The Roommate Switch: An Insta-love Standalone Romance

by Penny Wylder

  “I've already learned something about you that my sister doesn't know,” I say.

  “Mm, hm,” she hums under her breath. “And what's that?”

  “I know you're running for a new start. You're tired of the same old thing at home, and searching for something else. Something new. Something bold and different to fill a hole you feel inside.”

  “And you figured that out how?”

  “By paying attention.”

  Anna grins, tilting her head away from me as she draws swirls in the pudding with the tip of her spoon. “Sounds like you've spent a lot of time around girls you think are gullible. Unfortunately for you, I'm not gullible.”

  “I know you're not. But you don't hide things as well as you think you do. I could see it clear as day.”

  “How?”

  “Because you're a hard person not to notice.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?” her voice teeters between high and low tones as her eyes harden like I've offended her.

  She's taking it all wrong. It's not an insult. This is a compliment. She's leaving breadcrumbs for me to follow like Gretel in the forest. Every crumb tells me something about her. Her stubbornness. Her strength. Her independence. Her will do for herself and not ask for help from others.

  Anna doesn't think I can see her, but I do.

  “It means that when you walk in a room people see you. I see you. You're stunning, Anna. You make it hard for me to focus on anything else but you.”

  “Really?”

  I nod as I slip the spoon out of her hand. “Yes, really.”

  “You're just saying that.”

  “I never just say anything. I promise you that.” I lick her spoon clean, running the tip of my tongue along the outside of cold metal. “Just so you know, I can do other things with my tongue beside talking.” I wiggle my brows, causing her to giggle.

  “Is that right?”

  “Sure is.”

  “I probably shouldn't even ask, but what else can you do with your tongue?” Anna turns her body toward me, her nipples making small peaks against the fabric.

  “I've got a better idea. How about you let me show you? I'd like to finish what we started earlier.” I place the spoon in the bowl and run my finger up and down the outside of her arm. “All you have to do is say yes.”

  Her eyes brighten and her cheeks flush. Anna parts her lips, running her tongue across her bottom lip and pulling it into her mouth. Her eyes dart between mine. The yearning burning so bright, I don't need to wait to for her answer.

  I scoop her face in my hands and kiss her. She accepts me willingly, kissing me back harder and fiercer than before. Her tongue slips inside my mouth, twirling and licking. She tastes like sweet chocolate and hot lust.

  Her fingers rake through my hair and down my back, touching me like she's been waiting to touch me her entire life. The pads of her fingers explore the muscles in my back, gliding down my spine and tracing my shoulder blades.

  I push the bowl of pudding out of the way, and slip my hands under her arms, lifting her onto the counter. Her lips never leave mine. She lets out a heavy breath against my face as my hands move down her sides and grip her thighs.

  With a firm step in, I force her legs open wider. Her back is straight as an arrow, forcing her tits against my chest. I can feel her pebbled nipples as they press against my bare skin. I move my hand up under her shirt and grab her tit.

  Anna groans, her nipple turning hard as diamond as she arches her back. “Mm,” she says, her voice muffled by my lips.

  “I'm going to make you feel so good, you'll never go a single second without thinking about my mouth on your body.”

  “I like the way that sounds,” she says as she runs her fingers down the front of my chest. “But words aren't actions. You better put your money where your mouth is.”

  “My mouth hasn't even started yet.” I smile at her coyly and drop down to my knees.

  Her panties are gray with a dark, wet circle in the middle. I can smell her sweet pussy dripping. My mouth is watering, eager to taste her flavor on my tongue.

  I dig my fingertips into her thighs, squeezing tightly. “Fuck, I want to taste you so damn bad. I want to drink you up and eat you out until your legs are numb.”

  Anna moans, arching her back hard and rolling her hips. “Taste me,” she groans, her voice breathy and soft.

  I slip my fingers up her thighs and over her hips, grabbing the edge of her panties. She lifts her ass so I can pull her panties off. I drop them to the side and spread her legs as wide as they can go.

