“I think the last thing you need is more sugar.” I flick her plastic cup, pushing by her. “You’re hyper enough without it.”
“Are we done?” She eyes the cart and everything I’ve piled inside.
“Almost, I need to hit the produce section first.”
“You know,” she muses, biting her lip, “I’ve never seen anyone start at the back of the store and work forward before.”
My brows furrow. “Makes the most sense to me. Checkout is at the front. Start at the back and then make it to the end zone.”
“Such a football player.” She rolls her eyes playfully and bumps her arm against mine. I’m not sure if it’s accidental or on purpose, but it doesn’t matter. Just from that brief contact with her I feel my body tighten all over.
I wish I could stop wondering how soft her breasts would feel in my hands and how her body would writhe against mine as I brought her pleasure.
My celibacy pact with myself is fucking with my head—actually, it’s just Lou fucking with me. No one else elicits this response from my sex-deprived body. Not even Danika practically begging for it in front of me did.
I’m not ashamed of my playboy past or fucking anyone who came onto me. I got what I wanted and they did too, but something changed in the last year. It seems immature to me now. I blame my sister. Seeing her happy with her husband and kids has clearly shifted my priorities. I want a life filled with meaning, not one of emptiness and selfish thoughts.
Lou finishes her drink and sticks the empty cup in the cart. Doing a little skip-hop-jump thing she makes her way down the aisle and twirls.
When she faces me, she smiles and it’s the blinding kind that radiates pure happiness.
Reaching the produce section, I grab what I need and head toward the checkout.
“No, no, nope.” Lou pushes the cart to the side and points. “Self-checkout is the way to go.”
“What’s wrong with the regular checkout?”
“Um … people. Duh.”
Shaking my head, I follow her to the self-checkout and she starts dividing our items.
“Don’t do that.” I put my hand on hers to stop her movements. Her eyes flick up to mine in surprise. Today the blue hue is light like a cloudless sky, and up this close I can see the freckles peppered across her nose. “I’ve got this.”
“No.” Her nose scrunches. “You’re not buying my food.”
“You got, like, three things.”
“Yeah,” she says in a duh tone, “because you kept saying with everything you got there was enough for me too. You don’t need to buy all that extra food plus the things I want.”
“Lou.” I draw out her name. “It’s not a big deal. Lou—”
She swipes her Froot Loops, challenge shining in her eyes.
“Lou.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
She slides the cookies ‘n cream ice cream across the scanner, still staring at me as she does it.
Grabbing her pack of Capri-Sun she goes to scan it next.
I snatch it from her hands. “I told you, I’ve got it.”
“Ugh, Abel!” She jumps up, trying to take the box from me, but I hold it higher than she can reach. Considering I’m probably a foot taller than her, there’s no chance she’s getting it. “Give it back! I can get my own stuff.”
My voice lowers, as does the box in my hands. “I know you can. I don’t think you’re incapable of doing anything.”
“Then let me buy my own damn groceries.” She lifts her chin defiantly.
I pretend to think. “No.”
“Abel!” She shouts, drawing attention our way.
When I look toward the curious onlookers she uses the distraction to her advantage.
I grunt when she jumps onto me, her legs wrapping around my waist. In my surprise to catch her, I drop the box and she grabs it into her all too eager hands.
My hands, however, land on her ass. Her breath leaves in a startled gasp and her wide eyes meet mine.
The moment seems to stretch out, neither of us moving or saying a word.
Then, she rolls her hips into mine and lets out the softest moan only my ears can hear.
Still watching her I notice the hard swallow she takes, her breath catching.
She feels it too.
I know I should set her down, but I make no move to, and she doesn’t unwrap her legs from my waist.
We’re eye fucking in the middle of Food Mart and it’s the hottest form of foreplay I think I’ve ever been a part of, because there’s nothing I can do about it. Stripping her bare in the grocery store would most definitely lead to an arrest on both our ends.
Her pink tongue peeks out and I don’t know whether she’s licking her lips or thinking of licking me.
Fuck.
Picturing her mouth wrapped around my cock sends blood rushing to my groin.
Her eyes fall to my lips and her lower lip trembles like she’s holding herself back from kissing me.
It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to lean in and kiss her.
“Y-You should put me down.” Her voice is shaky and her eyes drop from mine.
“Right.” Reluctantly, I let go and her feet fall to the floor. I miss the heat of her body pressing into mine, and my cock definitely misses it.
Not meeting my eyes, she scans her Capri-Sun box, pays for her items and sets them in the cart before she starts swiping my items since I can’t seem to function or move.
I couldn’t have been holding her longer than thirty seconds, but it felt like minutes.
A woman passes by and smiles at me. “You and your girlfriend are so cute.”
I’m too surprised to correct her, blurting out a thanks before she heads to her own self-checkout stall.
When I look back over I find Lou bagging my stuff, so I grab my card out of my wallet and pay.
She won’t look at me and I feel like I should apologize, but I won’t.
Apologies shouldn’t be handed out freely, that’s a lesson my dad taught me. Only apologize when you mean it, otherwise it’s empty and meaningless.
