Page 46 of Roommate Wars
So his pride had been pricked. But ithadmeant something to him. This was news. Big news. “Fine. What do you propose?” Couldn’t hurt to find out what he was thinking, since he was finally being honest. The proposition sounded dangerous, given our history. Also intriguing…
“It would only last the rest of your stay here,” he said. “Another two weeks or so.”
“You think you’ll be able to let me go at the end of two weeks?”
“Hell yes, I will,” he said fervently. Which was as reassuring as it was offensive. “The last thing I need is a relationship. And especially not with you,” he added.
Ouch.Honesty wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. And yet I was still intrigued.
He’d said this wasn’t about sex, but that was where my mind went with Jack, and my body liquified at the thought. What were the chances we could have a relationship without ending up in bed?
Jack was Max’s best friend. All hell would break loose if we complicated things by hating each other after this so-calledpropositionended badly. What we shared that night had been intense after my casual, fluffy relationships. Soph had been frustrated with me for months over my neurotic reaction to it. She’d never forgive me if things ended up like the last time.
On the other hand, what Jack and I had wasn’t love. We could date and keep each other company—or we could get our fill in the bedroom. Either way, neither of us wanted anything lasting, so we were united on that front.
Unless he’d felt something different that night too…
If we were going to seriously consider this, honesty was the only way. I swallowed, my throat having gone dry at what I was about to admit. “Jack, last time messed me up.”
His body tensed, and he studied me for a long beat before his expression softened. “That’s because we didn’t have rules. We make rules and no one gets hurt.”
Jack was a good guy. If he said he wouldn’t hurt me, he meant it. “If we do this, it ends when I move out. I have goals, and I’m not ready for a committed relationship.”
He crossed his arms thoughtfully. “Agreed.”
“Second, you can’t tell Max or Sophia. They’d never understand, and Sophia will harass me about it the entire time. You think you can lie to your best friend?”
That got him. He looked off for a moment. “Max doesn’t know everything.”
Something I was beginning to realize. I was pretty sure Max didn’t know about Jack’s father and his illness. “You know, I’m starting to understand why you have such terrible luck with women if this is how you set up relationships. Didn’t the last one burn your kitchen down after you broke up with her?”
“That’s why I decided to give you a shot. You’re so obedient.”
I laughed—a full belly laugh because he was able to joke at a time like this.
My giggles died down and my eyes narrowed. I had one more condition that wasn’t really a condition, but I wanted to see how he’d react. “If I agree…sex is off the table.”
“It’s on the table. But—” He cut me off when I opened my mouth to argue. “There is no pressure. In other words, it’s not a requirement of the arrangement.”
I crossed my arms, mimicking his pose, and tapped my finger on the side of my face. He must have liked our first time together or he wouldn’t be pushing so hard for sex. Interesting…
There were reasons to not agree to this, but we had something between us. I wasn’t sure what I’d call it, but it was there. My subconscious led me to his bedroom that fateful night months ago, and it hadn’t been to sleep.
“Enough negotiating,” he said. “Are you in or not?”
Jack was very pretty to look at, with those full lips and wide, athletic shoulders. I could stand to get close to him for a couple of weeks. As long as it wasn’ttooclose. I’d probably regret this later, but…
“I’m in.”
* * *
After our conversation about “dating”last night, Jack and I proceeded to take a page from our last book and avoid each other. I didn’t hear a peep from him when I left for work this morning. Dating was supposed to make both of us less vulnerable, and yet here I was in a situationship with my roommate and stressing.
Jack and I were experts at keeping our partners at a distance. How exactly would two commitment-phobes come together?
I got off work and went straight to Sophia’s shop that afternoon. One of her new coordinators had bailed on her last minute, and she needed help. I had zero skills in design and knew next to nothing about plants, but I could answer the phone and supply Sophia with mochas to keep her going for a couple of hours. In other words, I was her caffeine-run lady.
“Soph, what do you know about Jack’s dad?” I said as I typed notes from the calls that had come in. I tried to get as much information from the callers so Sophia was prepared when she called them back.
