Bad Roommate
Allie Valentine
Contents
Back Cover
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
BONUS READ - Bad Benefits
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
About Allie
Back Cover
After getting dumped, the last thing Trevor Hamilton wants is to take on his advisor’s niece as a new roommate. For starters she’s hot. Like sexy librarian hot. But he needs his advisor’s recommendation for a job after he graduates, so he’s going to keep his dirty little fantasies to himself… and stay far away from his sexy little roomie.
Natalie Washington is done with men. After her last dating disaster she can’t afford to get derailed again. So when her aunt claims to have found her the perfect roommate, she’s willing to give it a shot. He’s one of her aunt’s best students, so how distracting could he be?
Then Trevor opens the door to their apartment, muscled, shirtless, tattooed and so… arrogant. How can one guy be such a dick? He’s bossy, and annoying...and scorching hot. Too bad he knows it.
As the battle lines get drawn, they’re each determined to ignore, or annoy, the other. Who will end up on top?
One
6 Weeks Ago…
Trevor turned on the lights in his apartment and threw his keys in the small bowl on the entryway table. He sighed. It had been a long day and he still had about three hours of studying left to do. But at least he could do it at home with Courtney. He was tired of being in the library surrounded by all the other students who looked as manic about exams as he felt.
“Court? Are you here?”
It was dark in the back so she must not have gotten home yet. That was strange. Courtney worked part-time at the bookstore, but she never worked this late, not even on nights when they were restocking. He checked his phone, making sure he hadn’t missed a text from her. While scrolling absently through his messages, he walked into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator for a bottle of water.
When he closed it, his eyes remained glued to the door. There was a note attached with a magnet.
Trevor’s throat went dry as he recognized Courtney’s distinctive loopy handwriting. She always curled her r’s in a dramatic way and looped her j’s, g’s, and y’s. His mind was stuck on those inconsequential things as he started to read.
Dear Trevor,
I know it’s a cowardly thing to leave a note behind instead of facing you. Maybe I am a coward but this was the only way I could tell you without chickening out. So here it is.
I’m not happy. God, I feel like such a bitch, but I’ve tried for two years to make it work and I just can’t. I love you so much, but every day we grow farther apart. I don’t want to drag this out until we hate each other. We want different things and that’s okay.
I wish you nothing but the best.
Love,
Courtney
Trevor held the note carefully as he read it again and again. His mind was trying to find something in her words to explain how he could feel so blindsided. When he looked up the room was slightly blurry, and he couldn’t figure out why until a tear fell onto the paper.
He swiped his damp cheeks and crumpled the paper in his fist. Suddenly he saw himself going on about the rest of his evening, heating up some dinner, studying until the wee hours, only to wake in the morning and do it all over again. Maybe he hadn’t been the best boyfriend. Working long hours at the bar, coupled with a grueling school schedule, didn’t leave a lot of time for being a romantic. But he’d thought that Courtney got it and supported him. Instead, based on that letter, she’d just been tolerating him for the past two years.
Anger replaced grief and he pulled out his phone. What was he going to do, call her and scream? Yell? So they could have another fight just like all the others they’d had over the past few months? She’d always leave in a rage and stay out late deliberately to provoke him. Lately she had been so different. Distant. He’d even started to think she was cheating on him.
His phone vibrated with a text. His heart lifted until he saw that it wasn’t Courtney. It was his sister, Talia.
Arrived on campus. TTYL
Thinking of his little sister always could make him smile, even when everything else in his life was shit. He couldn’t call her right now. She’d be able to tell something was wrong. But thinking of her made him remember another phone call he needed to make.
As if he’d conjured it, his phone rang. When he saw his best friend, Cage’s name on the screen, he shook his head. Exactly who he wanted to talk to. Before he could even say hello, Cage was talking.
“Dude, you were right about Jenna. She just had another fucking tantrum about the LA thing. This time she hit me in the ear with a shoe and accused me of cheating just because I didn’t do what she wanted and move with her.”
Under other circumstances, Trevor would have found the situation hilarious. He forced a laugh since his friend would be expecting it. He’d tried to warn Cage about screwing around with those crazy chicks. He’d always told him to look for the more sensible types, like Courtney. Look at how that had turned out. Oddly, his friend’s situation did make him feel a little better. He wasn’t the only one going through shit, at least.
“I won’t say I told you so. But only because I’m so happy you finally ditched her. She was hot, but no sex is worth dealing with that bullshit.”
“I agree. So I’m going home to my apartment. The one I still have, thanks to you. I totally owe you for talking me out of moving in with her.”
“You do owe me one. And I’m going to collect soon.” Trevor took a deep breath. “Remember my sister, Talia? It’s been years since you’ve seen her.”
“Of course.”
“Well, she’s transferring to San Diego University this year because they have the program she wants. I need you to keep an eye on her.”
