Roommating (Preston's Mill #1)

by Noelle Adams

  “Whuz goin’on,” he mumbled.

  “You’re on my side of the bed.”

  “What’s wrong with that?” He sounded a lot more awake now.

  “I don’t have any room!”

  “Why do you need room?”

  “Everyone needs room to sleep. You think I can sleep on three inches of the bed?”

  “I think there’s nothing wrong with sleeping right next to me.” His voice had changed now. It sounded like he was smiling, and he reached out to pull her against him.

  She’d been serious about getting another hour of sleep, but now that she was hearing his voice, so thick and fond and sleepy, she decided it wasn’t the worst idea in the world to get a little closer to him. “I thought guys were the ones who liked to have their space.”

  “We do. Unless sex is involved. Then we don’t need any space at all.” He rolled her on top of him and slid his hands down to cup her bottom.

  “And you think sex is somehow involved right now.”

  She could feel that it was, in fact, involved. He was starting to get hard beneath her.

  “I think you know the answer to that,” he drawled.

  She couldn’t help but smile as she found his face in the dark and kissed him.

  They kept kissing as Chris stroked over her body, teasing and fondling all of the intimate parts of her until she was just as turned on as he was. Then they fumbled with each other’s clothes until they were both naked.

  Both of them were smiling as he slid himself inside her and she wrapped her legs around him.

  “I think,” she murmured, adjusting herself around his hard length, “if more roommates had mornings like this, people would be falling all over themselves to find a roommate.”

  He chuckled, his whole body shuddering deliciously from the amusement. “Well, no one else can have my roommate. She’s already claimed.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath as he started to move. “So is mine. So is mine.”

  They moved together in a practiced rhythm, the bed shaking and both of them starting to pant loudly as their motion became more and more urgent. Chris kissed her occasionally, and he managed to hold out until her body tightened down in an orgasm. As she was crying out her pleasure, he let go, so both of them were coming down together, breathless and satisfied.

  They were still smiling as they relaxed, and Chris rolled over onto his back and nestled her against him.

  “And we still have a while to doze until it’s time to get up,” Heather murmured happily.

  “It’s a very good morning.” Chris stroked her hair, his body hot and relaxed.

  They were starting to drift off when there was a sudden hop on the bed. Lucy ran up to nuzzle first Chris and then Heather.

  Chris groaned. “What does she want?”

  “She thinks it’s time to go out. We must have woken her up.”

  Chris groaned again.

  Heather didn’t want to move, but Lucy was her dog, and the poor thing wasn’t going to stop nagging until she’d gotten outside. Heather started to sit up. “I’ll take her.”

  “Nah,” Chris said, heaving himself out of bed before Heather could get into a sitting position. “I’ll do it.” He snagged a pair of sweats from the floor and pulled them on. “Come on, girl.”

  “Thank you,” Heather called, filled with such affection she was momentarily choked up. He was in her life to stay. She knew it. He was going to be there for her today and tomorrow and the next day. She no longer had any doubts. “I love you! You’re the best roommate in the world.”

  Chris chuckled as he and Lucy left the bedroom. “Right back at you.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  “So…this.”

  Chris nodded. “Yup. This.”

  Jace Foster shook his head sadly as he looked down. “I never thought…I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little stunned.”

  “It’s not the end of the world. If I can handle it, so can you.”

  Looking up, Jace gave him a look of disbelief. “Are you sure? Are you sure you’re handling it because this seems like you’re going a little off the deep end.”

  Smiling, Chris gave his friend a pat on the back. “And someday, you’ll know exactly how it feels.”

  “God, I hope not,” Jace murmured. “Not like this. I’m already in my own form of hell.”

  “Dude, you’re going to have to do something about that. Take the risk. What have you got to lose?”

  “Um, everything?” he said with a nervous laugh. “You don’t think I’ve pondered this a million times?”

  “And yet here you are.”

  “It’s not the same. You and Heather…it was different.”

  “You can’t keep ignoring the situation. Maybe it’s time for you and Isabella to—”

  “To what?” Jace quickly interrupted. “To stop being friends? Because that’s what’s going to happen if I tell her how I feel. Don’t you think if she was interested in me, I would know?”

  “I had no idea that Heather had ever been into me.”

  “That was different. The two of you weren’t that close before you left. You were older. Hung out with a different crowd of people. It wasn’t like you saw each other every day.” He stopped and sighed. “I may not be the most observant guy on the planet, but I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if Isabella’s feelings had changed—if she thought of me as anything more than a friend.”

  Chris studied him for a minute. “I saw her out the other night with Mike Taney.”

  Jace’s hands clenched into fists at his side as he glared at Chris.

  “Seems like a nice guy. They were walking along the boardwalk laughing.” He took a moment to gage Jace’s reaction, and it was just as he expected—his friend was not happy with the thought of Isabella out with Mike. Or any guy. “Mike’s a lawyer now, from what I understand. Makes good money. Hard to believe he’s still single.”

  Jace sighed loudly. “Just what exactly are you getting at?”

  “Just stating some facts.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, your facts suck.”

