Cross My Heart. AM Hartnett

just crashed on this lumpy sofa.’

      Ryan groaned as he got up. ‘I’m not a chronic insomniac like you.’

      They turned off the big television and Ryan pulled her along, his feet shuffling on the laminate contrasting with the naughty smile he flashed her.

      ‘Don’t you even act like you’re not going to crash in about five seconds,’ she teased from her side of the bed as he wriggled out of his clothes.

      ‘Don’t you underestimate my stamina,’ he quipped, then dived beneath the covers, yet by the time she’d changed into his most comfortable T-shirt he was dozing once more.

      She made it through one episode of an 80s sitcom on Netflix before she popped out of the bed again. She went to Ryan’s computer and pulled up a new private browser window, then logged into her secret profile and typed in response to David’s initial greeting.

      Hey to you, too. Nice pictures. Even nicer videos. Care to –

      A shiver went through her and she looked towards the bedroom, but in spite of the feeling creeping through her she found no one there.

      No one save for the lithe shadow that crept through the open window.

      She closed the laptop and stood. ‘Marco, you know you’re not allowed to be in here. Big Poppa is going to swing you by your tail if you keep sneaking around like a big perv.’

      The cat’s attempt to evade her was a miss, and it meowed indignantly as she went to the window.

      ‘Seth! You down there?’

      She listened and could hear voices, but she was too far up to tell whether it was from the television or he had a visitor.

      With Marco resigned to his captivity and purring against her chest, she stepped on to the fire escape and descended. She’d reached her window when a cool breeze reminded her that she didn’t have any panties on. She cursed, then cursed again when a tug on her window confirmed that after Seth had finished in there he must have locked it.

      And another sound confirmed that it wasn’t the television she heard. Seth had company.

      Good company, if that woman’s moan she heard was any indication.

      ‘Eep,’ she whispered on the top of the cat’s head and looked back up. She supposed she could keep Marco for the night and he’d probably wander out by himself, but the more likely scenario would be that Seth would go looking for the cat before settling in for the night.

      ‘Do me a favour, would you? Just this once, do as you’re told,’ she whispered, and as quietly as she could she descended a little further.

      Without peeking around into the window, Evie put the cat inside on the sill, but the little bastard just strutted back out and started to follow. No amount of shooing or wild gestures would get him to move, so she took a deep breath and picked him up again, then crouched right in front of the window.

      Seth had company all right. A woman she’d never seen before, lying in his recliner, legs draped over the arms and panties hanging by one ankle. She had her hand on Seth’s head, which bobbed between her legs, and she was crowing louder and louder.

      Evie threw the cat in and was gone before its feet landed on the floor. On the way up she heard murmuring and then giggling.

      After shutting the window behind her and closing the one in the bedroom to only a crack, she returned to the computer and discarded her message to David, then went to the bed.

      ‘Wake up, I have to tell you something,’ she hissed at Ryan as she shook his shoulder.

      He sat up. ‘What’s wrong?’

      ‘Nothing’s wrong. I just need to rub something in your face.’

      ‘What?’

      She giggled and scooted deeper under the covers. ‘Seth is down there eating out some woman.’

      Ryan stared at her a moment, then clapped his hand over his bleary eyes and laughed. ‘What?’

      ‘I think Marco was ashamed to watch. He came up here and so I took him back down, and there was Seth on his knees with his face in some red-head’s crotch.’ She grinned and punched him in the shoulder. ‘And you said he was still too busted up about Rita to get involved with someone.’

      ‘Are you sure he wasn’t, I don’t know, wiping up something she spilled on…her crotch…you know, with his tongue?’

      Evie threw a pillow over her face and hooted into it, and the bed shook as Ryan joined in.

      ‘How long did you stand there and watch?’

      ‘Three seconds, tops. I had that delayed reaction where my brain needed to catch up to my eyeballs. Then I threw Marco in and came back in here. That cat is going to be pissed the next time he sees me.’

      ‘Did they see you?’

      ‘God, I hope not. It’s bad enough thinking he can hear our sex noises without adding that to the mix.’ She stuffed the pillow under her head and grinned back at him. ‘I told you so.’

      Ryan opened his mouth but caught what he was about to say and pressed his lips together.

      She gave him a light kick under the covers. ‘What is it?’

      He puckered his mouth into a scowl, then lost it in a chuckle. ‘I think this might be my fault.’

      ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

      Sighing, he shifted closer to her. ‘Tonight when I passed your place I dropped in and invited him up and he took it the wrong way. He thought I was feeling sorry for him – which I was – and went all angry dog on me.’

      ‘Oh, no.’

      ‘Oh, yeah. So it’s possible he’s down there fucking that woman to spite me.’

      Evie raised her brows. ‘I hope she comes up here and thanks you afterwards.’

      ‘That good?’

      ‘Not that I could see his technique, but if the sounds she made were any indication I’d say Seth has got a gold medal in clit gymnastics.’

      Ryan flopped on to his back and laughed until he wheezed, then wiped tears away as he looked back to her. ‘You think we should ask him up so he can show me a thing or two?’

      ‘I think you’re doing just fine.’

      ‘But I only have a silver medal. I have big dreams, you know.’

      ‘You may only have the silver medal, but you deserve the gold.’ She leaned over and kissed him, giving his tongue a quick swipe with hers. He raised his head to deepen the kiss, but she drew back. ‘You’ll conk out if you try, and then I might really have to invite Seth up here.’

      ‘Cruel woman and your wicked words.’ He pulled her close and buried his nose in her hair, making a warm and tingly spot where he breathed. ‘Good for him, though. I mean, even if he’s not ready to date there’s no reason why he can’t at least have a bit of fun. Did you recognise her?’

      ‘Nope.’

      ‘I’ll bet he found her online,’ he said, then lowered his voice with his renewed laughter. ‘I’ll bet he found her on the same site we’re on. I’ll bet he’s seen our profile. Maybe he’s one of those guys who messaged me to tell me how badly he wants to come on my chest while you stick a massive dildo up his bum.’

      ‘That did not really happen, did it?’

      ‘Actually, it did. I delete those kinds of messages before you have a chance to see them.’

      ‘I don’t know whether to be annoyed or to thank you.’

      ‘Trust me, if I showed you a picture of some old man’s hand covered in his own jizz, you’d be more than