I suddenly wonder if he was camped out on the sofa all night in the nude.
“Lisa is in Tokyo.” Maya lowers herself into the armchair next to us, adjusting the front of the soft gray dress she’s wearing.
Both Julian and I turn at those words, but I ask the obvious question before he can even open his mouth. “Why is Lisa in Tokyo?”
“Family stuff.” She slides a tube of lipstick out of her purse. “She said she had to take off and wouldn’t be back for months. She wanted out of her lease agreement.”
I watch as my older sister applies a pale shade of pink to her lips. Maya is beautiful. Her hair is black, her eyes the same shade of blue as mine. She’s shorter than I am, but she carries herself with an elegant grace that has always turned heads, including her devoted fiancé who can’t take his eyes off of her.
“Why didn’t she call me about this?” I look down at the red sneakers I slipped my feet into when I left my apartment. I put on a chunky red sweater and a pair of black yoga pants before I hopped on the subway and raced over here. “I’m her roommate.”
“You were on vacation. I didn’t see the point in bothering you.” She looks at the watch on her wrist. It doesn’t work. My sister has never owned a watch that keeps time. She only wears them because she loves vintage timepieces. “Speaking of which, why are you back here? I thought you were hanging out in San Francisco for another few days. You got the gifts I sent to Frannie’s place for your birthday, right?”
“I came back early because I missed you and I love the gifts,” I lie, twice. “Don’t change the subject, Maya. Why would you agree to let Sebastian move into my place without discussing it with me first?”
“He isn’t officially your roommate until the end of the month.” She scans the screen of her phone when it chimes. “I have a listing appointment in thirty minutes.”
I nod. I’ve never gotten in the way of Maya’s work. I’ve always understood when she’s had to cancel dinner plans or movie dates with me to show a client a property or meet with another broker. This is the first time I’ve even been remotely tempted to ask her to postpone an appointment because of me, but I won’t.
“Did you sell his apartment already, Maya?” Julian walks to where she’s seated. He holds out a hand to help her stand.
Swoon. My future brother-in-law is the definition of a gentleman.
“Sebastian accepted an offer yesterday morning.” She takes his hand and glides to her feet. “I meant to tell you last night, but we got…” she looks over at me. “Busy.”
I roll my eyes, not wanting to hear about my sister’s sex life, again.
“It’s a fast close and the rental market is tight right now, so I told him he could stay with Tilly until he works something else out.” She looks up at Julian. “I gave him the set of keys that Lisa dropped off at my office on her way to the airport. I mentioned that Tilly would be in California for a few more days, but he was more than welcome to go check out the apartment.”
“I understand,” he says because he’s not the one who has to live with Sebastian Wolf.
“I don’t.” I put my hands on my hips. “Maya, you didn’t even call me to ask if it would be all right with me.”
“I was going to talk to you about it once you were back. I didn’t realize he was planning on moving in as soon as I handed him the keys. I thought he’d hold off for at least a couple of weeks.” She brushes past Julian. “Tilly, he’s a good guy. He works long hours so you’ll hardly see him.”
“You’re trying to run my life again,” I whisper.
“No.” She reaches to push my hair back behind my shoulders. “I’m trying to help one of Julian’s friends. Give him a chance, sis. Can you do that?”
I look back at Julian. His blue eyes brighten as he smiles.
“I’ll give it a chance,” I agree softly. “I hope I don’t regret it.”
“You won’t.” She tugs me into a hug. “You’re going to love Sebastian as much as Julian and I do.”
Chapter 4
Sebastian
“This is why I live alone.” My youngest brother, Liam, lets out a long exhale. “Maybe you’re wrong and she didn’t see your dick. ”
“I’m not wrong,” I reply as I look back at the closed door of his office. “You’re sure I’m not interrupting you? There’s a woman in the waiting room.”
He skims his finger over the screen of the cell phone on his desk. “I’ve got five minutes before my next appointment.”
You wouldn’t know by looking at him that Liam is a grief counselor. He’s wearing gray pants, a white button-down shirt and black shoes. That part fits the bill. It’s the rest of him that doesn’t.
His shirt sleeves are rolled up to reveal forearms covered in tattoos. His shoulder length dark blond hair is tied into a messy low knot and a beard covers his jaw.
Considering the fact that he towers above me a good two inches at six-foot-five, he’s got an undeniable presence that can’t be ignored.
“The woman who saw my dick last night is Julian’s future sister-in-law.” I pace in front of his desk. “She didn’t come right out and say she saw me nude, but she could barely look at me.”
“Maybe she’s shy.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “If she’s not making a big deal about it, why are you?”
It’s a valid question. I should have let it roll off me, but once I got back into my bedroom after Matilda went into hers, I let my imagination wander.
Julian is protective of Matilda because he’s about to become part of her family. His fiancée, Maya, is even more vigilant when it comes to her younger sister. She told me to watch over Matilda, not flash her within the first ten seconds of seeing her.
