8. Autumn
EIGHT
AUTUMN
I sit up, startled, and glance over at the baby monitor sitting on my nightstand. Winnie is still asleep, but the heavy footsteps down the hallway have my heart crawling up my throat. I slowly climb out of bed and tiptoe to the door, cracking it open.
“Dodge?” I whisper, but the thudding of my pulse is the only answer.
I slip out into the hallway, grab the random vase on the table, and creep farther.
My eyes flicker over to Winnie’s open door, finding her room empty of intruders and shutting it gently.
Then I move to Dodge’s room, nearly turning back around when the sharp spray of water hitting tiles reaches my ears .
My body loosens a little, and I step into his doorframe.
“Dodge?” I call out a little louder. I’m positive it’s him, but there’s that nagging in my brain to double-check.
What if it’s an intruder who’s pretending to be in the shower?
What if they’re waiting for me to go back to my room once I’ve succumbed to their trick?
I’d just fallen asleep when I woke up again, and Dodge hadn’t been gone that long. I didn’t expect him until much later.
And if it’s not him, Winnie is counting on me to protect her.
I haven’t been in his room since the first day, finding no reason to be, but now the scent I’ve grown to love hits me full force.
My stomach clenches, and I glance over at the tossed sheets on the bed.
The clothes thrown on the floor and his untied boots.
I relax my shoulders, and turn to back out when I catch his reflection in the bathroom mirror over his sink.
It’s angled so I only see half his body.
I stand frozen, taking in his muscular back and the way the water glistens as it runs over it.
My breathing shallows a bit, my cheeks flushing with heat.
Dodge grunts again, his hand pressing against the tiles and his other arm starts shaking back and forth.
My mouth dries when I register what that means .
Oh my god.
Oh. My. God.
I’m watching him as he fucks himself. I jerk away, swallowing down the yelp that almost escapes. I just spied on my boss during an intimate moment. Something is wrong with me for not immediately leaving. Gripping the vase tighter, I start toward the door when another moan echoes between us.
“Ah, fuck. Autumn.”
I stumble a step, catching myself on the wall and my mind blanks out for a second.
No way.
There’s no way he just said that.
I’m imagining things; this is still a dream.
Without a second thought, I pinch my arm and wrinkle my nose when it hurts.
Another grunt from the shower sends me running from his room before I get caught and I’m out of breath by the time I’m safely back in my room.
I rest against the back of the door, hand holding my heaving chest before I realize I still have the dumb vase in my hand.
I set it on the floor, then focus on what’s important.
Dodge.
My hot boss who I may or may not have a crush on.
My beyond sexy roommate who I had a wet dream about.
I caught him jacking off and moaning my name. This isn’t real life, and if it is, what am I going to do about it? How can I face him in the morning, knowing what I know now?