Cage was quiet. Trevor hung his head. He knew this was going to be a hard sell. His friend liked to party, and babysitting someone as studious as Talia wouldn’t exactly be a fun time for him.
“I thought Talia was a straight-A student in high school? Why would you be worried about her flunking out of college?”
“It’s obvious you don’t have sisters. I’m not worried about her flunking, genius. She’s not like us. Talia will ace all of her classes without even trying.”
“Okay, well then what do you need me to do? I’m sure she doesn’t need my help studying.”
Trevor made a face, glad his friend couldn’t see him. Maybe it was just because he was in a bad mood already, but damn if it didn’t seem like Cage was deliberately misunderstanding him.
“I need you to make sure no one bothers her. Help her get to her classes and shit. She’s shy and has never made friends easily. If I was there, I could look out for her and make sure she doesn’t spend the entire year in her room with her textbooks. But since I’m not, I’m counting on you to make sure she has some fun but stays away from the wrong crowd.”
Perhaps Cage finally heard the frustration in Trevor’s voice because when he spoke next, his voice had lost the attitude and sounded resigned.
“You got it, man. I’ll show her around and make sure she knows where everything is. Hell, I know some goody-two-shoes girl types. Maybe I can introduce her to some friends.”
Trevor smiled. “Thank you. I’ve been really worried about this. I just want her to have a good time. She’s always been so serious. I don’t want her to study for four years straight and never have any fun.”
“You know I’ve got this. She’ll have fun with me. Trust me.”
Trevor hung up, changing his mind about confiding in Cage. Surely this was just some kind of temporary insanity from studying too hard for finals. Courtney was pre-med, and she’d been struggling with a few of her classes this semester. His friend had never liked Courtney and if they ended up getting back together he didn’t want Cage reminding him of this.
In the meantime though, he needed to be practical about how to pay the rent. On a whim, he pulled up the university Facebook page and posted a message about seeking a roommate. To his shock, he got a private message almost immediately from his advisor.
My niece just transferred in and she's looking for a place to stay.
Two
6 weeks later…
"Natalie! I’m so glad you’re here, my dear girl.”
Natalie was immediately swept up into a hug that reminded her of summertime and long hours spent baking together. She pulled back slightly and regarded the older woman currently strangling her with love. Her Aunt Patricia was still the most stylish woman she knew, even in her early sixties, and she still smelled like lemons and sugar.
She soaked up the love and comfort of her Aunt like a flower seeking sunlight. After the events of the past semester, she felt like she was just coming out of the dark.
Fucking Brian, she thought bitterly. Why was it that beautiful men were such liars? She’d swallowed all of his lines without even a thought, especially the worst lie of them all; that they’d go public with their relationship as soon as she wasn’t his student anymore. After she’d finished the class, he’d simply made up another excuse, that he was worried about the backlash because she was still a student at the University.
Natalie wished she’d wised up on her own and seen through his charade, but she hadn’t. Instead, she'd overheard another student crying over her boyfriend, the handsome chemistry TA named Brian. But at least she could say that once she’d seen the light, she'd acted quickly. Brian had claimed he didn’t know the girl or that Natalie must have misunderstood. But once the wool has been pulled from your eyes, it's extraordinarily hard to put it back.
Plus, Brian wasn’t as great of a liar as he thought he was. When she’d first told him what happened, she’d seen the fear in his eyes.
So with a broken heart and completely smashed sense of trust, she’d put in for a transfer to Columbia. Her Aunt Patty had taught in the Information Technology department at the University for the past ten years. It made her sad to leave Boston University behind because she loved her school. The thought still made her a little grumpy. It wasn’t the school’s fault that they employed manipulative bastards.
“Hi, Aunt Patty. Sorry it took me so long to get here. Traffic was terrible.”
Her Aunt waved away her excuses with a manicured hand. “It’s no trouble at all. I have your key and directions right here just in case Trevor isn’t home when you get there.”
It was the first time her Aunt had referred to her new roommate by name. She was still surprised her aunt was okay with her rooming with a guy. When she’d mentioned it, Aunt Patty had just chuckled and said, “He’s not your type at all. Besides, he won’t even notice you’re there unless you speak in CSS.”
Natalie figured out later that was some kind of computer code. Her Aunt knew that she’d always gone more for the jock type. Growing up, she’d been way more inclined to talk to her Aunt about boys than her own mother.
“Thanks again for finding me a place. I never would have had time after dealing with all the transfer stuff.”
Aunt Patty took her bag and placed in on the sofa. “Come have a cup of tea, first. Sorry your Uncle Sidney isn’t here to greet you. He had a class he couldn’t cancel.”
“It’s no problem. Once I’m settled in, we’ll have to go out for dinner.”
