Page 12 of Rebound

“Go you.” Lara came to a stop in front of some picture frames, picking them up one after another, only to examine them and return them back to the shelf.

“He was older. Really attractive.” Ben leaned in close and whispered, “Great cock.”

“We do love a good dick in these parts.”

“He came by last night and we hooked up, but he snuck out while I was recovering from the ridiculous orgasm he’d just given me.”

“So, a prince charming he’s not,” she teased.

“Even if he was, I don’t need a prince.”

“You’re more in the market for a dragon, then?”

“I’m not in the market for anything.” Ben took the cart out of Lara’s hands and looped into the next aisle, surprised to see half of the space taken up by samples of hanging curtains. He knew they’d come to Target forsomething.

“Just dick,” she said.

“I don’t want a relationship,” he clarified. “But I definitely wouldn’t mind getting this guy into bed a few more times.”

“Then make plans.” Lara pulled one of the curtain panels out to look at the colors. It was coral and green with a splash of yellow and literally everything Ben hated about life. He smacked it out of her hand and pulled out a thickly woven navy blue panel with a gold-threaded diagonal pattern hidden between the folds.

“This one is nice,” he said.

“It’s dark.”

“I hate pastels. You know that.”

Lara reached for another panel, this one pale purple and cyan swirls like marble up the lower half of the material. It was less offensive than her first pick, but still not anywhere close to being his style. He let go of the navy one and dragged his fingers over half a dozen other fabric options.

“You didn’t answer me,” she observed when he finally found a fabric he liked.

“What about this one?” The curtain in question was a vibrant emerald green with an inlaid leaf pattern that, save for the thin silver thread work that lined some of the shapes, would barely have been visible for how dark it was.

“I’ll give you my opinion if you tell me why you won’t make plans with the hot hookup again,” she said.

Ben ignored her and picked up four packs of the green curtains. He didn’t need his best friend’s approval to buy curtains for his own apartment anyway. He dumped them into the cart and turned his attention to the curtain rods.

“It’s because you like him,” she guessed.

He rolled his eyes at her. “I don’t even know him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Thomas.”

“That’s a start. How old is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s he do for work?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

Lara sighed and handed him an oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod that he did actually like a little bit.

“Whatdoyou know then?” she tried.

“I know he has a nice dick,” he said. “I know he gives pretty great blow jobs too.”