Page 54 of My Brother's Roommate (Frisky Business 2)
As if it weren’t hard enough to hear Wolfie’s name, the thought of talking to him vacuums the air from my lungs.
Now’s your chance, Penelope. Time to be honest.
“Speaking of Wolfie.” That name is hot on my tongue, warning me not to go any farther. But I’m done keeping secrets. Connor deserves to know. Especially now that it’s over and it hardly matters anymore. “Do you remember when you volunteered him to go to that work retreat with me?”
Connor appraises me with a tight frown. “I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about work.”
“It’s not really about work,” I say.
“Ohhh-kay then.” Both his gaze and his tone are suspicious. “Yeah, I remember. Why?”
I suck in a deep breath, hoping to gather some courage with it. I can’t believe I’m really going to do this right now. But then again, I’ve already suffered two major losses in the last twenty-four hours. What else do I have to lose?
“Well, I, uh . . . I told everyone at work that he was my boyfriend.”
Connor snorts, which jolts me. That isn’t at all the response I was expecting.
“Nice. I guess that’s easier than trying to explain why you’re bringing your brother’s roommate along.”
“Sure, it was easier, at first,” I say, chewing my lower lip raw. “And then, well, things started to get blurred between us.”
Connor scrunches his brow. “What do you mean . . . blurred?”
Am I really going to have to spell it out for him?
“I started to, you know. Feel things.”
For a long, painful moment, the only sound between us is the low hum of the heater and the distant thud of the inspector’s footsteps downstairs.
When Connor finally responds, the words come out on a growl. “Do I need to knock that fucker’s teeth in?”
“No. Not even close. In fact, I’m the one who initiated things. I didn’t think I’d develop real feelings for him, but . . .” My voice drops to a hushed whisper, my gaze dropping to my socks. “But I did.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch as Connor’s jaw clenches, his pulse thrumming in his neck. “All right. Well. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Honestly, neither did I,” I say, barely lifting my gaze to his. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. We talked about it, and Wolfie’s not interested.”
My brother bristles, puffing out his chest a little. “Oh, so I do have to knock his teeth in.”
Despite trying to hold it back, the tiniest laugh slips from my lips. “Please, let the man keep his teeth.”
“Fine, fine.” He holds out his palms in surrender, the furious look on his face fading into one of curiosity. “So, what happened?”
With one last deep breath, I tell Connor everything—well, almost everything. It’s only fair to leave out the not-safe-for-work parts, along with the private details about Wolfie’s past. Those aren’t mine to share.
My brother nods along, quietly taking in every detail.
Part of me wonders if this was really the right time to tell him. I could have waited until an easier time, like over a few beers or, you know, on my deathbed. But standing in the middle of what will soon be his daughter’s room, it’s never been clearer. We’re adults now. It’s time to act like it.
“So, in summary,” I say with a sigh, “he’s hot and cold. One second he’s opening up to me about his past, and the next he’s cutting things off between us and saying we can’t be together. I can’t keep up.”
Connor chews the inside of his cheek, staring off into space as he mulls it all over. “You know, that sounds about right for Wolfie,” he finally grumbles. “He thinks of himself as the kind of guy you quit on. I don’t know all the gory details of his childhood, but from what I understand, his dad never gave a shit, and the few girls he’s dated have been the same. It’s always been kind of take it or leave it with him.”
I nod. “That lines up with what he’s told me.”
“Right. So when people don’t give up on him, he does it for them and gives up on himself,” Connor says, frowning.
The knowledge of my brother’s truth hits me squarely in the chest. “That’s so sad. I know he deserves more.”
Connor nods. “He’s the best guy there is. Too bad he doesn’t see himself that way.”
“So, what do I do?” I ask on a whisper.
“Simple. Don’t give up on him, and don’t let him give up on you.”21* * *WOLFIEIt’s been almost a full week of living alone in my apartment since Connor moved out, and so far, it’s been fucking weird.
Not always weird in a bad way. I’m already seeing the perks of a roommate-free lifestyle.
No one to eat my leftovers or hog all the hot water, for starters. And now that it’s Saturday, I do like knowing I won’t be shoving my head under a pillow tonight to drown out the suggestive creaking of Connor’s bed from the other side of our shared wall.