  Her pussy glistens like stars in the ocean. Shaved, smooth as silk and delicious as candy. I run my tongue up between her lips, flicking her clit with the tip. Her thighs shake in my hands, and she drops her head back as she moans loudly.

  He voice is music to my ears. The sound drives me insane. I need more of it. I want to hear her sing like a morning dove. Flattening my tongue against her entrance, I lick up to her clit and then suck on it. Anna coos, driving her hand into my hair and giving my roots a pull.

  I glide back down and dip my tongue inside her, then quickly sweep it back to flick her clit. Her legs try to close around my head, but I refuse. Digging my fingers harder into her thighs, I hold her legs in place.

  She releases my hair, and falls back on the counter, her palms slapping the granite with a loud smack. The backs of her heels press against my ribs as she rocks her hips, grinding her pussy against my face. Her arousal smears across my lips and drips down my chin. She tastes like fucking heaven.

  My cock is hard as rock, tenting my boxers. I massage my dick lightly, eating her pussy like it's a five-course meal. With every sip I take, my balls draw up and my muscles buzz.

  “Oh fuck, oh fuck,” she says quietly. Anna's body convulses, her mouth falling open as she comes. Her clit throbs against my tongue, pulsing hard as her fingertips clutch the counter.

  “Holy shit,” she huffs out in one breath. Anna looks down at me, her eyes glossy and deep. “Wow.”

  “I'm just getting started,” I say as I stand up. Her eyes drop to my dick as I pull it free from my boxers. “We're not done yet.”

  Her eyes grow wide as she watches me stroke myself. My cock is swollen, the tip shiny with precum. I move my hand down to the base then back to the crown, squeezing the tip in my palm.

  I push my hips forward, ready to fuck her right here. Her legs run back and forth over each other, and she bites her bottom lip as she touches the center of my chest.

  “Wait,” she says. “There's something—”

  “A condom, right. I have—”

  “No, that's not what I was going to say. I need to tell you something.” There's a slight hesitance in her voice.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “I. . . I don't know how to say it.”

  “Just say it.”

  “The truth is, I've never done this before.”

  “You've never. . .” My voice fades as my eyes settle on hers. She shakes her head no, and looks away. “You're a virgin?”

  “Yes.” She peeks up at me, her eyes crinkling as she waits for my reaction.

  “Well then, it looks like this changes things.”

  “It does? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make this awkward, I just thought you should know.”

  “It's not awkward. It just means I can't fuck you on this counter now. Your first time can't be on a cold stone counter. You deserve to have a first you remember.”

  “I don't think I'd ever forget it.”

  I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her up, securing her around my hips. Turning around, I carry her to my room. “I'm going to make your first time better than most people's one hundredth time.”

  “You promise?” she asks as she tightens her arms around my neck. “You'll be gentle?”

  “I'll be as gentle as you need me to, but you better make sure I can hear you.” I lay her down on my bed and stand above her. “Because I'm still just a man, Anna. A man in n
eed.”

  Anna lays back as I grab a condom from the small box in my nightstand. She watches me, her eyes following the condom all the way down my length. I crawl up the bed between her legs, slow, delicate, restraining every instinct I have to fuck the shit out of her.

  I'm going to do this exactly how her first time should be. With finesse. With care. Paying attention to every inch of her body, exactly as a goddess deserves. I rest my forearms up by her head, and brush the hair away from her face.

  Her eyes are stunningly green right now. Bursting with emerald and lime explosions, sparkles of brilliant apple and jade, earthy and luminous. Her lips part and she exhales as her back bows.

  Anna spreads her legs, lifting her hips so her pussy touches my cock. “Take me,” she says, curling her arms around my back.

  I kiss her softly on the chin, fluttering kisses down her throat. My hands slip under her shirt and pull it up over her head. She's completely naked. Her perfect raindrop shaped tits beg to be licked and sucked.

  The tip of my tongue circles her nipple. I suck her tit into my mouth drawing out a soft moan from Anna as I slip the head of my cock in her pussy. Her legs clench around my hips and she digs her nails into my back.

