by Diana Nixon
“You went through my things again?”
“Don’t get mad. I just wanted to check if your silicon friend was still working after the amount of time you played with it last night.”
“Ugh, you are incorrigible. And so that you know, I didn’t need it last night. I went straight to bed right after I returned to my room.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Get over it, Cole – I’m not attracted to you.”
“Still don’t believe you. Why? Maybe because you’re lying, again.”
“Whatever.” She stood up and took her dishes to the sink.
There was one more thing that I forgot to tell her. “By the way, I spoke to your sister. Jazmine, right?”
“You did what?” She turned and stared at me. For a moment I thought she wanted to cut my balls off with a kitchen knife.
Just in case she would try to make it happen, I took a few steps back and said, “I remember you told her you would be at work today. But since you are staying at home, I invited her to share dinner with us.”
“Bad joke, Cole. It’s just a joke, right?”
“Nope. She was more than excited to come over tonight.”
Harlee shut her eyes and cursed aloud. “Why me?” She asked into the ceiling.
“I thought you two needed to talk about something.”
“Yes. But not here. And definitely not in your presence.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you some privacy.”
“Well, thank you very much. But you have already done enough to turn the upcoming dinner into hell.”
“Why?”
“Because my sister is not a sweet girl. Though she will make you think she is. She’s a devil, I swear. No doubt she will do her best to drive me up the wall with her comments about us living here together.”
“Oh, I see… You didn’t want her to know about me.”
“There’s nothing to know about you. You are here for a few days, but my sister will make it sound like a super big deal. And the fact that I’m sharing a house with a man will surely give her something to discuss with our mom later.”
“You don’t like people stabbing you in the back, do you?”
“Do you like people stabbing you in the back?”
“Not really. But I rarely care what they say about me unless they are important to me.”
“Well, my case is different. Those who are important to me think nosing into my private life is their daily job. And my sister takes the first line in that list.”
“Then I’m gonna like her.”
“Don’t rush things. First, she needs to like you.”
***
As expected, Jazmine showed up at six in the evening. She looked like the opposite of her sister - dark-brown hair and brown eyes.
She was wearing a caramel knee-length dress, casuals and a jean jacket.
“Are you sure she’s your sister?” I asked Harlee.
“She thinks she got the best from both of our parents, and I – the rest.”
“Nice!” Was the first thing that Jazmine said when entering the house.
“You’re gonna love it even more after I give you a tour,” Harlee said.
“I wasn’t talking about the house…” Jazmine gave me a slow head-to-toe look.
“Cole Griffin,” I introduced myself.
“So it was you I talked to earlier today.”
“Yep.”
“Interesting…” Her eyes switched from Harlee to me. “Are you two sharing a bed as well?”
“No, just the house,” Harlee said, giving me a meaningful look that said Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. But I’d be damned if I knew how to keep my mouth shut.
“Not that I didn’t try to change it.”
Jazmine chucked. “My sister could definitely use a little bit of…a hot roommate.”
Harlee’s face turned into a stone. “I’m still here, remember? If you two want to talk about me, I will leave you alone.”
“She’s such a flea,” Jazmine said to me.
“Tell me about it.”
Shaking her head, Harlee went to the kitchen and her sister and I followed her.
“What did you want to talk about?” Harlee sliced a piece of home-made pizza, put it on a plate and gave it to Jazmine. Then she did the same for me and herself. Pizza was my idea, but the recipe belonged to Harlee. Turned out she was really good at cooking. Among other things that I was sure she was great at doing. I just couldn’t wait for the moment she would demonstrate the rest of her talents.
We sat at the table, and I poured wine into two glasses – one for Harlee and one for myself.
“Juice?” I said to her sister.
She grimaced. “Does it look like I have a choice?”
I smiled and filled her glass with an orange juice.
“I met someone…” She started. Then gave me a careful look.
“I’m staying for this talk. Looks like it’s gonna be interesting. What’s his name?”
Jazmine looked at Harlee as if waiting for her sister to approve of me being a part of their conversation.
“He won’t go anywhere unless you call 911 to kick him out of here. So, go on.”
Jazmine took a deep breath and continued, “His name’s Romeo and he’s the leader of our school baseball team. He joined our class just a few months ago. The team was looking for a new leader, and he turned out to be really good at baseball.”
“Bad news.” I said.
Jazmine’s cheeks turned pink.
Harlee’s brows pulled together. “Is it true? Is he bad news?”
“Well… He’s super-hot, like panty-dropping and lick-me-now hot.”
Judging by Harlee’s face, she didn’t like the provided description.
“All the girls are crazy about him. And he asked me out…” Jazmine’s eyes switched between her sister and me. “But don’t worry, I’m not going to lick anything.”
Harlee almost choked on her wine. Her cheeks turned red.
I chuckled. “What exactly did he say?”