I don’t need this to come between one of my closest friends and myself. I have to address it before Julian hears about it from Matilda.
“Julian and I have been friends a long time. I don’t want something like this to fuck it up.”
“I hear you. Why are you living with this woman? Why not find another guy to live with?” Liam looks down at his phone again. “You’ve got two more minutes.”
For most of the past ten years I’ve lived alone. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I took on a roommate. It was a buddy from work who needed a place to hang his hat after his marriage went south.
He took over the second bedroom and then one night a week, his kids took over the apartment.
When he decided to get his own place, I saw it as the perfect time to make a change in my life.
I called Maya and set up a time to talk to her about the possibility of selling my apartment. I picked it up years ago at a reasonable price. I’ve kept an eye on the market so I knew that if I got out now, I’d pocket a nice profit.
She listed it and sold it within a week for the full asking price with a thirty-day close.
My salary as a homicide detective with the NYPD keeps a roof over my head, food on my table and clothes on my back, but the windfall from the sale of my current two-bedroom apartment is enough to set me up in a new place and pad my savings account at the same time.
“I didn’t expect my place to sell that quickly,” I say, walking toward his office door. “A decent priced rental is hard to come by right now. Maya said her sister had an extra spare room and the rent is low, so I grabbed it before someone else did.”
“Why the rush to move in? You had some time before the new owner came knocking on your door, didn’t you?” he asks.
“I had a couple of days off. It made sense to make the move while I had the time.”
“It sounds like you made the right choice.” Liam falls into step behind me.
“It’s a good move for me right now.” I turn and tap him in the middle of the chest with my knuckles. “I’ll hang out there for a few months and then start looking for a new apartment to buy.”
“Tell her you’re sorry that you inadvertently showed her your dick.” He puts his hand on the doorknob. “Don’t make a big deal about it. Apolog
ize and move on.”
“You think?” I ask as he swings open the door.
“I know, “ he responds with a pat on my back. “Now, get lost. I’ve got work to do.”
***
“I’m Sebastian Wolf,” I say, holding out my hand toward her as she closes the apartment door.
She looks down at my outstretched palm before her gaze slides to the table behind me. A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “I’m Matilda.”
Matilda.
Maya calls her Tilly. Julian does too, but the first time he ever mentioned her to me he referred to her as Matilda.
I prefer it. It suits her.
She’s beautiful. Her hair is long, brown and falling in waves around her shoulders. Her eyes are big and blue.
She can’t be much taller than five-foot-six since I’m towering above her.
Her hand drops in mine for a quick shake before she tugs it away.
“Did you buy those?” She cants her head to the left. “There were some flowers in that vase that Maya and Julian bought for my birthday, but they’re gone now.”
I glance over my shoulder at the bouquet of mixed red and yellow blossoms I picked up at the florist down the street on my way home from Liam’s office. “I noticed they were dead, so I thought I’d replace them with a new bunch.”
She brushes past me to smell them. “They’re beautiful.”
No, she is.
I shake off the thought and weigh my next words. “Matilda, I need to say something.”
She straightens. “What is it?”
I swallow, hoping that my instinct isn’t steering me wrong. I want to clear the air so we can start off as roommates on the right foot. “I wasn’t expecting you to come home last night.”
“Maya told me that.” She glances down briefly before her gaze locks on my face. “She said that she explained to you that I would be out of town for a few more days, but my plans changed. I had no idea who you were last night. I thought you were here to see my last roommate.”
I don’t see the point in prolonging this, so I dive in. “I don’t know how long you were standing near the doorway when I noticed you, but if you saw me without...”
“I did,” she admits as her gaze trails down my gray T-shirt and faded jeans. “I saw you by the window without any clothes on.”
“I’m sorry.” I scrub the back of my neck with my hand. “I don’t want this to be a big deal.”
“It’s fine.” She blows out a short breath. “We don’t have to make it into a big deal.”
“I would have had pants on if I knew you were on your way home.”
“That’s good to know,” she says with a small smile. “Let’s make a rule that if either of us is in a common area, we need to be dressed. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” I shove my hands into the front pocket of my jeans. “I’ll only take my clothes off in my bedroom or when I shower.”
Her gaze goes to the flowers again before she looks directly at me. “Since we’re in agreement that what happened last night isn’t a big deal, I don’t see any reason for either of us to mention it to Maya or Julian.”
I had no intention of telling Julian that his future sister-in-law got a good look at my cock. “They won’t hear about it from me.”
“Good.” She lets out an audible breath. “We can put it behind us now.”
I can’t tell if she’s more relieved that we cleared the air or that I’m in agreement that what happened last night isn’t any of Julian or Maya’s business. Either way, I’m grateful that this conversation didn’t end with me looking for a new place to live.
Chapter 5
Tilly
“Did you pass by a ridiculously hot man with black hair and blue eyes on your way up here?” I tug on the forearm of my best friend, Kate Wesley.
She steps into my apartment with a glance back over her shoulder. “No. Why?”
I take her purse and black trench coat from her before I hug her tightly. “It’s a long story.”