  “You all right?” I ask.

  “Yeah, keep going,” she says.

  Her pussy is so fucking tight. I groan as I push more of my cock inside her. Her muscles tense, almost rigid as I get half of my dick in. She bites the side of my shoulder and jerks her hips, urging me on.

  I thrust in the rest of the way, stilling on my knees, and not moving as her body adjusts around me. Her walls pulse, squeezing around my shaft. Her belly is shaking and her legs are trembling as she buries her face in my chest.

  “You still doing okay?”

  “Yes, I'm okay.” Her nails rake down my spine, and I feel her body loosen as her muscles relax. “Fuck me, Dash. You're not going to break me. I'm not made of porcelain.”

  “No, but porcelain deserves the right touch.” Pulling my hips back, I thrust inside.

  Her pussy milks my dick, refusing to let me go. The ridge of my cock hits her entrance, so I slam back inside. She bites my shoulder harder, digging the sharp edges of her teeth in my skin. As I piston my hips, her head falls back, and she moans so fucking loud I can feel my chest rumble.

  “Mm, Dash,” she groans. “Harder, fuck me harder.”

  That's it. I have her permission to lose control. If she wants me to go easy on her, if she thinks that she can rein me in if I get too rough, she's wrong. She's going to get what she's asking for. The animal inside is on now, clawing its way to the surface. There's no stopping me now.

  I growl, hitting her pussy so hard my balls slap against her ass. Her skin is hot, turning dewy and wet as droplets of sweat bead on her forehead and trickle down her temples.

  Her tits rub against my chest, making her nipples stiff as pebbles. I suck her tit into my mouth again, then let it pop free. My tongue moves across her chest to her other tit, sucking it even harder.

  Anna writhes beneath me. Her body contorting as her head snaps back and her mouth drops open. She curls her legs around my waist, scratching her nails up my back and through my hair.

  I love this look on her. Flushed cheeks, wild eyes, her skin shining like satin. She's a goddess. My goddess.

  I fuck her harder. Whatever pain she might have felt at first is now gone, and her body is begging for more. I'm going to give her everything she wants. I'm going to make her feel amazing. I'm going to put her to sleep with this moment in her brain, so she wakes up craving more.

  My thick shaft spears inside her pussy. Even through the condom I can feel how hot and wet she is. Her pussy bears down on me, her walls hugging my cock like a warm blanket.

  “Oh my god, Dash,” she says between heavy breathing. “Oh my god, mm, yeah.” Her voice hums against my shoulder as she presses her face against my skin.

  I can feel her as she comes. Every muscle in her body quivers as the tips of her nails pierce my back and her legs crush my sides. Her pussy pulses over and over as if it has a heartbeat of its own.

  My stomach coils up, and my balls harden as my cock explodes with her. Pump after pump of hot cum fills the tip of the condom. Every muscle in my body goes limp, causing me to fall on top of her.

  “Well,” I say, pulling my cock free and rolling off of her. “How was it?”

  Anna giggles as she twists her face in my direction. “I'm speechless.”

  I pull the condom off my dick, grabbing a tissue from the box next to my bed. Wrapping it up, I throw it in the can beside me. “I'll take that as it was amazing,” I say, slipping my arm under her neck and pulling her in. “So, you want to do it again?” I ask teasingly as I wag my brows.

  She slaps my chest with a smile and shakes her head. “I have to be at work early tomorrow. Otherwise I'd stay up all night with you.”

  “My next goal is to fuck you so much your legs go numb, and you can't walk for days.”

  Anna nuzzles her warm face against my chest, laying her arm over my chest. Her fingers gently run up and down my ribs, giving me the chills. I love the way she's touching me right now.

  Her nails move back across my chest, down my stomach, and then tickle their way up. She snuggles her body closer as she traces the inked design on my skin. “Did it hurt?” she asks.

  “No more than anything else.”

  “What do you mean?” she asks, her finger following the thick swirl of black ink down my shoulder and around my forearm.

