Page 95 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“Sorry I can’t stay.” She reaches up and kisses him on the cheek. “Great party, though.” She smiles at him as she leaves.

It’s barely after ten and he’s already been with a girl? How many girls is he with in a night? I don’t even want to know.

“Trina,” he says, noticing me in the kitchen. “Did you just get here?”

“Yeah.” I hold up my beer. “Cole directed me to the drinks.”

Scott walks over to me. “I’m glad you came.”

“Well, you did give me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

He grabs a beer from the cooler and pops off the cap. “How was work? Did you get all those condoms stocked?”

“Yeah, but by tomorrow they’ll be cleared out again.”

He swigs his beer, then looks at me, his gaze lowering to my body before slowly making its way back to my face. “You look good.”

“I just threw something on. I didn’t want to work too hard for five minutes at a party.”

“Stay.” He reaches around my waist and pulls me toward him. “You’re already here.” He leans down to my ear. “And I don’t want you to leave.”

What’s going on? Why is he flirting with me? After just being with the brunette?

He’s drunk. That’s why he’s acting this way. It has to be. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Trina

“I think you need to slow down on the beers,” I say to Scott.

“Why? I’ve only had two.” He lets me go. “Come on. I want you to meet my friends.”

“I already met Grant. He opened the door for me.”

“Then I’ll introduce you to Hudson,” he says, leading me through the crowded room to a dark-haired guy wearing glasses with thick black frames. “Hudson, this is Trina. The new girl.”

He smiles at me. “Hey, New Girl.”

I laugh. “He needs a better description of me.”

“Hudson’s our nerdy scientist friend,” Scott jokes. “If he’s not here or at the gym, you’ll find him at the lab. He practically lives there.”

“You’re a scientist?”

“Molecular biologist.”

“He’s going to save us all from some deadly disease,” Scott says, patting Hudson on the shoulder.

“Not quite,” Hudson says with a smile.

“There’s Marc,” Scott says, looking at the guy coming toward us. He’s about the same height as Scott but more muscular, with jet black hair, dark eyes, and olive skin. He’s very good-looking, like an exotic male model. How does Scott have such hot friends?

“Marc,” Scott says. “I want you to meet Trina, my new neighbor. Trina, this is Marco, but we all call him Marc.”

“Trina.” He grips my shoulders, leans in, and gives me a kiss on each cheek. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I say, noticing his slight accent. “Where are you from?”

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