Where Nerves End

the night deposit, I headed home, and not a moment too soon. My shoulder felt pretty good tonight, and I was looking forward to a solid night of sleep for once. It had been three days since the last time Michael treated me, and my shoulder still didnt hurt. Thank God for that. I was too exhausted to put a hot pad on it tonight, and hopefully I wouldnt regret slacking off on that just this one time.
    When I got home, Michaels car was in the driveway, but there was another car parked on the street. Just close enough to my driveway that it clearly belonged to a guest in my house, not my next-door neighbor.
    The house was dark, including Michaels bedroom window.
    I cringed and swore under my breath. Add that to the growing list of things I hadnt taken into consideration when hed moved in.
Motherfucker. Bad enough that every time we talked, or we passed in the hallway while he didnt have on a shirt, or I even knew he was in the house, my crush on him inched toward maddening. Hell, inched past maddening.
And now? I glared at the car beside the driveway. Now this .
But, Michael lived here. He was straight, he was unattached, and if he wanted to bring a woman home, it was his prerogative no matter how much it would test my sanity between now and daylight. Good thing a few of the earplugs I kept at the club had migrated home with me over time, so I could block out any enthusiastic noises that made it to my end of the hallway.
Once I was inside, I turned the deadbolt and reactivated the security system. The house was completely silent. No moaning, no bedsprings creaking. My ears were still ringing as they always were after work, but I was sure of it. There wasnt a sound except my own creaking footsteps on the way up the stairs.
Just in case, I pulled a pair of earplugs out of a drawer and kept them on the bedside table.
Whatever he did to my shoulder a few days ago, though, it must not have worn off yet. In spite of being wound up about Michael getting laid down the hall, exhaustion kicked in.
I closed my eyes, and not a single sound or muscle spasm disturbed me for the rest of the night.
    * * *
    I woke to the sounds of movement. Nothing terribly loud, but even the slightest sign of life was enough to jar me awake. Especially with the acoustics in this place.
    They were discreet, Id give them that, but in a house like this, sounds carried. What the bed frame didnt give away, the occasional muffled moan did. Though he wasnt particularly loud, Michael was definitely vocal. More so than his partner; I didnt hear her at all. I couldnt say I really heard him either. Every once in a while, a faint vibration made it to my ears, a deliciously low timbre I felt more than heard. He had a sexy low voice, and apparently it dropped even lower when he was turned on.
    No point in torturing myself listening to Michael and his companion, so I got up and went in to take a shower. Though I could no longer hear them—him—I was acutely aware of what was going on down the hall. My mind showed me all kinds of images. Michael fucking her in every position imaginable. His eyes closing as her head bobbed up and down on his cock. Women werent a turn-on, and straight porn had never done a thing for me, but in this instance, all I could see was Michael . Aroused, sweaty, banging the hell out of someone. Id seen his bare torso enough times, it didnt take much to add sweat and hands running down his back to the mental image.
    Once I was in the shower, there was no point in pretending I wasnt aroused or trying not to do anything about it. Not when I knew Michael was having sex with someone right down the hall. Fuck,I couldnt remember the last time I got off that fast on my own.
    By the time I got out of the shower, the house was silent again, so I moved as quietly as I could to keep from disturbing them. Always a challenge with hardwood floors and crap acoustics, but I did the best I could, stepping to avoid the boards that creaked the loudest and opening the bathroom door slowly to keep the hinges from shrieking.
    Michaels bedroom door was closed, and the house was silent. They probably hadnt left yet, not unless theyd finished, dressed, and gotten the hell out of Dodge in the time it took me to get in the shower, get off, and get out. So I assumed they were still here, and quietly went downstairs.
    At almost half past nine, which was early as fuck for me, I was in the kitchen and halfway through my second cup of coffee when two sets of quiet footsteps