  “I mean life hurts. It hurts when you don't get the job you want. It hurts when you lose someone you love. It hurts when people you trust let you down. The only difference between a tattoo and life is you choose to have this pain. But, just like everything else, eventually it goes away.”

  “I don't think it's the same. This pain is physical, everything else is emotional.”

  “Is it though?” I look down at her. Her eyes heavy as she yawns, but she's listening to me, and that's something I can appreciate. It feels good to be heard. “Doesn't your stomach hurt when you're embarrassed? Don't your lungs hurt when you're nervous? Doesn't your heart hurt when you're sad?”

  She flicks her eyes around as she thinks about what I'm saying. “I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way.”

  “The good thing is that you can change your life. You can't change a tattoo. Once it's there, it's there.”

  Anna lets out a big yawn as her eyes start to close. “Maybe I should get one.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  She lets out a soft, tired laugh as she mumbles something I can't make out. Looking down, her eyes are closed. She's asleep in my arms. I can't stop from smiling as I pull the blanket up with one hand and cover us both.

  Anna fits perfectly in the nook of my arm. It's like she's made for it. As if God created this woman just for me.

  I've never believed in love at first sight. I've never really believed in love at all. How could there possibly only be one person out there for you? The world is full of people. Millions and millions of different people.

  There is no way soul mates could exist in a sea of opportunity.

  But as I lay here with her, drifting between sleep and awareness, I can't help but wonder if I'm wrong. Because everything about this feels right.

  Too right.

  8

  Anna

  Ten hours I've been on my feet. I'm a hot and sweaty mess, and I swear I stink like pasta sauce and salmon. My ankles feel like they're starting to swell because my shoes are getting tight, and the laces are pressing into my skin.

  And yet, even now, hours after last night, I still feel like I'm riding some high. Dash is on my mind. The memory of his broad shoulders and bright blue eyes are still giving me butterflies as I run around the restaurant doing a million different things.

  My lips still feel heavy from his kisses. The places on my body that his fingertips dug into and squeezed are still tingling. His presence is all ove
r me, and it isn't leaving. I'm wearing the shadows of his touch, his lips, his tongue, all like layers of clothing I can't take off.

  I hear my boss yelling from in the kitchen. He's screaming at one of the cooks about a piece of veal that's over cooked. Everyone can hear him. The guests stop talking momentarily, taking notice and listening.

  Giovanni's voice drops to an angry, audible whisper, then the kitchen door swings open hard, almost smacking another waiter in the face as he walks past with a tray of drinks. He walks with heavy feet to the bar, leaning over and speaking into the bartender's ear.

  The room settles back into its rhythm. The tables are talking again, eating and laughing and having a good time. It's bizarre to me the way my boss can be so heated one second, that it looks like his eyes are going to pop out of his head, and then the next, it's as if nothing happened at all.

  I don't like it. He's unstable and treats all of us like we're nothing. Like we're animals who need to be trained to grovel at his feet.

  Why am doing this?

  I know I'm here because I need the money. I have goals, dreams, visions of what I want to do with my life. I can't do any of it without money. Money makes the world go round is a truth no one can deny.

  So, here I am, working my ass off doing a damn double for a jackass who thinks he owns the world and everyone in it.

  Giovanni Scaramuchi is a scum of a human being. He's always looking at me like I'm a piece of meat. As if I'm just going to throw myself at him one day because he's my boss.

  I'll never do that. I wouldn’t care if he was the damn president of the United States, I'm not a girl who will just spread her legs if she’s told to.

  As I bend over the table to clean up the dirty dishes, I can feel my boss watching me. I glance over my shoulder to find him leaning against the bar, his eyes dead set on me. He's drinking a martini with a single olive on a toothpick bouncing around in the alcohol.

  Mr. Scaramuchi smiles at me with his thin, dry lips, and gives me a wink. I half smile just to be nice, because he is my boss, and I was raised to be respectful. I go back to cleaning off the table, piling the dirty dishes into the gray bin pinned to my hip.