by Jenika Snow
Tristan swallowed roughly for the hundredth time since she had first met him an hour ago.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I was when Jay told me you needed a roommate.” He grinned, flashing straight white teeth. He had what looked like a healing bruise around his eye, and she noticed his scuffed-up knuckles. Had he been in a fight? “I dreaded staying with Jay and Kylie. I would have been the third wheel.”
Tristan’s heart pounded.
Although he seemed like he could snap her in half like a twig, his personality was easygoing and almost lighthearted. It certainly wasn’t what she’d expected out of him when she had seen him walk through the door.
His voice was deep and husky, and if the sheer size of him weren’t intimidating enough, the tattoos that covered both of his arms and disappeared beneath the sleeves of his shirt would have sealed the deal.
“Thanks, I mean it,” he said, his voice gritty and masculine.
She licked her lips and brought her drink to her mouth. The liquid was cool and should have quenched her thirst, but Tristan couldn’t get rid of the dryness in her throat. “Well, you’ll be helping me too, so I should be thanking you, not the other way around.” She smiled.
“Great, then it’s settled.” He leaned back and grinned.
Yeah, looked that way, but she couldn’t help the arousal she felt when she sat across from him. That had to be bad news, right?
* * *
The first time he’d seen Tristan, he had to stop his fucking cock from getting hard as a steel pipe. He hadn’t been this affected by anything in a long time, least of all by a woman. For years he’d focused on work, on building his body up, making himself stronger, his resolve harder. He’d stayed away from women so he could focus on himself. The opposite sex tended to be a distraction, and in his line of work he couldn’t afford to have any of those.
Although he didn’t believe in things just falling into a person’s lap out of sheer luck, he couldn’t deny that the timing had been perfect when Jayson said Kylie’s friend needed a roommate.
He didn’t know much about her, and that was exactly how he’d like to keep it. Sure, she was beautiful, but he wasn’t here looking for a woman. He was here to make his money, have a place to crash, and then when the time arose, he’d move on to the next thing. Staying in one place too long never really suited him, least of all because of his line of work.
That was his life now, and he was content. As long as they both knew that this arrangement was exactly how it appeared. He didn’t need the extra drama nor want it. Kash needed a place to sleep, she needed someone to help with the bills, so as long as things stayed just like that, shit would be cool.
Maybe he’d been without a woman for far too long? Maybe he had a severe case of blue balls, which jerking off was not easing? Because truth was, he couldn’t help but stare at her mouth. Her little pink tongue peeked out, sliding along her slightly fuller bottom lip and causing a spike of lust to shoot straight to his crotch. His pants started to become increasingly tight and uncomfortable, and he shifted in his seat.
Shit, keeping to his own rules, his own promise that this was strictly just a business arrangement might prove harder than he thought.
4
Jayson held one end of the mattress while Kash held the other. Tristan couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two of them try and maneuver it up the stairs. It was like some sitcom where one would shout to turn left while the other turned right instead.
They all had worked diligently that day moving Kash in, and as the sun was starting to set, the exhaustion started to settle in. She sat on the couch, her legs propped up on the coffee table as she stared at the TV. There was some rerun on, the sound muted, but she’d seen this episode a dozen times and knew what they said without having to hear their actual voices.
“Want to order in or something?” Kylie sat beside her and nudged her with her shoulder.
“No thanks, I’m beat.” What she wanted was a hot bath and to go to bed. Her muscles ached and her body screamed that she was definitely out of shape and should have stretched before doing this.
The guys started laughing, and she turned and looked over her shoulder. Tristan couldn’t help but stare at the way Kash’s muscles flexed and bunched under the white tee that stretched across his chest. Long minutes later they were back downstairs and she watched them head into the kitchen. Kash leaned against the counter, a beer in hand and a grin on his face. She shouldn’t be staring, and most certainly shouldn’t be lusting after her new roommate—one she had just met.
“He’s gotten bigger since the last time I saw him.”
Tristan looked over at Kylie after she spoke, lifting a brow.
Kylie sighed and then looked back at Kash. “Like he’s aged, and in a really good way.”
Tristan chuckled. “Did you forget Jayson is right there?” Tristan teased and leaned her shoulder into Kylie’s.
“I love Jayson, don’t get me wrong, but holy damn, Tristan. You can’t tell me that isn’t one fine piece of ass right there.”
Tristan’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but laugh. The thing with Kylie was she didn’t filter what she said. But even after all these years Tristan still couldn’t get used to it.
“What?” Tristan shook her head, holding in her smile.
“Don’t act like you don’t like what you see.”
Kash was gorgeous. That was for sure. With his olive-toned skin a stark contrast to the white T-shirt, the sweat glistening on his exposed flesh, and the muscle upon muscle straining with every move he made, Kash was handsome as much as he was powerful. He was the epitome of what a man looked like, strong and alpha all the way.
Tristan felt a chill move along her arms but didn’t bother responding to Kylie’s dig. “What did you say he did again for work?”