“He’s throwing a party at his place to celebrate the end of the school year. And he asked if I wanted to join in.”
“A party at his place… I see.” Harlee didn’t like the sound of that. And neither did I.
“Did he invite anyone else from your class?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I was too thrilled about the invitation to give it a second thought.”
“But you called me,” Harlee said. “Which is weird, considering you never asked for my opinion about your boyfriends.”
“Looks like she really likes this guy,” I said.
Soft pink painted Jazmine’s cheeks.
“You heard her – everyone likes him.”
I nodded. “Bad news – like I said.”
Jazmine spoke again, “You think a good- looking guy can’t be nice?”
“Trust me, Jaz, if he knows about the effect he has on girls, he’ll be anything but nice.”
Harlee smirked. “Do you know it from your own experience?”
“I’m an example of nice. Don’t you know that by now?”
Jazmine giggled. “Looks like you two enjoy sharing this place.”
I gave Harlee my best smile. “Enjoy – is the key word here.”
She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t go both ways.”
Her sister and I shared a look.
“Sure it does,” I said. “But you are too stubborn to admit it.”
“We are not here to talk about me. Jazmine has a problem that we need to help her resolve.”
“Romeo is not a problem. He’s just a guy. And all the guys need a little bit of competition. We don’t like easy. At least not when it comes to the girl we really like. Easy is for a one-night stand.”
“And your point is?” Harlee put her glass on the table and waited for my response.
“You need to give Romeo what he wants,” I said to Jazmine.
Her sister’s eyes went wide. “Are y
ou out of your mind?”
“I was talking about the competition.” I turned to our guest. “When is his party happening?”
“Last Saturday of the month.”
“It’s the same day we will be having a party here. What time does Romeo’s start?”
“Five in the afternoon.”
“Perfect. I’ll take you there.”
“What for?”
“You will see.” Then I turned to Harlee, “Make sure our party starts at six. I’ll have enough time to give Jazmine a lift and then come here and entertain the guests.”
“If my party sucks, may I join yours?”
“Sure. I’ll give you my number, and if Romeo fails to meet your nice-guy expectations, I’ll come to take you out of there.”
“Thanks. It’s really nice of you.”
“Told you – nice is my second name.”
Jazmine moved closer to me, even though her sister could still hear every word that she said next, “I’ll make her give you another chance,” she said, with her eyes focused on Harlee.
“That would be great.”
We shook hands as if making a deal and then she said she needed to go back home, because her mom needed her help with something urgent.
“Her party is going to be a disappointment,” I said, after I closed the door behind Jazmine.
“Why?” Harlee asked.
“Because if she were sure about that guy, Romeo – Jeez, I never liked that name – she would never come asking for your advice. But she knows he’s bad news and we all know that forbidden fruit is sweet. Am I right?” My eyes slipped to Harlee’s lips and I suddenly wanted to kiss them again, like I did last night. Only this time – I didn’t want to stop after the kiss was over.
“Don’t even think about it,” she warned me.
“Sorry, but I can’t stop thinking about it.” I walked up to her and said in a whisper, “I can still feel the taste of your lips on mine.” I put my finger under her chin and made her look at me. “I know you want to repeat the kiss, I can see it in your eyes. But you know what? I won’t insist. I’d better wait for you to ask me for the repeat. And then, I’ll make sure you stay in my arms long enough to burn for me, all night long.”
The fire in her look said it all for her. I swear I could hear every thought running through her mind. Because those were the echoes of mine.
Still watching me intently, she slowly glided her fingers through my hair, pulling my face a little closer to hers. Her eyes slipped to my lips; long lashes hiding the oceans I just drowned in.
“You are bad news, Cole Griffin. And I don’t like bad news.”
“But you like me being bad with you, don’t you, Harlee?”
“Maybe… Which is even worse because there’s no place for games in my life. And you are nothing but a player.”
“On the other hand, playing with me could be good for your health. Your sister said you could really use a little bit of a hot roommate.”
She chuckled. “Like I said - she likes nosing into my life.” Her fingers traced a barely tangible line down my cheek and then across my jaw; her eyes followed the moves. “The problem is – I never get myself into the unknown.”
“Boring.”
“Safe.”
“Then why are you still here, teasing me with your touches and words, and not hiding in your bedroom, behind the locked door?”
“I wish I knew the answer…” Her green eyes finally met mine. Like two candles that had enough light to illuminate the universe. A small smile played on her lips and I wondered if she was about to change her mind and give in. “I think it’s time to call it a day, Cole.”
Talk about non-existent surrender.
Fuck.
“Sweet dreams, Harlee.” I stepped back, already knowing that my story with her was not over yet.
She knew it too.
The question was – how much longer was she going to pretend she wasn’t attracted to me?
***
Harlee
The night had been hell. I didn’t get a wink of sleep, and by the time my alarm clock went off, I was ready to kill someone.