  That had Chris laughing. “Well you better get used to them because if you don’t do something—and soon—you’re going to have to get used to good ol’ Mike hanging around. Or some other guy. Someone who’s not afraid to let her know how they feel. And how are you going to handle that?”

  “I…I don’t know. Maybe if I could…”

  Chris put his hand on Jace’s shoulder. “Just think about it, okay? Take it from someone who’s been there.”

  They both turned at the sound of a door slamming out in the parking lot. Standing in the lobby getting their mail had gone from a quick hello to a deep conversation. Chris saw Heather walking their way and sighed.

  “Again, you sure?” Jace asked.

  Heather walked through the door carrying a couple of grocery bags and one of her father’s birdhouses. She smiled at them both.

  “Absolutely,” Chris said softly.

  “Hey, you two,” Heather said when she got closer and leaned in to give Chris a proper kiss hello. Then she bent down to give Lucy a pat on the head. “Has she gone out already, or were you heading out?”

  “We were on our way in when I ran into Jace.” Taking the bags from her hands, Chris waved to his neighbor and then led Heather down the hall and up the stairs to their apartment. Once inside, they worked together to get Lucy off the leash and to put the groceries away.

  “So another birdhouse, huh?”

  Her soft chuckled was her immediate response. “I can’t help it. This one reminded me of a cabin we rented when I was a little girl. My parents used to book the same one up in the mountains every year, and we used to have a great time there.” She paused. Smiled. Then shrugged. “It was always a great memory, so when I saw Dad had made this one, I just had to have it.”

  With a quick kiss on her forehead, Chris turned back to finish putting the last of the food away.

  “I know we t
alked about grilling tonight, but I’m not sure I’m up for it. It was a mentally exhausting day. So much paperwork to go through now that we’re getting ready to meet with the lawyers for Dad to sign over the business. I had no idea there would be so much. By the time I left, I swear my eyes were starting to cross!”

  He chuckled, and then reached over to the table and picked up a large envelope. “Then maybe you should wait to see this until tomorrow,” he said, hesitantly handing the large envelope over to her.

  She groaned softly and noticed the label had their company logo on it. “What’s this?”

  Shrugging, Chris went over to the pantry to get Lucy’s food. “No idea. It’s addressed to you.”

  “I can see that,” she said, more to herself than him. “But why would anyone in the office mail something to me when I’m there all day? And I handle most of the mail.”

  “I guess you’ll just have to read it to find out,” he said lightly. Moving around her, he put food in Lucy’s bowl and almost willed the dog to scarf it down faster than she usually did while Heather scanned the papers she’d pulled from the envelope.

  “What the… I don’t…” She flipped the first page over and her expression went from confusion, to disbelief, to a full blown smile. And when she turned around, she found Chris on one knee. She gasped—her hands covering her mouth for a brief moment. The papers fell softly to the floor. “What are you…”

  Chris was on one knee, holding Lucy in one hand against his chest. “Heather Carver, I love you.”

  Her eyes welled with tears as she smiled and nodded at him. “I love you too.”

  “I have loved being your roommate, and I love being partners in business with you. But next week marks the end of our original arrangement, and I’d like to…propose something to you.”

  The look of confusion was back on her face, and he loved it. Loved the little wrinkle in her forehead and the way her lips pursed just a little bit.

  “So you’ve glanced at my contract,” he began, and then nodded toward the papers she’d dropped on the table when she spotted him on one knee. “You should probably refer to that now.”

  Without questioning him, Heather picked up the papers and straightened them quickly before looking at him.

  “Article one,” he said, his voice strong and confident. “We extend our lease here in Preston’s Mill with one minor change.”

  Heather glanced at the paper and smiled. “We make one of the bedrooms an office and move into the other—together.”

  Chris nodded firmly. “All those in agreement, raise your hand.”

  And they both did.

  “Excellent. Article two. Food.”

  Laughing softly, Heather glanced at the paper and then back to him with one arched brow. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “Joint food shopping. One budget for the two of us. Takeout twice a week, dinner out once a week and you bake cookies at least once a week. Preferably twice.”

  “Chris…”

  “All those in agreement, raise your hand.” He quickly raised his and then watched her until she reluctantly raised her hand.

  “Very good.” He cleared his throat. “Article three.” He paused and thought for a moment, trying to remember which one came next.

  “Laundry,” Heather provided.

  “That’s right. Laundry. I’m thinking…”

  “You can scratch that last paragraph off the list,” she quickly interrupted, even as she laughed. “I don’t consider naked Saturday a way to cut back on water and laundry. Just…no.”

  Shaking his head, Chris looked at Lucy. “I tried.” Then he looked at Heather and winked. “Fine. Laundry rules stay as they always were. We can initial the change.”

  Heather nodded. “Good to know.” Then she flipped the page and frowned. “It says article four, but then there isn’t anything there.”

  “Lucy wanted to present that one herself.”

  The bland look Heather gave him showed that she thought he was crazy. “Really. Lucy’s going to present article four.”