Kylie shrugged. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. I thought it had to do with security or something like that, but when I asked Jayson, he was very evasive. He just said he worked for himself, whatever that means.” Then Kylie’s eyes widened and she leaned in. “Tristan, maybe he’s like, Secret Service or something?”
Tristan rolled her eyes. “I doubt if he was Secret Service, he would be living with a roommate in a cramped house in this rinky-dink town.”
“I don’t mean the Secret Service. I mean like, a personal bodyguard or something. Or maybe he’s an assassin, or a mercenary?”
“Kylie, this isn’t a movie,” Tristan said and laughed while shaking her head.
“Ready, baby?” Jayson called out and headed into the living room.
“Yeah, I guess,” Kylie said and grinned as she looked over at Kash. “Let’s stop and grab a pizza or something. I’m starved and Tristan won’t feed me.” Kylie chuckled when Tristan narrowed her eyes at her. “Kidding, kidding,” Kylie said and stood. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks, man,” Kash said to Jayson, and the two men did some weird half-guy-hug thing.
Tristan followed them to the front door. Once it was shut, she leaned against it and looked over at Kash, who was still in the kitchen.
“Thanks,” Kash said, and she opened her eyes, not realizing she’d closed them.
“You’re welcome,” she said and pushed away from the door.
“I’m gonna take a shower.”
She shouldn’t have thought about him naked upstairs, but hell, with a body like that, it was hard not to. She nodded, unable to find her voice. She watched him head upstairs, and when he got to the top landing, he reached behind him and grabbed his shirt, pulling it up and over his head.
For everything that is holy.
Back porn. That was what that sight was called. Tattoos covered the broad, golden expanse, and his muscles contracted with every little movement. A second later the bathroom door shut and she heard the shower turn on. Staring at the ceiling above her, Tristan pushed those filthy thoughts out of her head. Moving away from the door, she went bac
k into the living room and lay on the couch. She closed her eyes again and felt the heavy weight of sleep trying to drag her down. She didn’t fight it.
“Tristan?”
She felt herself getting pulled from sleep and opened her eyes, blinking a few times to clear the fog from her vision. Staring at the TV, she couldn’t remember what she’d been watching before she’d fallen asleep, but it certainly wasn’t the infomercial that played. It must be late if that shit was on.
“Tristan?”
The deep voice had her more fully awake, and she turned her head to see Kash standing at the end of the couch in nothing but a pair of low-hanging sweats. Despite the lack of light in the room, she could see every dip, hollow, and bulge of muscle in his chest.
This was dreamworthy material, but it was very much her reality.
For long moments she stared at his bare, broad chest, tracing the lines of ink that covered his arms.
“It’s pretty late. You should probably get to bed, unless you’re into sleeping on the couch.” He wasn’t being a smart-ass; at least it didn’t sound like it.
“No, sleeping on the couch ends up being a bitch to my back.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I guess moving all day wore me out. I’m not used to that level of exercise.” She heard him chuckle and glanced at him again.
“Thanks again for all your help today, and for, you know, letting me crash at your place. I’m sure it’s weird as fuck having a total stranger in your space.”
She smiled. “Jayson vouched for you, so that’s good enough for me. Besides, I should be thanking you. You saved me from sharing the house with a creep.” She stood and pushed the hair from her eyes. He didn’t need to know about the fuckup with Zac leaving her high and dry. Or maybe he already knew and that’s why he said something at all? “Night.” She headed for the stairs but had her hand on the banister as she looked at Kash. “Not tired?”
He glanced over at her. He was sitting on the couch, his big body dwarfing the piece of furniture. Shaking his head, he looked right into her eyes. A shiver of awareness raced up her spine. “I work nights, so sleeping when the moon is out is almost impossible. I’d have to be drunk and passed out to get any sleep right now.”
“There’s a bottle of vodka in the freezer if you’re keen on passing out.” She could have slapped her hand over her mouth after saying that. Really?
He chuckled, that deep sound hardening her nipples and her making her wet between her thighs. “I’m more of a whiskey man, but thanks,” he said and winked. God, that wink could have had her orgasming right then and there.
Tristan nodded, not saying anything for fear she’d shove her foot in her mouth again. But for as tired as she was, she had a feeling sleep might be pretty hard to come by right now, especially with her body feeling like it was burning alive.
* * *
Kash let his head fall back on the couch and breathed out. Tristan was beautiful, no doubt about that. He’d been celibate for a long fucking time, focusing on his craft, his skill. No woman had tempted him into coming out of that dry spell. He hadn’t even wanted to get his dick wet, even if no-strings-attached sex was probably not an issue to acquire. To be honest it made him feel dirty, and so for years he’d just kept his dick in his pants.
He’d seen Tristan and his fucking cock had gotten hard. That had been the first time in a long damn time the bastard had shown any interest in the opposite sex.
He wanted Tristan, no doubt about that. The desire had been instant, consuming.
But even if he let go of his self-control and went after Tristan, he knew one thing … she deserved better than him.