“I have time.” She steps back to look at me, her hazel eyes scanning my face. “I left my assistant manager in charge. She’ll handle the shop until I get back.”
I know how hard it must have been for her to leave her boutique, Katie Rose Bridal, in the middle of the afternoon.
She practically lives there. It’s where I met her six months ago when Maya invited me to go wedding dress shopping with her.
Maya didn’t find a dress that day, but I found a new best friend.
Kate and I have been close ever since.
I almost called her last night when I saw Sebastian nude, but Kate had a date and since she rarely ventures out with any man, I didn’t want to interrupt that or what could have been the morning after.
When I sent her a text message an hour ago asking about her date, she wrote back that it was a bust. That’s when I told her that I was back in Manhattan and had the surprise of my life when I got home.
She dropped everything to come over here to get the details face-to-face. Thankfully, Sebastian left just minutes before she arrived, otherwise I would have had to take Kate to the coffee shop down the block to get some privacy.
“Do you want some tea?” I start toward the kitchen.
“No, I’m good.” She brushes her hand over the side seam of her red sheath dress chasing away a wayward thread. “Why are you back already? I thought you were hanging out in San Francisco for a few more days.”
Kate was even more excited than I was when I booked my trip to the west coast. She’s originally from California too, although she hasn’t been back to the Golden State in years.
“I had enough family time. “ I laugh. “I love my folks and Frannie, but it was twenty-four seven. I needed a break.”
She nods softly. “I’m not going to complain that you cut your time with them short. I missed you like crazy.”
Kate’s boutique is only two blocks from where I work at Premier Pet Care. I take the short walk to see her during my lunch break at least a few times a week. If she’s not overwrought with bridal consultations, we usually grab a sandwich to share and eat in the office at the back of her store.
“I missed you too.” I squeeze her hand. “So your date last night wasn’t Prince Charming?”
She tugs on the tip of her long blonde ponytail as she shakes her head from side-to-side. “I knew immediately that we weren’t a great fit, but I stayed through dinner and then took off.”
I motion toward the black leather sofa that Maya bought when she first furnished this place. Our tastes are similar, so I haven’t had to change anything since I moved in. “They can’t all be perfect, right?”
She laughs. “I’d settle for half-perfect. It’s been forever since I met a guy I clicked with.”
I can say the same. I haven’t found any man worth investing my heart in since I moved to Manhattan. That’s not for lack of trying. I’ve been on more blind dates than I can count. I’ve used three different dating apps to try and match up with a guy who is a good fit for me. I’ve had dinner with men I’ve met at work and I even went on a lunch date with one of the real estate brokers that Maya knows.
I dated two of those men for a couple of months, but neither relationship amounted to anything substantial.
She settles on the sofa, crossing her legs at the knee. “Why did you ask about a hot black-haired, blue-eyed man? Did you spend the night with someone?”
I sit next to her and laugh. “Technically, I guess I did.”
She looks at me. “What kind of an answer is that? Did you or did you not spend the night with a man?”
A series of short, hard raps at the apartment door startles us both.
“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath as I push to my feet. “This is a doorman building. You’d think he could do his job.”
One of the reasons I jumped at the chance to move into Maya’s apartment when she moved out to live with Julian is because I viewed the doorman who stands watch in the lobby as extra security.<
br />
I had it all wrong.
All Junior, the doorman, does is stand around playing games on his phone while people march right past him on their way to the elevator. He must have missed the memo that explained that an integral part of his job is to phone the tenants to announce when a visitor has arrived.
I race across the room and swing the door open with a flourish.
“You’re not Sebastian.” A striking redheaded woman stares at me. “Who are you?”
“Who are you?” I counter because this is my apartment, which I think, affords me the right to ask the questions.
“I’m Wendy. Where’s Sebastian?”
“Who is Sebastian?” Kate asks from behind me.
I turn back to look at her. “My new room…”
“The man who has my panties,” Wendy interrupts as she pushes past me. “I want them back.”
Chapter 6
Tilly
“Sebastian isn’t here, “ I say as I watch Wendy head directly toward where Kate is still sitting on the sofa with a confused look on her face. “Can’t you just call him?”
“Who is Sebastian?” Kate repeats as she watches Wendy dig her hand behind one of the sofa’s cushions.
“We sleep together sometimes,” Wendy answers before I have a chance to say anything.
“Tilly?” Kate’s brows pop up. “What’s going on?”
I leave the apartment door ajar as I walk to where Kate is sitting. “Sebastian is Julian’s friend. He’s my new roommate.”
“You have a new roommate?” Her gaze volleys from me to where Wendy is now on her hands and knees looking under the sofa.
It’s obvious from this angle that Wendy still owns at least one pair of panties, thong panties to be precise. I look away not sure if I should tell her that her skirt has hiked up so far that we can both see her ass.
“You should leave.” I direct that to Wendy even though I’m looking at the ceiling. “Sebastian isn’t here so I think you should go.”
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