After an hour relaxing over tea, Natalie set out for her new apartment with her Aunt’s list of detailed instructions and her new set of house keys. She felt a little tingle of excitement as she parked in space 601, per the written instructions, and grabbed her largest suitcase from her trunk. It hit her then that she should probably carry her least valuable things up first so they weren’t sitting in the hallway. Luckily she didn’t have much. One big box, three smaller ones and two suitcases. It took her five trips up and down the stairs before she got it all.
Afterward, she leaned against the wall outside her new apartment panting. It might have been a bad idea to do all that alone, but she really didn’t want to start her relationship with her roommate by asking him for help. She wasn’t sure what strings her Aunt had pulled to get this guy to agree to let her move in. If he was some kind of geeky computer nerd, then he probably was worried about having some party girl move in. So she was planning to be the best roommate ever. Easy. Quiet. He wouldn’t even know she was there.
She knocked once. The door swung open after a few minutes. The guy who stood in the doorway stared at her.
She stared back.
Natalie could feel the moment her mouth fell open but was powerless to stop it. This was her new roommate? Her eyes scanned over him from head to toe, too overwhelmed to know what to take in first. The wild, dark hair that stood out randomly like he’d just gotten out of bed, the chiseled jawline, or the moody green eyes currently watching her like she was prey.
Or the abs. Dear Lord, the abs. He had more dips and cuts in his stomach than she even knew was possible. Was that an eight pack?
At the last moment, she pulled her eyes back up to his face. But by his smirk, she knew he’d caught her staring. The beginnings of a blush heated her cheeks. Damn she hated how easy it was to make her blush. She always wanted to act cool and confident, but that was pretty much impossible when her red cheeks gave her away.
Oh you’re sexy as hell? No big deal, new roommate. I’ve totally lived with lots of half-naked sexy men before.
Right.
Resisting the urge to check if her dark hair was still contained in her usual ponytail, she gave an awkward little wave.
“Hi, I’m Natalie. I’m your new roommate.”
Trevor was fucked.
There was no other way to put it. Just fucked.
He knew it the moment he'd opened the door. If this girl was what Professor Washington meant by mousy and quiet, then they had entirely different definitions of what mousy was. It also didn't help that she stared at him like he was a Christmas turkey and she hadn't eaten in years. Her big cornflower-blue eyes went wide and her pupils dilated
Focus man. Now is not the time. His advisor had asked him for a favor. And, as she was helping him to find a job, he needed to get this favor right.
Besides, it would be a recipe for disaster if he started fantasizing about his new roommate. So he'd just have to shove the mental image of her full lips completely out of his head.
"Do you need a hand with anything?" he asked. Maybe if he had something to do with his hands, he wouldn't think about running them over every inch of her body. And through that thick chestnut hair, gently massaging her scalp as he angled her head to kiss her. No. None of that. "Here, let me grab that box."
"Thank you. I, uh—I really appreciate you doing this last minute. Letting me come and live with you. Seriously, are you some kind of saint?"
A saint? No. He was far from that. "Hardly. But, I know what it's like trying to find an apartment in New York. Come on in." He grabbed one of the boxes and hauled it into the living room. Jesus, what the hell did she have in there? The way it jostled, he assumed books. But he couldn't be sure.
She dragged one of
the suitcases just inside the door and then took a look around. The apartment wasn't that big. But it had a spare bedroom, hardwood floors, was rent-controlled, and clean. He was a bit of a design nut, so the furnishings, while secondhand, were still stylish and eclectic. He'd been able to find cheap knockoff versions of the stuff he saw in magazines. Maybe it was his analytical mind, but he really liked smooth, clean lines.
Did she like it? Suddenly, it really mattered to him what she thought of the place. He wanted her to be comfortable here. It shouldn't matter what anyone thought, but Trevor found himself wanting to make a good first impression.
"This is really great. I had no idea what I was going to be getting, but this is nice."
A grin tugged at his lips. He'd been lucky to get this place at all, rent-controlled and in Manhattan of all places. He'd worked hard on his place and would almost be sad to leave it. But he'd be moving on to bigger and better things soon.
He had only gotten the apartment because one of the guys in his major had landed a big flashy job in Silicon Valley and had asked Trevor to take over the lease. That was probably how that guy had gotten the apartment, too.
This place had probably passed through a slew of grad students passing it off to people they knew and liked. It was the way of things. In Manhattan, if you had an in, you could find a place to live.
"Your bedroom's through there. You have your own shower. This is the common area. Not huge, but not totally cramped either. You're pretty much standing in the kitchen and dining room area. My room's back that way." He inclined his head toward the opposite side of the hallway.
As he helped to pull the rest of her things into the apartment, he couldn't help but feel her hot stare on his back. He considered grabbing a shirt and putting it on, but fuck it. He kind of liked her looking. Her eyes were striking, even more striking when they were intensely focused on him.
You are asking for trouble. Yeah, but he didn't care. Because he was sneaking glances of his own.
Bad Roommate Page 1