Page 18 of Only Lovers in the Building

They were on their best behavior all through the night. Come morning, it was a different story. Lily couldn’t lay the blame

squarely on Ben: it was partly her fault. Forgetting where she was, she rolled over and flung her leg over him, taking his

muscular thighs for the body pillow left behind in New York. Ben, who’d been sleeping like a log until then, stirred to life.

His erection knocked against her knee. Instead of pulling away, she went full body-pillow mode and tightened her hold on him.

She breathed in the scent of his soap mixed with the warmth of his skin, rubbed her cheek against the scruff of his chin,

and on and on until he eased off her.

Breath heavy, lids low, he studied her face in the soft darkness, questioning her intentions. Her only intention was to stay

stock-still. No sudden moves.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I took you for my body pillow.”

Ben’s hands went to her face. “Is that your excuse?”

“I have no excuse.”

Her resolve had softened since yesterday. It occurred to her that she might be going about this all wrong. Miami wasn’t the

city for rebirth and growth. It was the city to get messy. And why not see where this goes? her inner voice whispered. What’s the harm? You wanted chemistry, and here it is. You wanted romance? You’ve been served.

He brushed back her unruly hair. “We agreed it was a bad idea.”

“That was last week. We’ve grown so much since then. I’m a new woman.”

His laughter caressed her skin. “You’re making a new man out of me.”

“Am I?”

“Incrementally.”

“I think we’re being overly cautious. I mean... we can’t let a perfect one-bed trope go to waste. Let’s do it for the plot.”

He wasn’t convinced. “Beautiful, we can’t do this.”

“May I approach the bench, Your Honor?”

His smile flashed in the dark. “Of course.”

She reached down and grabbed his cock. “I present to you Exhibit A.”

“You little—”

Ben kissed her like she’d wanted to be kissed since the dawn of her sexual awakening, with tongue and teeth and feeling, their

bodies twisting to fit, his hands in her tangled hair. A knock on the door startled her. He managed to ignore it, pulling

her closer, pinning her beneath his thigh, telling her not to squirm because it was undoing him. She squirmed even more until

another knock forced them apart.

“Maybe you should get that,” she whispered.

He took in a ragged breath. “It’s for the best. We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” she demanded, frustrated.

“Lily, sweet—”

She pressed a finger to the lips she’d just kissed. “Don’t sweet talk me! Just give it to me straight.”

“I’m trying to change.”

This admission left her baffled. What was he changing into? A monk?

Another knock on the door, more urgent this time. Lily threw up her hands. “Who is it this early?”

“It’s probably Roxy,” he said. “And I bet it’s not that early.” He rolled off the bed and drew back the heavy drapes to a

glorious, sun-filled Miami day.

Another round of knocks caused the door to rattle in its frame. “Ben! Open the door! I know you’re in there, and I’ve got

to pee!”

“Bella?”

In one breath, the mystery was solved. Ben’s ex-girlfriend Bella was at his door, clamoring to get in. Lily felt as though she’d been caught red-handed, deep in a bank’s vault. Where could

she hide? The bathroom was out of the question if Bella had to use it!

“Stay here,” Ben ordered. “I’ll see what she needs.”

No sound escaped her throat. Ben was at the door, working the lock, yanking it open.

Before he could say anything, Bella shoved a gym bag into his chest. “Here’s your shit,” she said and pushed past him. “Now,

if you’ll excuse me, I’ll use the restroom and will be out of your hair in five.”

The tall brunette invaded the apartment. She might’ve made it past the bed, where Lily sat motionless, not even breathing

for fear of making a sound. However, the day a woman failed to notice another woman in her ex-lover’s bed would likely be

the last day on earth.

Bella paused midstride and nearly tripped over her feet.

She was one of those Jane Birkin girls. Her chestnut hair flowed past her narrow shoulders.

Thick bangs hid her brows. She wore a loose, white button-up shirt, narrow slacks, and worn loafers.

She studied Lily with open hostility before rushing to the bathroom to answer the call of nature.

In the short time she was in there, Lily could not bring herself to look at Ben, even though she knew he sought out her eyes with a silent apology.

He wasn’t at fault here. This wound was self-inflicted.

She’d ignored her best instincts and his expressed warnings that he was in no position to start something new, however casual.

The bathroom door flew open. Composed, Bella strode out, holding up the tub of body lotion Lily had moisturized with after

her shower. “I’ll take this, thanks,” she announced. “You can keep the robe,” she said to Lily. “It looks good on you.”

Ben’s gaze snapped to Lily, that silent apology amplified tenfold. Bella exited the apartment. He followed, closing the door

behind them. At first, their voices were muffled. Lily could not follow the conversation until Bella’s voice spiked. “I get

it! It’s over! Do you have to rub it in my face?”

Ben argued, rightly, that she had been the one to show up unannounced. Bella entered an unanswered text message into evidence.

“I texted you like an hour ago to tell you I was swinging by.”

“I was asleep an hour ago.”

“Since when do you sleep in?”

“It was a long night.”

“I bet!”

“Bella—”

“Your new girlfriend is pretty. Can’t she afford her own lingerie?”

If Lily weren’t naked under the robe, she would have ripped it off. She was breaking out in hives.

“Lily is my neighbor.”

“How convenient for you!” Bella spat. “You won’t have to leave your special razor at her apartment, and when it’s over, it’ll

be like you were never there.”

Lily buried her face in her hands. She knew better than to get involved with a man post breakup.

Or mid breakup, more likely. They were still collecting their things from each other’s apartments.

The wrecking ball had swung, but the dust had not yet settled.

She had to ditch this robe and put on some protective gear to keep her heart safe.

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