Changing Tides 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

A swath of heat wraps around my torso. I squirm a few inches to the side but the warmth follows me without fail. My eyes flutter open with annoyance. Bright sunlight pours into the unfamiliar bedroom, and I squint against its unyielding presence.

Oh right...Bennett's bedroom.

I swallow against the dryness of my throat and study the room I've only known from the precarious glances I've given it the past few weeks. My head aches around the temples, yet another blatant reminder of my intoxication from the night before.

I roll onto my side, pulling myself into a sitting position. Bennett's nowhere in sight. The dark sheets are lazily strewn around the bed. If these sheets could talk, they'd have quite the repertoire of gossip to cover this morning. Not only did I spend the night pressed against the warmth of Bennett's body, we also messed around before falling asleep.

My asshole clenches in protest, almost abhorring the memory of Bennett's finger pressing against it. Inside of it. But the heat soaring through my core and down to my groin is telling a different story. As much as my mind might want to deny the pleasure I felt last night, my body bypasses its faulty logic. My fingers already ache to touch him again.

I've had sex plenty of times before. It's not that I'm inexperienced. The college gals can't get enough of me. It's that I'm inexperienced with men. Maybe that's why all of this feels so thrilling. The butterflies zipping through my stomach feel like the very same ones as my first kiss. Everything is new.

I groggily get to my feet, adjusting my boxers and jeans before walking to my bedroom. My footsteps shuffle across the carpet, and I find myself holding my breath as I pass by the staircase. Music floats up from the kitchen. An image pops into my mind, imagining Bennett casually leaning against the counter with a sports drink in hand.

My stomach tightens. Rather than head downstairs, I decide to take a detour and shower first. If the blistering memory of what happened light night isn't bad enough, smelling the stale come drifting from my jeans takes it to a whole new level.

I take my time showering and getting dressed. When my nerves can't manage to settle down, I spend an additional half hour straightening up my room. How will Bennett treat me after what happened last night? It's not like we fucked, but he got the answer to Weston's question anyway.

I might not be gay, but I'm definitely not straight either. Will he tell Weston what happened? Has he already? I close my eyes and nervously run my hands through my hair. Whenever I'd have a one night stand, the woman would be gone by the time Roland was pouring his first cup of coffee the next morning.

But it's not like I can escape Bennett. I live with the guy. And I certainly can't stay up in my bedroom hiding all day. I take a deep breath, doing my best to control my racing pulse as I yank open my bedroom door and descend the stairs. The husky, rich voices of Pink Floyd take over the speakers just as I reach the kitchen's threshold.

Just as I pictured, Bennett is leaning against the side counter. His phone is in one hand while the other is consumed by a vegetable juice concoction of some sort. A flattened banana peel rests on the otherwise clean counter. He's wearing a loose fitting pair of shorts and a tight t-shirt that shows off the lean and muscular planes of his stomach.

A stomach I had my hands all over last night...

My eyes snap up to Bennett's face just in time to meet his gaze.

"Morning," I mumble, feeling an unexpected blush rise to my cheeks.

"Coach called this morning. There's an optional practice this afternoon," Bennett says, turning his focus back to his phone.