Page 17 of Loud Hot Roomie
“It’s working.”
I chuckle until she pushes my leg in a direction it doesn’t want to go. “Fuck!”
“Language,” she chides. “How’s living on your own?”
An image of a shirtless Derek flits in my mind. “Pretty good. Great view.”
“Is the roommate nice?”
“He is,” I say with a stupid grin. “He brought me cookies as a reward for being a good boy.”
Her grin is devilish. “Ahh, sothatkind of roommate. Is he hot?”
“He’s so fucking hot,” I complain. “It’s not fair. I want to see him naked like every second of every day.”
“But you haven’t?”
“Nope, because he’s notthatkind of roommate. I’m pretty sure the guy was straight until I came along. He’s going through some sort of bi-awakening. I have that effect on people.” I gesture at myself. “You’ve seen this face and have spent plenty of time with me. I’m irresistible.”
She laughs. “I see. You’re probably giving that poor man a heart attack.”
“More like a boner every time I’m around him.”
“Aww, so hedoeslike you. I’m shocked you haven’t hooked up with him. It’s not like you to hold back.”
“Believe me,” I say with a sigh. “I want to. But, he’s my roommate and I can’t afford to fuck up my living arrangements. The last thing I want to do is go back home.”
She contorts my leg into a painful pretzel position that has me crying out “uncle” over and over again. Finally, she releases me and lets me rest a moment.
“From an outsider looking in, it seems like the guy likes you if he brought you cookies. That’s a super sweet and thoughtful thing to do. My husband does stuff like that. Not every partner is that way. My ex sure wasn’t.”
“To be honest, none of the guys I dated ever brought me cookies,” I say with a tinge of sadness. “See why it’s hard not to get all stupid around my roomie?”
My sadist begins torturing me again, but she distracts me by talking. “Your voice softens when you talk about him. That’s sweet. I can tell you really like him. It’s probably why you’re so worried about messing things up. You can always find another roommate, but maybe you can’t find a guy like him?”
I warm at her words. Sure, I’m playful and flirty, and love to watch him squirm, but she’s right. Derek is not just nice, but he’s thoughtful too. He got me the ice pack last night and brought me a treat for cleaning up the house. And, when I was pissed about talking to Dad, he calmed me down by having a conversation with me. Last night was amazing.
“I don’t want him to get tired of me and kick me out,” I admit, mostly to myself. “But I also really, really want to suck his dick.”
She smacks me on my good thigh. “Don’t be gross.”
“Trust me, there is nothing gross about him. He’s so fucking hot.” I grin at her and waggle my brows. “The dude is stacked. Abs for days.”
Her smile falters and she says, “Looks aren’t everything. If there isn’t personality and heart behind the beautiful body, it’s a waste of your time.”
The bitterness in her voice makes my skin crawl.
“Nah, he’s more than a pretty face. I even saw him try to smile once.”
She snorts out a laugh. “Boy do I know the type. Promise me you’ll be careful. You’re like my little brother. If someone hurts you, send them my way. I know pressure points that will bring a grown man to his knees.”
I knew she was a sadist.
To punctuate that thought, she stretches me in a way that has me howling to the moon like a damn werewolf. I imagine if I had a big sister, she’d be a mean-ass like Casey.
After PT, I get wrangled into Topher and Eloise’s web of laughter. This time, I take it easy, choosing to sit in the grass rather than kick the ball around. They listen well to my instructions which pleases me. When I get them started on some drills, Linda comes and plops down beside me.
“They adore you, Riko. Absolutely adore you.”