He was a broken and scarred man, a shell of a decent human anymore. That’s why he did what he did, how he made his living. It gave him an outlet for his darkness to leave. Cage fighting underground was what he was good at. He got bloody, scuffed up, but he was always victorious. If he was in an especially bad place, his self-loathing too much of a weight, he threw a fight. It was better to let himself get a beatdown and be broken for a few days than to deal with the inner hatred he had for himself.
He had long ago lost the ability to show gentleness and caring. He only knew pain and hatred. On the outside it was easy enough to mask who he truly was, but on the inside he was festering with the need to deliver as much pain as had been delivered to him. It was a fact of his life, and he had grown to accept it. So, despite the arousal he saw in her for him and what he felt for her, it was in everyone’s best interest if he kept her at arm’s length. Friends, roommates, he could do that with her, but anything more would be disastrous.
5
Several weeks later
Time seemed to fly by, what with Tristan immersed in work and getting accustomed to having another roommate, one she was extremely attracted to. Kash slept most of the day and was gone at night. Tristan barely saw him. That would have been fine on any other occasion, but she liked having him around. That, of course, probably had to do with her body betraying her every time she thought of him.
But as she thought about seeing him in passing, as he left for work in the evenings, and the fact he never wore a uniform or name badge or anything that would alert her to exactly what his profession was, her curiosity grew.
But she couldn’t find it in her to ask what he did for a living, seeing as he never volunteered the information. She was just happy he paid his rent in advance.
Her cell vibrated in her pocket, and she fished it out, seeing Kylie’s smiling face on the screen. “Hey.”
“Hey, girl.” The sound of Kylie chewing gum was overly loud on the other end. “You got plans this weekend?”
“You know damn well I don’t. The only people I hang out with are you and Jayson.” She chuckled.
More chewing and a few pops and Kylie sighed. “You need to work spread those social wings.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
“Jayson is having a few friends over Saturday. A little poker, pool, and liquor. You should come. Kash said he’d try and be there.”
She thought about it, hated that her body instantly heated at the prospect that Kash would make an appearance.
“Well?” Kylie’s impatient voice rang through the receiver.
“Yeah, you know I’ll come. Should I bring anything?”
“Just your sweet little ass. Oh, and wear something sexy since there are going to be quite a few bachelors here.”
Before Tristan could respond, Kylie said good-bye and hung up. She looked at the blank screen. “You bitch.” She couldn’t help but shake her head.
* * *
Tristan hopped on one foot as she fixed the strap on her shoe. She righted herself and walked over to the mirror. Kylie had said sexy, and although Tristan didn’t really own anything that would be considered such, she had managed to find something that was a little on the revealing side and made her feel pretty.
Lip gloss in hand, she slathered on a thin layer and stared at her refection.
Decent.
She grabbed her purse, a bottle of vodka—not the good shit, but one that came in a plastic container—and headed out the door. Despite her not so deep pockets, she wouldn’t be caught dead going to a party without bringing something, even if said party was at her best friend’s. Besides, she told herself, once everyone got good and drunk, they wouldn’t care if they were drinking the cheap shit.
Kylie and Jayson’s house was only a ten-minute drive, so once in the car she triple checked to make sure she had everything and headed over. The sun was starting to set when she pulled into their driveway, which was crammed packed with cars. Even though the front door was shut, Tristan could hear the music blasting from their house. A few people loitered on the front deck, beers in hand, loud laughter surrounding them.
“Oh boy.” Tristan knew this was going to be one of those parties.
She grabbed her stuff and got out of the car. When she slammed her door shut, the few guys standing on the porch turned to watch her approach. She
could tell they were good and drunk already by the way they tried to keep their balance as they took steps toward her.
“Hey, baby, you the entertainment for tonight?” The one closest to her lifted his hand.
“Back off or I’ll sic Jayson on your ass.” He dropped his hand just as Kylie peeked her head out the front door.
“’Bout time.” Kylie’s smile widened, and she pushed the door open the rest of the way.
Tristan gave one last look over her shoulder at the drunken guys and headed inside.
“Don’t mind them. You know there are always a few dumbasses at the party.”
Tristan followed Kylie into the kitchen. The house was packed with people. She handed the vodka over to Kylie, shrugged when Kylie stared at it uneasily, and then finally smiled.
“I doubt half these people will know that is bottom shelf.”
“I’m not looking at the vodka, Tristan. I’m looking at your outfit.”
Tristan glanced down at herself and then back at Kylie. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I told you to wear something sexy.”
Tristan looked down at herself again. “I am.”
Kylie raised an eyebrow before turning and putting the vodka in the freezer. “Follow me.” Kylie grabbed her hand and led her through the throng of people and into her bedroom.
“I thought you said it was only going to be a few people?” Tristan ducked her head.
Kylie snorted. “Tell me about it. They just keep coming, too. The majority of them are friends of friends.” She shut the door, muting out a small percentage of the noise. She gave Tristan a long once-over and shook her head. “You look like you’re going to church.”