Page 19 of Roommate Wars
Maybe I was overreacting or imagining things, but I was sensitive to people not believing in me. Looking back, it almost seemed like he’d been waiting up for me like a parent.
Jack walked into the kitchen while I was pouring coffee I’d strengthened to the consistency of tar, and when I looked up, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head and the air locked in my chest. All frustration at him from last night dissolved. Because Jack was wearing casual gray sweatpants and—no shirt.
“Hey,” he said, yawning and running a hand through adorably rumpled hair. His skin was lightly tanned and smooth, except for light-brown hair on his chest that was less visible from far away but I knew existed because I’d run my fingers through it during our naughty night together.
This here was the problem. Jack was hot, and he was all casual about it. Like it was no big deal.
But it was abigdeal. Because the casual attitude made him irresistible. So irresistible I’d gone on a date with a guy I should have screened better. In hindsight, if Jack had been worried about my going out last night, his point was valid.
For a second, I considered he might be walking around without his shirt as some form of retaliation for the shitty dinner I’d served. As though he knew my weakness where his body was concerned and wanted to rub it in. But his hair was sticking up every which way, and his sweatpants were rumpled. This was definitely an impromptu hot-guy moment.
He leaned against the kitchen counter, flexing his chest muscles and making my heart race. “So, about your date. You going out with the guy again?”
“My date?” I said, trying to act smooth while urging the neurons in my brain to fire for things other than his body. “Maybe. It was good—great, actually.” I plastered on a fake smile.
He reached for a mug and poured himself coffee, which I didn’t think he drank, so that was strange. “Good or great?”
“Huh?” I said, confused by the half-naked man and unusual coffee behavior.
“Your date,” he said and glanced over. “You said it was good, then you said it was great. Which was it?”
Crap. If I told Jack the truth, he’d laugh his ass off and tell meI told you so. He already had enough ammunition against me: I couldn’t pick a proper apartment—or afford one—I wandered around in the middle of the night into strange men’s bedrooms—or just his—and now I chose the worst people on dating apps.
It was all there, clear as day: I needed a keeper.
My sister’s overprotectiveness told me without words she thought so too. But hearing it from Jack? No—just no.
I was already beholden to Jack for letting me stay the month. He didn’t need to know I had terrible taste in men too. “It was great.” I smiled, but it was a struggle.
His gaze took in my stiff lips, then slid to my eyes. “Hmmm.”
On the surface, one might find Jack absent-minded—unobservant, even. But that man was a hawk. A half-naked hawk with ripped abs and mesmerizing V muscles I didn’t remember from our night together.
But that night had been all emotion and feel, and not so much visual because it had been dark. I was seeing more in the kitchen lighting than I had while we were naked together. And it was educational.
Gah! Stop thinking about it.
“Problem?” He leaned against the cabinet and sipped his coffee, biceps bulging. Then he glanced at the coffee and winced before clearing his expression to one of indifference.
Sophia said emotions played out on my face like a book. So I forced my expression to go blank to confuse the lustful thoughts running through my mind. “The date was a solid start. He works out a lot.”
Truth. The guy from last night was a gym rat, which was why I’d initially brushed off the water jug. I’d thought it was a part of his health kick. Then I figured out—nope, he was just a hypochondriac.
“He likes dogs,” I added.And freaking lied about having one.
The dog thing had pissed me off. But what had sealed his coffin was the reference to our future together. After one hour of talking! That part had terrified the hell out of me.
“He’s looking for something serious, though,” I said before I guzzled the rest of my coffee and set the mug in the dishwasher, ignoring the hot, half-naked guy on my right.
“And that’s a problem?” Jack was standing so close I could smell his laundry detergent.
Or what if it washisscent and not a detergent I found so delicious?Crap.
“Elise?”
I spun and leaned back over the sink, attempting to keep my distance from Jack’s pheromones. “What? Oh, yeah. I don’t want anything serious.” I scurried around him and into the living room.
I sank onto the couch that was soft as a cloud, then glanced up and attempted to act nonchalant. “You rolling shirtless these days?”
