
Her exhibitionist moment had become that elephant in the room no one dared speak about but it was only a matter of time before he cracked and brought up the subject. Since returning from his weekend away three days ago the amused glances he kept sending her way confirmed her hunch; the only reason he held back from talking about it was because it made her uncomfortable. This whole situation had become far too entertaining—for him, at least.
Anna heard the front door open and close. He usually headed down the hall to deposit his work gear in his bedroom before he came looking for her. She took the pot of rice over to the island bench to drain while she waited for him to appear.
Moments later he entered the kitchen, sending her a grin while he strolled across the tiled floor barefoot. She knew—she just knew every time he looked at her now he pictured that scene all over again. "Hey," he said. He wore black athletic shorts and a sleeveless red top that revealed his muscled arms.
"Hi." Anna smiled and met his eyes briefly. "Dinner's almost ready if you want to set the table."
His hair gleamed under the lights. He always looked so healthy and full of life while she was on the skinny side of slim with mostly unremarkable features. Her only saving graces were a plump mouth that according to her last boyfriend looked obscene when she wore red lipstick and a pair of breasts that were a little too big for her frame.
Her job as a columnist for a teen magazine meant she sometimes worked from home so she'd thrown on an old grey t-shirt and navy yoga pants this morning. Her feet were bare and her dark-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. A tortoiseshell clip just barely held her messy blonde bun together at the back of her head.
She left the drained colander in the sink, switched off the burner under the stir fry and went about serving up dinner.
When they were both sitting in the dining room beside the floor-to-ceiling window that showcased the twinkling lights of the city, Anna speared a piece of chicken and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed, then quickly replaced it with another to avoid having to talk to him.
She wished things could return to normal between them, that they could go back to sharing their flirty banter and having fun together. They'd clicked from the moment they met. Now it was just awkward and the fault lay entirely with her. He hadn't changed a bit. Her eyes remained directed at her plate. It was only when Lincoln let out a snort of amusement that she raised her head.
"It's natural, you know," he said. His gaze roamed her face, taking everything in. "To want to do it, I mean. Everyone does it."
Anna closed her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it, Lincoln."
"I know."
She opened her eyes and forced herself to look at him. "Then why are you bringing it up?"
"We need to talk about it." He balanced his fork on the edge of his plate. "This is serious. The tension around here's putting me off my food."
Although it didn't help at all she still appreciated his attempt to bring humour into the conversation. "Can't we just pretend it never happened?" she said.
"Anna, it did happen and it's not a big deal. You're just turning it into one."
Her eyes widened. "That's easy for you to say. How would you feel if I walked in on you...pleasuring yourself?"
"I don't know because it's never happened to me. I always go somewhere private to...pleasure myself." She heard the humour in his tone. "I've never set up camp on the couch before and just gone for it."
Oh, my God. If the humiliation at hearing his words wasn't enough now she had the image of him all aroused to contend with, too. Anna pushed her plate away and leaned her forehead against the table. "I'm just going to bang my head here until I knock myself out, okay?"
"C'mon." His patient amusement only made the situation that much worse. Why couldn't she be the mature one here?
Chair legs scraped against tile then his hand wrapped around her upper arm. He tugged her reluctantly into a standing position. Knowing he wanted to talk about it rather than eat his dinner made her realise just how determined he was to fix this problem.
She tilted her head to stare up at him, blown away by the jolt of awareness she experienced whenever she looked into his eyes.
"Why does it bother you so much?" he asked. His brows pulled together as he studied her.
"Is it really that hard to understand? You saw me with my hand in my panties, Lincoln. You saw my boobs, too." She turned her head and stared out the window, wishing she could be anywhere other than here...with him...talking about the first place holder on her list of embarrassing moments.
"One boob," he corrected. "A very...very nice one."
Her eyes flicked back to his to check whether he was making fun of her but his compliment appeared to be sincere. "Thank you," she said.
"No, thank you."
A reluctant smile appeared. She should have talked about it with him when it actually happened instead of leaving it to him to address the issue. It would have been a lot simpler. Still... "It just feels like I'm at a disadvantage. You saw me during a private moment. I can tell you still think it's funny. I don't like you having that over me."
His mouth turned up at one corner. "You want me to jerk off in front of you to make things even?"
Her stomach fluttered at the thought. Anna knew he was joking to lighten the mood but when she opened her mouth to speak the word that wanted to come out was yes. "Umm..." She sent him a tentative smile.
He let out a laughing breath. "Ahh...I can't believe it. You actually want me to jerk off in front of you."
Now that he'd brought up the idea Anna kept her eyes on him and her mouth shut, waiting him out. She refused to get herself in any deeper without some indication that he felt even a tiny portion of the attraction that tormented her on a daily basis.
He watched her and the humour slowly slipped from his expression. The silence stretched on and the strain between them grew until it eventually became unbearable. His gaze dropped to her breasts as they lifted and fell beneath her t-shirt. When his eyes met hers again the intensity in them left her stunned. "If we're doing this I'll need some inspiration."
Her breathing shallowed and her pulse raced. "Like...what?" She could barely get the words out.
"Use your imagination." He grabbed her wrist and led her into the living room where a chocolate brown floor rug and two oversized leather couches filled most of the space. He took her over to the coffee table and urged her to sit on the edge. Lincoln positioned himself on the couch opposite her and relaxed against the back. When his attention returned to her his brows lifted. "When this is over so is all the awkwardness between us. I want the old Anna back."
She swallowed. "Okay." Did he actually intend to go through with this or was he teasing her and making her wait for the moment where he burst into laughter? She went for something safe just to test him. Her fingers reached up to tug at the clip holding her hair in place. She pulled it free and her long blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders. "Does that inspire you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
He let out an amused breath. "You're gorgeous but I'm going to need more."