Taking the receipt, I push the cart out of the store and through the lot, loading everything into my truck. Lou helps, not saying a word.
Following her lead, I don’t say anything either.
She takes the cart and returns it and I hop in the truck, rolling down my window.
I hate the awkward silence filling the cab as I drive back across town to our apartment, but I don’t know what I can do or say. Nothing can erase the moment we shared in the middle of Food Mart. It’s imprinted in my mind. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget it.
Her phone buzzes and she looks down at the screen in her lap.
Blonde hair swirls around her face from my open window but she makes no move to redo her bun. My eyes follow the soft curve of her cheeks and—fuck, eyes on the road, man.
“It’s Jamie,” she finally breaks the silence, “he says he’s dropping by the apartment so you can sign the new lease contract.”
“Okay.”
I wince at my pathetic answer.
Everyone thinks I have my shit together, that I’m so smooth with the ladies and can have any pussy I want. While that might be true to an extent, there have never been any feelings involved before, just lust, and day by day I find myself growing to like Lou more and more. Most of the women I’ve been with I barely knew. It was one night and then we went separate ways.
I’ve never been surrounded by the object of my desire day in and day out and it’s wearing on me.
I park my truck in the lot beside the building and we each grab a few bags, managing to get it all in one load.
Lou sets her stuff down by the door and pulls out her key to unlock it.
It swings open, revealing Jamie sitting at the breakfast bar, his hand buried in a box of Cheez-Its, snacking away with his legs propped on top of the bar.
“What the fuck?”
Lou looks at me over her shoulder. “It’s Jamie.” Her tone
of voice tells me this is just how he is.
I step past Lou, dropping my bags on the floor and stomp toward our thirty-something landlord. Even if he was standing I’d be a few inches taller. With him sitting I dwarf him.
“You have no right coming in here when we’re not home.”
He sets the box down, which I’m pretty sure he brought with him since I’ve never stumbled across Cheez-Its in any of the cabinets. Dropping his feet to the floor he clasps his hands together and looks up at me.
“Actually, I’m the landlord. That means I can.” He grabs something from his pocket—keys—and dangles it in front of me. “I have a key.”
My fists clench at my sides. This guy is asking to be punched in the face. I think he gets off on being an asshole.
“You should only be allowed to let yourself in if there’s a problem or—”
“Well, you see,” he grins as he stands up so we’re chest to chest, “there is a problem. The little fact that your name isn’t on the lease. Only little Ms. Louise’s. I could have your ass out of here in a heartbeat considering you haven’t signed anything yet, so if I were you, I’d watch myself.”
There’s a challenge in his eyes, one I want to match, but Lou’s small hand wraps around my elbow and she tries to pull me away. I let her, taking two steps away from Jamie before I punch him in his smug ass face.
“Where are the papers?” I want to get them signed and escort him out of here.
He pulls a rolled-up sheet of papers from his pocket and slaps them down on the bar, along with a pen.
“Feel free to read it.” He crosses his arms over his chest, fighting a grin. “Though, I promise it’s on the up and up. I might be an asshole but I don’t have time for legal battles because of shitty paperwork.”
I grab the pen and bend over, reading each and every word carefully for anything he might’ve slipped in.
Everything looks legitimate but I read it one more time to be sure, while Jamie huffs out an impatient breath. If he has some place to be, I’ll drag this out as long as possible.
Finally, I sign my name and add the date, then hand Lou the pen so she can sign the amended contract. As she leans past me to sign, I get a whiff of her perfume. It smells of amber, pineapple, and something else that’s uniquely her.
Grabbing the pen and papers, she shoves them against Jamie’s chest where he grapples to hang onto them.
“You got your papers, now get out.” She points to the door.
“Is that any way to talk to your favorite landlord?”
She glares at him. “Go, Jamie.”
“Fine.” He grabs his box of Cheez-Its and starts to pass by her, but stops. Wetting his lips he says, “Tell that hot brunette friend of yours to give me a call sometime. You have my number.”
He sweeps out the door, closing it with a bang behind him, which echoes through the apartment.
“God, he’s annoying.”
“He’s a creep,” I amend.
She sighs and bends down to pick up some of the bags. Placing them on the counter, she starts unpacking stuff.
“He’s … Jamie,” she finally says. “He enjoys pushing everyone’s buttons.”
“I don’t like the way he looks at you.” I start putting away the items she pulls out, working in unison.
Un-bag. Put away.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
“It’s not like he’s that old.”
I pause in the middle of the kitchen, not liking that she’s defending him.
“What?” She stops too, blinking innocently up at me. “I’ve had eighty-year-olds hit on me. Jamie isn’t half-bad compared to that. At least he’s hot.” I snort at her comment. “I mean, he is.” She gives a small laugh. “I would never go near him, so don’t worry. Cocky playboys aren’t my type.”
She starts to turn back to one of the bags on the counter, but I touch her arm, halting her progress.
Her wide blue eyes blink up at me, a question lingering in their depths.
“Is that what you think I am?”
She expels a disbelieving grunt. “I think you’re my roommate.”
“That’s all?”
I try to ignore how suddenly aware I am of my beating heart.
