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Having sex always felt intimate, but he’d just gotten out of a horrible relationship. To him, it had probably been some kind of pressure release or rebound fun. We’d be roommates as well as working together; there was no need to further complicate our situation by making it into something it was not.
I liked Roy, and some part of me was sure I could have loved him if he let me. But what he needed was a friend, and a safe place to heal.
That I could provide for him, and if we got up to some casual, no-strings-attached fun, then so be it.
“Is it weird if I move in today? I am so tired of sneaking around my office, and that horrible couch.” He fiddled withthe blanket, absentmindedly drawing small circles on my thighs.
“Not at all weird,” I assured him.
No weirder than going commando while sitting on your lap after I sucked your cock and you ate me out.
Roy mumbled something about calling a cab, but I shut that down immediately. “I’ll take you. I’m just going to…” Waving my hand vaguely over my lower body, I awkwardly got up and left for my bedroom, blanket still wrapped tightly around myself.
Not really looking into the mirror, I dragged one of the punny shirts my sisters loved to pick out for me over my head, put on a fresh pair of knickers, jeans, and a comfy cardigan.
“Ready when you are.” Popping back in the living room, I saw Roy get up from my sofa and stop dead.
What on earth?
His gaze was fixed on my chest, an unreadable expression on his face. He stepped around my dark green sectional, stopping two or three feet in front of me. “And here I was thinking you were more of a cat person.” Clicking his tongue he shook his huge head as a wicked grin slowly spread over his face.
Oh crap.
I’d chosen the ‘I like big mutts and I cannot lie’ shirt Ava and Isla had given me for my birthday the year before. “I am a dog person but cats are growing on me.”
“Maybe you can be swayed,” he purred silkily, taking another step closer and invading my personal space.
Round three?
“Yeah, maybe,” I said, way less cool than I had intended.
“I like a challenge.” Roy winked, leaned in. A soft kiss landed on my lips. “Shall we?”
Slowly blinking my eyes open, I watched him straighten up. I was dazed, and confused, too, by the fluttering in my stomach.
A normal reaction to being kissed by your future roommate, right?
We made our way down to my car, Roy hovering behind me like a bodyguard. It wasn't that I usually felt unsafe—Kirkmuir had been named the safest city in Scotland eight years in a row—but his hulking presence made me feel safe. I waited for him to buckle up before I took us over to the chic APEX warehouse.
The old brick building, a relic of Kirkmuir's jute industry, had been renovated to meet modern standards. A neon sign over the front door read ‘APEX Predator Clothing’. The sleek glass roof over the wide set of doors and plants in pots on either side of it felt welcoming.
Cool air greeted us as we entered the all-white space with its looming black shelves on our left, the ever-present humming of the air conditioning, and the large paned windows that let in plenty of natural light. My eyes hung on the framed prints on the walls behind the little island of desks grouped together to our right.
Most of them showed Roy and Sadeeq, his Leonid partner, wearing APEX outfits. My favourite was one of my tiger in jeans that hugged his thighs in an almost indecent way. I was sure I had seen him wearing that exact pair; it was memorable. He stared intently at the camera, lips curled in a smirk exposing his bright white canines as long as my pinky finger, and was shirtless under his open zipper jacket. One hand cupped his nape, causing his bicep and pecs to bulge.
I would never tell him that I'd searched the Internet for ages to find that picture after seeing it for the first time, and that it sat in a private folder on my phone. I wanted to set it as my background, and be able to stare at him whenever I picked it up.
You're roommates, Kat. He needs your support, not a new relationship or you having his picture in your spank bank.
But I'd be lying if I said I didn't dream about it, even before he had broken up with his ex.
I wasn't proud of it at all but it was the truth. The kiss in their company car park had unlocked parts of me I never knew I had. I would have sworn I'd never kiss a taken man and not feel bad about it, but perhaps I was a worse person than I thought.
“Kat?”
“Sorry.” I flinched and, realising I'd been staring at his picture, wrenched my gaze away to meet his eyes. They were full of pure mischief.
“Like what you see?” He inched his chin over at the wall, and I felt myself go red.
