When I told him I wasn’t completely satisfied being a teacher and I wanted to do something else, something more, he scoffed. When I told him I wanted to design my own lingerie, he fell off his chair laughing. But who supported him when he wanted to quit his nine-to-five corporate job and start up that ridiculous fucking podcast? Yours truly.

I’m such a fucking idiot. And now I’m forcing myself on these guys and probably setting myself up for failure. Again.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Roman’s voice cuts through my misery.

Sniffing, I angry-swipe at my tears. “Y’all have a nice view.”

“It’s okay to feel, Charlie. You need to process and let it all out. You’ve had a big day.” He stands next to me, leaning his forearms on the railing.

When I steal a glance at his profile, I’m struck by how strong his jawline is. Unlike Jace and Mateo, Roman’s nose hasn’t been broken. I guess there’s an upside to wearing a cage over your face when your job has rubber discs flying at you at a hundred miles per hour.

He meets my lingering gaze, his jaw tensing, but I don’t see judgment or ridicule in his features. “Your whole life got upended today. It's going to take some time to get through it.”

My chin trembles as a fresh wave of tears rolls down my face. I can’t look at him anymore. I’m a split second away from wrapping my arms around myself and curling into a ball on the floor, but his knuckle brushes my cheek, turning my face back to his and catching some of my tears.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Charlie.” His voice is soft and low, the weight of his probing chocolate eyes drawing me into them.

And then he surprises us both as he pulls me into a tight hug.

I can almost believe he might be right.

Maybe everything will be okay.

FOUR

Mateo

I made a mistake.

Clearly, I wasn’t thinking yesterday, but in my defense, I had just seen a very naked, very hot girl in my living room.

I’m just not sure if my mistake was agreeing to let Charlie live here—or agreeing not to sleep with her. Right now it’s about fifty-fifty, and she hasn’t even been here for twenty-four hours. With the vision of her plush, naked ass ingrained in my memory, I’m sure the more time that passes, the more pissed I’m going to be about that damn rule.

I know the guys think I can’t keep it in my pants, but that’s not what’s making this so hard. No one knows, but I’ve had a tiny crush on Charlie since we were introduced. Don’t worry, I’m not a horrible friend. I quickly put her in the unattainable category, but having her here in our apartment, knowing she’s so close, is going to make this challenging.

Harrison better appreciate all the sacrifices I’m making for him by letting her crash with us—including my sanity, because not only does Charlotte Fournier have curves in all the right places, we’re sharing a wall.

I tossed and turned all night, imagining her lying there, mere feet from me. The other guys wouldn’t know if I slipped over there and offered her a quick fuck, but at the end of the day, I agreed not to touch her.

Didn’t stop my wandering mind though.

Did she sleep in that thin tank top she had on last night? Or does she prefer to be naked, letting those rosy pink nipples of hers rub against the sheets?

I’ll never know, and that’s a damn shame.

The morning sun streams through my blinds, and I imagine the same light caressing her pale skin. Running down her arms, the smooth expanse of her thighs…

I groan, flinging my sheets to the side and fisting my hard cock, my fingers running along the barbells of my Jacob’s Ladder.

Morning wood isn’t unusual for me, but I’ve never been this hard, this needy.

Goddamn. I need to get laid if I’m going to survive this arrangement.

Closing my eyes, I give myself a hard squeeze, picturing her pretty mouth wrapped around my dick instead of my own hand. She’d struggle to take all of me, and I’d go slow at first, let her adjust to my size and my fancy hardware, before thrusting my aching cock to the back of her throat.

I shift my hips, fucking my hand with long, languid strokes before quickening my pace. I love how my barbells feel against my hand, and I can only imagine how fucking fantastic they’re going to feel sliding inside her curvy body. My abs flex, and this time when I groan, it’s drawn out, tortured. I can practically see her hovering over me, her head in my lap, her fiery red hair tickling my thighs and abs.

I’d thread my fingers through those unruly curls and hold her steady as I drove into her mouth over and over, her tongue skimming over my ladder. She’d gag, and her eyes would tear up—she might even cry. But Charlie’s defiant, rebellious, and there’s no way she’d stop until I came down her throat.