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Instead of storming off, she pulled out her phone. “What’s your landlord’s information?”
Panic tightened me right back up again, and I refused to acknowledge the tiny kernel of pleasure at her resilience. “Not important. The lease is under my name, and I sublet the bedrooms to the guys. I know the owner, and I guarantee the duck won’t be a problem. Take it or leave it.”
Her lips pressed together, but she still didn’t back down. “Fine. I’ll take the room. Since I’m not paying rent, I’ll contract a service.”
Shit. I couldn’t have random people around when Danny could drop by and cause trouble at any time. Besides, Mase would never let a team of professionals into his space. “No. I wantyouto do it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Three of my teammates live here, and I don’t need them distracted by even more people invading our privacy. What’s the matter? Too good to be the help?”
“AndIwon’t be a distraction?”
She would, but I’d make sure I was the only one affected. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take for you.”
“You think I’m going to buy that bullshit reason?”
I grinned, sensing a win. “It’s not the only reason, Princess. Just the only one I’m willing to share with you. Feel free to keep scouring Addison for duck-friendly places to live. Maybe daddy could buy you a house.”
She chewed on her lower lip, and I knew this was my last chance to escape. My feet stayed rooted to the ground. I couldn’t imagine the Eva I knew actually accepting my deal, but she hadn’t slapped me and stormed out of the courtyard. She stood in front of me, considering the offer.
I told myself to move. Leave her behind and let her solve her own problems. If she agreed, I’d be putting my future at risk. I had one more season to convince Dallas they hadn’t wasted their draft on me, and according to Carter McKay, my advisor, they hadn’t forgotten the scandal that landed me at TU in the first place.
Eva was exactly the kind of drama I needed to avoid. I should never have stopped her from leaving.
I took a step toward Wildcat Coffee, intending to forget this conversation ever happened, but Eva let out a frustrated growl.
“I’ll take the room in exchange for the cooking and half the cleaning. I have classes and practice too. My cooking skills are nonexistent, so you’ll have to deal with a meal service unless you want food poisoning.”
Fuck. She wasn’t supposed to make a counteroffer. “No deal. I’ll accept a meal service, but you doallthe cleaning.”
“I want an itemized list of what I have to clean, approved by both of us, and I want to meet the other roommates first. How many are there?”
I faced her again, trapped by my own instincts. “Three other guys. Mason Black, Reece Tanner, and Cole Mathis.”
They’d be ecstatic I found us someone to take care of the house, especially someone who looked like her. I imagined Reece wouldn’t last a day without making a play. He’d never met a woman he couldn’t charm. Mase would probably ignore her, and Cole would become her new best friend.
As if she could hear my thoughts, she perked up at Cole’s name. “At least you have good taste in friends.”
The thought of Eva and Cole hooking up tied my insides into knots, and an irrational burst of anger burned away my survival instincts.
“Deal’s off if you fuck any of my roommates.”
She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “You don’t get any say in my sex life.”
I stepped forward, invading her space, and she met me toe to toe. Her chin tilted up with stubborn determination, daring me to push her just a little more.
“If you’re that hard up, you can always pay a different way.” I’d never used sex for barter before, but Eva’s constant defiance activated some hidden caveman part of me. She was dangerous, yet I couldn’t stop myself from seeing how close I could get. I leaned into the feral attraction, letting my gaze linger on her lips, a reminder of the scorching kiss she’d laid on me not fifteen minutes ago.
A hitch in her breath, barely noticeable but there, increased the tension between us. The air thickened, heavy in my chest as I fought to remember why I disliked her. Eva broke first, tossing me a reprieve with her sassy fucking mouth.
“Your roommates are off limits, but you’re not? Classy. Also, I don’t fuck people I live with. Too messy.” She shoved her phone against my chest, somehow using the motion to create space between us. The girl was strong. “Text yourself, then you can send the address and an itemized chore list. When do I move in?”
“What about meeting the other guys?”
“I trust Cole.”
But not me. The implication was clear with the soft way she said his name. In the last two years of living with Cole, I’d never once been jealous of him until now. He was the nicest guy on the planet, and I’d happily toss him into traffic if I caught him with Eva.
