AllFreeNovel
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“Fine. Be a baby.” I step out of the car, sidestepping Jesse when he tries to help me. I hear Dylan pull out of the driveway before he flies down the road.
“You really have a knack for showing up at the wrong time,” I mutter.
“It’s part of my charm.”
I snort. “Whatever you say.”
“He has a lip ring. What is it, 1999? I did you a favor.”
I roll my eyes, pushing open the front door, noticing a duffle bag and a pile of clothes on the floor inside. “What’s this?” I ask, kicking the bag.
“My stuff.” He moves past me, bending over to throw his duffle bag over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” I ask, even though I have a pretty damn good idea of where this is going.
“Putting my shit upstairs,” he says, like the answer is obvious, walking up the steps.
“Why?”
He pauses mid-step, looking at me over his shoulder with an infuriating grin. “Because I’m your new roomie, roomie.”
“What?” I ask, charging up the stairs after him.
“You heard me.”
“But why?”
“You ask a lot of questions.” Jesse passes my door, then the bathroom, before opening door number three. I follow him into the room I’ve never been inside before. Another empty room, this one doesn’t even have a bed. Because I have his bed.
“It’s convenient, don’t you think?” He tosses his bag into a corner unceremoniously before turning back toward me with a smirk, hands on his hips.
“Excuse me?” I cross my arms over my chest, ignoring the way my stomach flips at the way he’s looking at me.
He moves toward me, and instinctively I step backwards until my back is flush with the door. “I want you. And I’m sick of playing this game.”
I swallow hard, feeling the warmth of his skin without even touching him. “That’s not why you’re here,” I say, calling his bluff.
“No,” he admits. “But it definitely sweetens the deal.”
“You had your chance. The offer’s expired.”
“Is that so?” he asks, moving closer. “And what’s changed?” He pinches my chin between his finger and thumb and tilts it up so I’m forced to meet his gaze.
“Everything.” I don’t know why my voice comes out as more of a whisper. I can’t think when he’s this close. I notice a faint red mark on his cheekbone. Without thinking, I reach forward, brushing my thumb over it. Jesse sucks in a breath before clamping his mouth shut. When my brain catches up to my actions, I drop my hand to my side. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” he says, but his voice is huskier than it was a second ago. He clears his throat, taking a step back.
“Want to know the best part about being roommates?” he asks, the playful demeanor firmly back in place. How does he do that? Shift gears so effortlessly? Better yet, what made him learn?
Jesse opens a door off to the right, waving me over. Hesitantly, I walk over to see—oh my God.
“We get to share a bathroom.” He bounces his eyebrows.
“Joy,” I deadpan, walking through, opening the opposite door that leads to my room. I saw the door to his room, obviously, but I thought it was a damn linen closet.
“We could conserve water? Shower together?”
“Not happening.”
