Page 25 of My Ex's Roommates
I wasn’t sure where things were going with our conversation but I nodded along like I did. “Yeah. She’s smart. She sees things that we don’t sometimes.”
“Dylan seems sweet on her.” Hogan watched my face closely and read whatever microexpression crossed it. “That’s what I thought. You are, too.”
I opened my mouth to deny it but stopped just short. I didn’t like lying.
“And I’d have to be blind to not see the way Carter follows her around like a puppy when she’s on the sidelines.” Letting out a deep sigh, Hogan patted my shoulder. “You three boys are going to have to figure that out and soon. This team is just now starting to feel like a team again and if the three of you come to blowsover a woman, we might as well hang up our helmets and go home now. I said the same thing to Dylan and I’ll say the same thing to Carter. Be careful to not lose your head over this girl.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
“I’m considering offering Monroe a paid position. I need to know that you boys aren’t going to blow things up before I do that, though. Figure it out and let me know.”
I watched as he stood up and walked away. I hadn’t been expecting that conversation in the slightest. I told myself to sit there and wait on Carter and Dylan so we could have the conversation and figure out what the hell we were doing but the thought of Harper taking care of herself at home made me hesitate. There was something there between me and Harper. I wanted to know what it was before I went into any conversation with my best friends.
I hung back until the locker room was mostly empty and then I rushed through showering and getting dressed. I knew that the team was headed to a party for one of the guys’ birthday but I was headed back home.
I dropped my stuff at the front door and jogged up the steps, going straight to her door. “Harper?”
She didn’t answer and my head went to dark places. I shouldn’t have left her alone when she was so upset. Barging into her room to make sure she was okay, I stopped short at the sight of her in front of me. She was on her bed, naked, bent forward as she painted her toenails.
Harper gasped and yanked a blanket over her naked body but I’d already seen most of her and I wasn’t exactly upset about it. “What are you doing?! You scared me! Shut the door, Silas!”
I shut the door behind me and walked closer. I felt like a magnet was drawing me towards her.
“I meant with you on the other side, but sure. Come on in.” She huffed out a breath and cut her eyes at me. “I guess we’re even now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You got to look for a lot longer than I did.”
“Why’d you bust in here like that?” She was still clutching her polish in one hand. “You made me mess up.”
I got close enough to see that her toenails had been far from perfect before I’d arrived. I frowned at them. “It’s not supposed to be all over like that, is it?”
She made an angry little sound. “I’d like to see you try.”
Getting to be that close to her naked body with my hands on her? I could do that. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor before sitting next to her and pulling her feet into my lap. “Pretty sure I could do better in the dark, princess. These are a mess. Do you have that stuff to take it off? I need a real chance at showing off how much better I am than you.”
She was gawking at me. Her eyes went from my chest to her feet and up to my face before making the same path again. “What is happening?”
“You said you’d like to see me try. And I don’t want to get nail polish on my shirt. I like that shirt.”
“I didn’t mean I wanted to see you try onme! I just meant that bending over to paint your nails is harder than you’d think. You don’t need to paint my toenails, Silas!” Her cheeks were flushed. “I’m still naked. Have we talked about that?”
I grinned at her. “Well, we’re here now. You might as well let me fix this. You can’t go out with your toes looking like this, princess. What would people think? Also, we could talk about the fact that you’re naked but I’d like to do your nails before all the blood rushes away from my brain.”
Her lips popped open and her cheeks went darker. “Silas!”
“Where’s the liquid stuff to get this mess off? Chop, chop, princess.” I watched as she carefully leaned over and grabbed cotton balls and a bottle of stuff that smelled like absolute hell. “You okay?”
She watched me closely. “I think so. I think this might oddly be helping.”
I flashed her a grin as I leaned away from the poisonous fumes. “Consider me at your service.”
24.
***Harper***
Never in a million years would I have ever believed that Silas would paint my toenails. I had to have crossed into an alternative universe. He was a huge man holding a bottle of nail polish that his hands made look miniature sized and he was so focused that I probably could’ve dropped the blanket covering my naked body and he wouldn’t have noticed. He sank his teeth into his bottom lip as he held my foot in his lap and slowly dragged the brush over my nails. As gentle as he was, his grip on my foot was firm and offered no room for movement. He was keeping me exactly where he wanted me.
“Do you normally paint your nails while completely naked with your door unlocked, princess?” With his head down, Silas looked through his thick lashes at me. “If so, just how often?”
