Page 21 of Some Like 'Em Burly
“Yes. Hi.” My voice is way too quiet compared to the racket of the dorm, but Meg must lip read or something, because she shoots me this big, goofy grin. She scoops up a box of books at her feet, toned arms flexing, then crosses to the unclaimed bed.
Damn. Is my roommate an Amazonian warrior? I blink at her long limbs, her muscles, her spiky dark pixie cut. If we stand beside each other, I’ll barely reach her shoulder.
But then another figure fills the doorway, and it all makes sense.
“Clementine, this is my dad Duke,” Meg says.
No kidding. They’re a whole family of giants. If Meg is tall, Duke is stratospheric. Is her mom all stretched out too?
However tall she is, Meg’s mom is a lucky lady—that’s the first thought that flits through my brain as Duke steps into our bedroom. Because he’s huge and broad-shouldered, his black t-shirt stretching over his barrel chest and curved belly. Everything about this man screams safety and sturdiness. If a storm battered campus right now, we could shelter by his side.
So freaking handsome. I’m short on breath.
He nods when he meets my eye, beard shifting as he smiles. His brown hair is flecked with bronze. “Clementine. So, are you gonna help keep an eye on my baby girl?”
His strong arms are laden with bags and boxes, but he hasn’t even broken a sweat. Meg scoffs, saying something about how she’s grown now and he doesn’t need to fuss anymore.
“I’ll always fuss,” Duke says, but he winks at me.
I fight the urge to squirm, my skin suddenly so hot and itchy under my leggings and t-shirt. It takes me a minute to realize that the ache in my cheeks is from smiling.
They’renice.They’re both so nice.
Thank god. I won the roommate lottery. And Meg can blast loud music in here and stumble in drunk late at night if she likes; she can borrow my stuff and leave her clothes on the floor. I don’t mind about any of those usual gripes, so long as the two of us can be friends.
Will Duke visit often?
WhereisMeg’s mom? Is she not in the picture?
Chewing on my lip, I dismiss that idea right away, because there’s no way a sane person could ever walk away from the man now sliding books onto Meg’s shelf. He works calmly, methodically, putting away Meg’s stuff while his daughter scans through the campus guidebook left on her desk.
“Ew,” she says to me, flicking through the pages. “Did you read the rule about no boys in our room?”
“Um. Yes.”
Duke glances back at me over his shoulder. I pluck at the cheap yellow bedspread I bought on sale at Walmart—and try not to catch fire under his probing gaze. Why is he staring at me like that? What is he thinking?
“So heteronormative,” Meg says with a sniff, closing the guidebook. “I could bone the whole cheerleading squad and not break any rules. Typical.”
“Please don’t.” Duke turns back to his work, sliding another book onto the shelf. “Or at least buy them dinner first.”
Meg smirks. “Don’t mind my dad, Clementine. He’s a fusty old romantic.”
My insides quiver.
And of course he is. This bearded giant with crinkly eyes and beautiful manners is my dream man. Bet he watches classic movies too, and cooks pasta from scratch. Bet when he takes a lady to dinner, he pulls out her chair for her and offers bites from his plate.
Seriously. Is he married or not?
This is killing me.
An hour later, Meg’s side of the room is a lot fuller than mine. It looks lived in and cozy, with colorful movie posters on the walls and books on the shelf, and a threadbare stuffed zebra slumped against her mound of pillows.
My side of the room looks like a monk lives here. Three old paperbacks and my journal slump on my shelf, and there’s asingle flat pillow on my bed. No extra blankets or fluffy throws. If you opened my closet doors, you’d find it two-thirds empty.
Duke glances around the dorm room, and I watch him notice the difference between our sides. His mouth turns down at the corners, and his forehead crumples in dismay.
“I have more stuff,” I lie quickly, because I can’t stand this man’s pity. It’s so much nicer when he winks at me and teases his daughter. “I just haven’t unpacked it yet.”
