Page 78 of Resonance

“No way. Triscuit easily beats Cheez-Its in both nutritional content and deliciousness, as well as bonus points for extra-crispy texture. And I’ve put the Animal Crackers over here on the shelf of despair.”

“What’s the shelf of despair?”

“Your most embarrassing foodstuffs.” I panned the phone that way to show him.

“They’re leftover from when a buddy of mine visited with his daughter. “

I considered for a moment. “Okay, then they can go next to the Wheat Thins, I guess. But honestly… Chicken in a Biscuit?”

“They’re good. Leave me alone. In fact, turn off that light and close the door. It looks good, barring the shelf of despair, and I appreciate it. I’m grateful for your ability to make me feel judged the next time I try to nourish my body.” His gruff tone made me grin. “Now, will you take that shirt off?”

Breath catching, I switched the view on the camera and squinted at him. There was a twinkle in his eye and a half smile hooking one corner of his mouth that didn’t make my next breath come any easier. I’d just assumed that we’d not be… well, I’d clearly assumed wrong. “Really?”

He nodded serenely. “I’d like you to, yeah.”

“Were you just listening to my whole pantry presentation while thinking about asking me to take my shirt off?”

Dan’s smirk was shameless. “How honest do you want me to be?”

“I didn’t know there was an option besides cutthroat with you.” I was already getting hard. My hand had gotten a workout in Dan’s absence, and though we’d spoken frequently, there was a kind of caution in the conversations I knew was mostly my doing considering the way I’d sent him off on the tour in the first place.

Dan chuckled. “I appreciate you reorganizing my pantry, I do. And taking care of Jez. And putting up with Aiden. The shirt part, that was on the back burner, then kinda came to the fore around the time of the shelf of despair.”

“You needed a distraction from your shame.”

“Owen.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I peeled my shirt off, then angled the camera toward myself again. “You know, if we’re gonna do what I think we’re about to do, maybe I should get on my laptop to enhance the view.”

“I don’t have a laptop handy.”

“That’s okay. Hang up and I’ll call you back.”

“From the computer? You can do that? And I can still be on my phone?”

“Oh god. Yes, you can do that. I’ll show you sometime.”

We hung up and I got out my laptop, carted it into Dan’s room, then made a quick trip to the bathroom, where I considered my hair and stopped myself as I instinctively reached for my toothbrush.

I smoothed the covers over the bed, fluffed the pillows, then arranged myself in what I hoped was a believable version of casually seductive. I was now rock hard, so I didn’t even bother trying to hide it.

When Dan answered, his brows shot up. “You’re in bed.”

“Yeah,” I said slowly. “Should I be somewhere else?”

“I… no.” He shook his head, gaze roaming me up and down.

“I’ve never done this before,” I admitted.

“Me either.”

“Do we just start?”

Something popped loudly.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Squeezed my Coke can too hard.”

“So what now?” I’d severely underestimated the level of awkward on this undertaking. A flush crept up the back of my neck. How did people casually progress into internet sex? I felt like a total dork right now.