Page 30 of Trust Me

Me: Favorite food? No dilly dallying. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

Broku: You’re really weird. You know that?

Me: That’s what we call a dilly dally, pal. Chop chop. I’m impatient.

*****

Giant bag of food in hand, I jogged up the stairs. Thankfully, nobody surprised me at the door this time. Not that having Dean greet me there would’ve been bad. It might’ve been dope, actually.

I shook my head as I set the bag on the counter. The last thing I should do was think about him that way. We were roommates now. Friends, or on our way to it.

“Honey, I’m home,” I called.

Nothing.

Humming to myself, I walked to the bedroom. The door was open, so I peered in. When I still didn’t see anything, I stepped inside.

It looked different now, like it was actually lived in. There was a picture of what I assumed was his family on the nightstand, and he’d added his own pillow. I glanced at the four of them in the frame, at their easy smiles. It didn’t look staged like most people’s family pictures. His mom had her arms around a man in a wheelchair while Dean and another man, who I assumed was his brother, stood beside them. He was in a headlock, but there was a giant smile on his face.

My fingers brushed the frame before I scolded myself for it. I moved to the dresser and looked at a trophy that had a baseball on it. The thing looked like it was from high school. I wondered if he’d grumble if I said it was cute.

The bathroom door opened, then Dean swore. “Warn a guy.”

When I turned to him, I licked my lips and leaned against the dresser. His body was on display in just a pair of soft shorts that hung low on his hips. Like this, it was almost too obvious how huge he was. His shoulders were ridiculously broad, and he had defined abs nestled beautifully between his slim waist.

With him in front of me, I couldn’t pretend that Dean wasn’t hot. He looked like he’d walked straight out of the Marine Corps. If he started yelling at me, I might not even flinch.

“I did warn you,” I said.

He grunted as he made his way to the nightstand. “Didn’t hear you.”

“I still did my part.”

Sitting on the bed, he started pulling on a pair of socks. I was not a foot guy, but if he walked around here barefoot, I wouldn’t mind it.

Good God, I was screwed.

“You hungry?” I asked.

“I haven’t eaten yet.”

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “Direct questions should inspire direct answers.”

“Well, I thought it was direct.”

Looking at him, I found his eyes already on me. It brought a smile to my face, and there was just nothing I could do about it. I was pretty sure he was intrigued by me. That, or he kept thinking I was weird. I’d still consider that being intrigued.

“You like Dick’s?”

He snorted a laugh, then cleared his expression. “If we’re talking burgers, yeah.”

“Of course we are. You said you like, and I quote, ‘a fat, juicy, jaw-stretching burger.’”

“Is that what you got?”

“Come and see.”

He followed me out of the room, and for some reason, it felt like I’d accomplished something. If the way into Dean’s good graces was through his stomach, I’d happily get fat in pursuit of it.