Preferably someone who managed to turn my life upside down in less than three days.
Someone who was about to get the hell out of my temporary home and give me finally a much-needed break.
Someone who dared to stalk me in the pool in the middle of the night, kiss me senseless and then believe it was enough to make me fall hopelessly for him.
Someone who… You have got to be fucking kidding me… Stood in the middle of the kitchen, completely naked, with two cups of coffee in his hands.
Though his hands were not the parts of his glorious body that my eyes were focused on right now.
“I made sure it’s strong enough to wake you up.”
Hell, yeah, it looked extraordinarily strong and big, and…
“What?” God, he was perfect everywhere. What a disaster.
“Stop staring at my cock and come have coffee with me. Unless you want to touch me like you did in the pool the other night. You can even lick it if you want, I don’t mind it at all.”
I swallowed hard, and somehow managed to unglue my eyes from the lickable thing.
“I told you – I like walking around the house naked.”
“Right. I forgot.”
As if it wasn’t a big deal – though his ‘deal’ WAS big – I took one cup from his hands and sat at the table, with every part of my body shaking from… Damn it, how am I supposed to think about anything but what I just saw?
“Thought you needed something good to remember until the next time we meet at the end of the month.”
“And you thought your tool was a perfect thing to remember, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Thanks for a great memory. Now every time when coming to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, I’ll see your…hands full of two cups.”
He lifted his cup and sipped the steaming drink. Though the drink in his cup was not the only steaming thing in the room. My body was in pure pain. And that was at eight in the morning. With a long day ahead.
Great. Just great.
“Thanks for the coffee.” I swallowed the last drop of my drink and took the cup to the sink, trying my best to ignore the nakedness of the man who seemed to be unable to stop being anything but a walking temptation. “Have a safe flight back to L.A.”
“Gonna miss me?”
I stopped at the door and smiled broadly at him. “Nope. Gonna enjoy my time without you. All alone, in this beautiful house, with no one to interrupt my nightly swimming in the pool. I might also follow your example and start swimming naked.”
“Sounds like the most boring plan ever, except for the naked part, of course. Make sure next time I’m in the city we swim naked together. Though if you feel like missing me, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call me. I’ll find a way to entertain you, even being on the other end of the country. And, by the way, I made sure you have enough batteries for another couple of weeks or so.”
“Have you ordered another box for me?”
“Yep. It should be delivered to your office, later today.”
“To my office?”
“I thought you’re gonna miss me so much, you might want to have some batteries in your office as well.”
“God, I can’t wait for you to get the hell out of here.”
“Wait until you see what’s in the box that I sent to your office.”
“Not just the batteries? Hope you didn’t send me any sex toys, did you?”
“It would be really handy to have some at work. What else would you need the batteries for?”
I sighed, both frustrated and turned on. Or frustrated because I was so turned on I could hardly make myself move.
Damn it…
“I’m done with this talk. And I really hope the next couple of weeks last long enough to give me a break from you.”
“I’m gonna miss you, Harlee.”
> I smiled. “Pretty sure you’ll find someone to ease your missing pain.”
“Hardly. The problem is – since the day I met you, I can’t think about any other woman but you. Think I might have a crush on you.”
“I think you think too much about crashing into me, and that’s why your brain is so overloaded with all things dirty.”
“Damn, the way you said crush into you and all things dirty make me want to make all of the above happen right now. How about I call Vivian and ask for a day off for you?”
“Cool off, Cole. Or you’re gonna miss your flight. And I sure as hell don’t want to come back home tonight and find you walking around it, all naked again. I’ve seen enough to remember while you are not here.”
***
CHAPTER 7
Cole
“Mr. Griffin, Miss Bennet’s calling,” my secretary said into the speakerphone.
I smiled and said, “Put us through please.” I waited for a few moments to make sure Harlee was pissed enough to kill me and said into the handset, “Did you like my presents?”
“If you were here now, I swear, you wouldn’t be able to leave my office alive.”
Told you – my plan worked.
“Trust me, I would give up a lot to be in your office now, open all those boxes with you and try every small thing they put inside them.”
“Did you buy the entire catalog of a sex shop?”
“Yep. Thought you needed something new to play with while thinking about me at nights.”
“Ugh, you are impossible, Cole Griffin.”
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“Do you have any idea of what I had to go through when my boss saw your damn boxes overflooding my office?”
My smile grew wider. “No, but I’d gladly be there now to see your face when trying to explain them to Vivian.”
“Now she thinks I’m a freaking sexaholic who wouldn’t stop fantasizing about pleasing my vagina with all those things that you’ve sent me!”
I chuckled. “Well, isn’t it true?”
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for this, Cole!”
“Can’t wait to see your fury, baby. Something’s telling me I’m gonna love it.”
“Now Vivian wants me to write an article about women using sex toys and make them believe there’s nothing shameful in it.”