Page 7 of Kissed By My Roommate

Reverence can’t be something which comes easy to this man.

He feels so much bigger than me right now. I find myself shrinking into myself and watch as his eyes harden.

“No,” he barks out and a shiver works its way up my spine.

Holy shit.

Juniper’s eyes slide closed, and I find myself holding my breath. His voice is softer, “Don’t shy away from me, Sweetheart.” When his eyes open slowly, he finds a little more distance between us to close. I brace my hands on the wall behind us, needing it to ground me before I wrap my arms around this man like an octopus and never let him go. “I’ll never hurt you.”

He says it with such conviction, and I get the feeling he’s not only talking about physically hurting me which never crossed my mind.

He’s a good man, it’s clear the moment you meet him, but he’s a little detached from the world and he’s fierce as hell. I’ve learned a little bit about him and it’s clear how much he loves his sister and what she means to him.

There are moments when he looks at me and all I can see is a lost man drowning in a sea of not knowing what to do next.

It’s a feeling I can relate to. It’s one I feel down to my soul. There are so many things I want to be sure about, like the way my roommate and landlord makes me feel, but doubts are vicious and can dig their claws in without warning.

“You can’t promise that,” the words slip from my lips like honeyed poison. I hate them, but it doesn’t make them less true.

What I hate even more is the disappointment and the rejection shining in Juniper’s eyes. I’ve hurt him and I feel my heart crumple inside of me, a piece of paper which can be destroyed in so many ways, but still smoothed out, though never the same.

“Yes, I can,” he grits through his teeth, finality in his tone.

I want to shake my head. I want to dissuade him from his promise. I want to rail at him to stop myself from grieving the lies I’ve been telling myself from the moment I met the man…but I can’t.

I simply can’t.

Juniper leans forward and kisses my forehead. He’s invaded my space plenty of times, but he’s never put his lips on my skin, and I find it causes my every cell to erupt with awareness. I almost reach for him. I almost latch on.

Before I can catch up to what’s happening, Juniper steps back. “You’re off tonight, right?”

I’m mildly surprised he knows my schedule since it’s not like I posted it to the fridge. There’s a note of suspicion in my voice, “Yeah?”

“Good.” He gives one decisive nod. “Come out tonight with me.”

“With you?” My eyebrows come together, and I run my palm over the top of my head. When I had long hair, I used to run my fingers through it, but when I cut it all off, it felt like I shed an artifice I no longer needed. “You want me to go out where with you?”

A slow smile grows on Juniper’s face. “We’re going to Friday Night Beer Night with the family.”

“Whose family?” I’m all suspicion now. “Your sister?”

Juniper shrugs one shoulder casually and puts a little more distance between us, leaning against the far wall of the hallway. As much as I do wish he was closer, I’m not upset about the view either.

Damn, a man should not be so packed with muscle. I know he got it from working, from beating metal into submission and not letting up until he masters it. My thighs clamp together, but it’s not helpful in the least.

To his credit, Juniper’s gaze doesn’t waver. He simply looks at me, watching me, waiting for me and my answer even though him asking me to go out sounded a little more like a demand than a question. I guess it’s just the kind of guy he is.

Surprisingly, I don’t mind.

I should.

Okay, maybe I do a little.

“My sister will be there,” he cryptically replies.

I snark, “Are you purposefully being about as helpful as a fortune cookie?”

Juniper barks out a laugh and smiles at me as if he thinks I’m the most adorable thing. I melt just a little bit more for him. At this rate, I won’t be able to go out because I won’t be corporeal.

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