  He nodded. “It’s really not nice to publicly shame her like that you know,” he admonished. “Can she help it that she has limited verbal skills that normally only extend to letting us know when she’s hungry and has to poop?”

  “Is that what article four is about? Better communications?”

  Looking at Lucy sympathetically, Chris whispered in the dog’s ear, “You’re going to really have to pull this off without a hitch. I had no idea your mistress had such doubts about how smart you are.”

  “I didn’t say I had doubts,” Heather laughed.

  Chris put Lucy down and nudged her toward Heather. “Go ahead, girlie. Show her what you’ve got.”

  Crouching down, Heather watched as her little dog pranced over to her. “Hey, sweet girl. You have something to say to me?”

  Lucy barked and danced around Heather’s ankles.

  Chris waited until she was back in front of Heather before telling her to sit—which she immediately obeyed.

  “Good one,” Heather cooed. “But sitting has never been the problem.”

  “Give her a minute,” Chris commented. “Lucy, give Heather your paw.”

  And with a happy little yip, Lucy held up her paw.

  “Aww, good girl!” Heather said with a smile and shook the little dog’s paw.

  “I bought her a new collar,” Chris said. “But you may want to check it out and make sure it’s okay for her.”

  Leaning forward, Heather took a closer look and then gasped. “Chris,” she said reverently as she reached out for Lucy. “What did you do?”

  He came closer, laid down on his stomach next to the dog and fiddled with her collar until the sparkling charm he’d put there came off. Then he held it out to Heather. “She insisted on wearing it, but I warned her that she’d be the envy of the neighborhood if she wore this much bling.”

  Lucy barked her disagreement, and they both laughed.

  “Heather Carver, I love you. You’re more to me than a roommate and business partner. You’re my life. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you—being your friend, your lover, your roommate, your partner, and your husband. Will you marry me?”

  Wordlessly, she nodded and then gasped with delight as he slid the ring on her finger—much to Lucy’s distress.

  Back up on his knees, Chris drew Heather to him and kissed her—thoroughly, deeply and with everything he had. When they finally broke apart, Lucy was still barking and with an exaggerated eye roll, Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out a different ring. It had a pink bedazzled charm that read “Lucy.” Carefully, he placed it back on her collar and then picked her up and kissed her on the head. Heather did the same.

  “Oh, you’re good,” Heather said, still smiling.

  “Have to take care of my girls. I can’t be showing favorites.”

  “Hey!” She was trying to sound indignant, but she ended up laughing. “You’re amazing. Really. It means a lot to me that you love us both.”

  Reaching down, Chris placed his hands over Lucy’s ears and then whispered, “I love you a whole lot more.”

  Then Heather removed his hands from the dog and lifted them to her body and said, “She’ll have to get used to sharing you, then.”

  And he readily agreed.

  ***

  The next book in the Preston’s Mill series is Speed Dating, about Jace and Isabella. Because of our combined release schedules, we can’t get it out until March 1, but you can be looking for it early next year. An excerpt from Speed Dating follows.

  Excerpt from Speed Dating

  Isabella was sweeping up the salon after her last client of the day when she caught a glimpse of a very handsome man reflected in one of the mirrors.

  Her heart leaped in excitement, and she straightened up instinctively, but when she turned around she discovered the man was just Jace.

  Jace Foster—her cute, familiar, absent-minded best friend since high school.

 
; He had the same rumpled brown hair, hazel eyes, and lean body he’d always had, and he was wearing his glasses this evening which meant he’d been working so hard he’d forgotten to take them off. He was absolutely adorable, but she wasn’t sure where she’d gotten the idea he was a handsome stranger.

  Always glad to see him, she smiled and walked over to give him a hug, still holding the broom in one hand. “Hi! I’m almost finished up here.”

  “Hi,” he murmured, breathing deeply as he wrapped his arms around her, almost like he was smelling her hair.

  She pulled away to check his expression, relaxing when he gave her his normal smile.

  “You look all excited about something,” he said, scanning her face as he dropped his arms.

  “I am! I got this brainstorm earlier, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.” She leaned over to sweep the pile of hair, lint, and trash into the dustpan, wanting to finish up quickly so she and Jace could get out of here. “All this time I’ve been waiting around for the love of my life to fall at my feet.”

  She’d glanced back at Jace over her shoulder so she noticed his expression change slightly. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. And the answer was right there, staring me in the face the whole time.”

  Jace’s expression changed even more, his whole body tensing slightly. He’d always been a little uncomfortable when she talked about her love life, and she tried to respect his boundaries and comfort zone. But he was her best friend. She had to tell him the things that were important to her. “What’s the answer?” he asked, his voice growing a bit hoarse.

  She was about to reply, turning her head back toward the dustpan. As she did, a big black spider began to crawl over the pile of trash and up onto her hand.

  She screamed, shook her hand violently, and ran backward several steps in instinctive panic.

  Colliding with Jace, she ended up in his arms.

  “What the hell?” he asked urgently, tightening his arms around her and pulling her away from the source of her terror.

  “A…a spider!”

  He relaxed as he realized why she’d panicked, and she could feel rather than see the smile growing on his face.