She lowers her eyes and tugs away from my hold.
“It’s all we can be.”
14
Lou
Striding across campus, my backpack digs into my shoulder.
I adjust it and keep going, heading toward the cafeteria. There’s only a short window between my classes when I can eat and if I miss it, then I turn into a hangry bitch no one wants to deal with.
“Lou!” A voice calls behind me. “Lou, wait up!”
I glance over my shoulder to find Tanner running to catch up to me. He nearly trips in his designer shoes.
He slows as he nears me and we fall into step together.
“Where are you headed?” He inquires, holding his messenger bag steady so it’ll stop swaying from his jog.
“Dining hall. I only have thirty minutes before my next class, so I’m trying to grab something quick. I really need an IV coffee drip right about now, but since that isn’t a feasible option, food and a caffeinated soda it is.” The words spew from my mouth in rapid succession and I momentarily wonder if maybe that rap career I considered when I was twelve might have actually had potential.
“Good, because I’m starving too.”
We cross the path, nearing the building.
My stomach rumbles embarrassingly loud and Tanner gives a chuckle, holding the door open for me.
He follows behind me as I grab what I want, which ends up being a refrigerated Starbucks drink—not as good as the real thing, but it’ll do—and a container of fries and chicken tenders. I take a bottle of water too, because cold coffee with chicken tenders doesn’t sound appetizing.
Tanner goes the healthier route with some kind of chicken wrap and water.
We both swipe our student cards and head to a table in the back near the windows.
“What have you been up to?” Tanner twists off the cap of his water bottle and takes a drink.
“Babysitting, homework, the usual.”
Oh, and jumping on my hot roommate in the middle of Food Mart while almost kissing him and simultaneously nearly dry humping him.
“Sounds boring.”
“It’s not too bad.” I open a packet of honey mustard and break one of my chicken tenders in half, dipping it in the yellow sauce. “I like staying busy.”
I’m the kind of person who likes to stay home, cozy up in my pajamas, and watch a movie or two, but I’m okay staying on the go as well.
“Uh-oh,” Tanner blurts, his eyes widening on something over my shoulders.
“Wha—?” I start to ask, glancing behind me, but I don’t finish my question because I get my answer.
Abel stands from the table he’s sitting at with a bunch of his jock friends, grabs his stuff, and crosses the room toward us.
“Why does he look like he wants to murder me?” Tanner looks at me with wide, panicked eyes, and appears like he’s a second from making a run for it.
“Ignore him—he’s a gentle giant. He might look big and scary, but he’s not.”
“Is that a euphemism for having a giant penis and being a gentle lover?”
I snort at Tanner’s hissed question, but I don’t have time to answer as Abel pulls out the chair beside me and plops down.
“Blondie.” He looks me up and down, heat in his gaze.
I try to act like him checking me out doesn’t get to me, but my body responds anyway. My skin tingles, and I’m all too aware of him and his presence.
Dipping a fry into the honey mustard I try to ignore him, but I feel him staring at me.
“What?” I turn to look at him. “What do you want?”
“Just having lunch with my roommate and her boyfriend. No big deal.”
I snort, but don’t correct him because jealous Abel is amusing. Across from me Tanner�
��s lips twitch with the threat of laughter, but he doesn’t tell Abel he’s gay either.
“Well, I have less than twenty minutes to eat and get to my class, so I apologize for the way I’m about to inhale my food, but I’ve never claimed to be a lady.” I break off another chicken tender.
“So, how’d you two meet?” Abel’s eyes flick between Tanner and I.
Tanner stifles a snort and I glare at him. “You should tell this one, baby.”
I finish chewing and swallow. “He tried to steal my table at Griffin’s, I wasn’t having it. We ended up sharing, I acted like a bitch and the rest is, as they say, history.”
Tanner’s cheeks are puffed up and his face is red as he holds in laughter. If Abel would look at him, he would know something is up, but his eyes never stray from me.
“That so?”
“Yep, it’s the truth. It’ll be quite the tale to tell our children one day. They already have names you know. We thought long and hard on them.”
He grunts something and turns to glare at his food.
I don’t know why I’m messing with him. All I know is pushing his buttons is way too fun.
The chair on my other side is yanked out, as well as a few more around the table. Looking around, I realize in surprise that Abel’s friends have joined us.
“Bro, you just got up and left. Not cool.”
The voice beside me grates on my nerves, but I force myself to ignore him and not look in his direction.
“Wanted to check in with Lou.” His reply is grumbled and he picks his fries apart, apparently not as hungry as I am.
“Lou, huh?” The voice beside me goads. “I know a Lou.”
I whip my head around and narrow my gaze on him. “Yeah, it’s me you ass face.”
Kit Jacobson, a linebacker on the football team and one of my questionable hookups, leans back in the chair with a cocky grin smothered across his face.
“Miss me?” He makes a kissy face at me and I want to punch him in his smug face. I’m smarter than that, though.
“That would require you being memorable.”
The guys around the table give out a collective, ‘ooh!’
I don’t pay them any attention, but I feel Abel staring and wondering what’s going on.
Desperately Seeking Roommate Page 10