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3
Brick tried not to wince as he waited for Jezebelle’s reaction to his place. Something he liked to call home, even if it was a bit on the smaller side. He didn’t need a lot of space. Although, adding another person might start to make it feel a little cramped. Not that he minded being cramped with a gorgeous woman like Jezebelle. But still. It was tiny, and he might’ve left a few pieces of information out about where he lived.
“You live above the bar?”
Her first words. Not said with much emotion, so he wasn’t sure how to interpret it. They had parked in the alley behind the bar. That had been when she fell silent. When he unlocked the door at the end of the hallway near the bathrooms that led to the upstairs apartment he had created, she still hadn’t said anything. No one ever asked where the door led to, and he never offered. It wasn’t anyone’s business. He rarely asked people upstairs to his place. He worked too much, and by two in the morning when the bar closed, he wasn’t in the mood to shoot the breeze with anyone any longer.
He circled the box he had brought up the stairs, one of the many boxes of books they had packed, and walked closer to her. The suitcase she had brought up sat between them. Jaxson, Dane, and the ladies had left to grab more boxes—and give them a moment to themselves since Jezebelle had been so silent. She could be quiet with him, rarely saying more than what kind of drink she wanted, but he didn’t like the silent treatment from her now.
“I do. When we first bought the place, we talked about making it a two-level bar. I ended up making it into an apartment instead. I like it.”
“We?” She looked at him, her brows furrowing low.
He blew out a breath. Well, they did need to know things about each other if they were going to make this ruse believable. “My brother. He’s more of a silent partner right now. We’re not on speaking terms at the moment.”
That was all he wanted to say about the matter—at least, for now. He needed her to understand he hadn’t meant to deceive her about his living arrangements. He just wanted her. Now, she was in his domain, his territory, and he could work his way into her good graces—into her heart.
She nodded and glanced away, sweeping her arm toward the far right corner. “There’s a bed in the living room slash kitchen.”
This time he did wince. Yeah, there was quite a bit he should’ve mentioned to her. He didn’t lie when he said he was a clean guy, though. When you first walked in, it was one large room. The living room, kitchen—which would’ve been the bar had he kept it part of the bar area—and then a small corner where he put a queen-size bed and a small dresser. Down the short hallway was the bathroom. Only a shower, no bathtub, as he didn’t take baths and didn’t want to pay the extra money for such amenities. The last room would be her room. A little on the smaller size, meant to be a storage room, but it would serve well for a bedroom. Right now he kept his music and workout equipment in there. His living room was about to get a little tighter with stuff, especially since he assumed her large bookcase would also be arranged in the space.
“It does have another bedroom, right?”
He smiled, hoping to lessen the irritation in her gaze. It didn’t work. She looked peeved. He waved for her to follow him. She did. Silently, of course.
“Bathroom,” he said, sweeping a hand toward the open doorway and letting her take a peek. A small sink and medicine cabinet above it. A toilet with a towel bar hanging across from it. Then the shower itself with a glass door. Not that he intended to invade her privacy, but there would be no dashing in the bathroom for anything quick if she was taking a shower. He’d see everything. Not that he’d mind seeing her gloriously naked.
“Sorry, no bathtub.”
She shrugged, the irritation still shimmering in her mocha-colored depths. “I don’t take baths.”
Thank goodness. He didn’t have to feel remorseful for taking that pleasure away from her. Although, he had no problem giving her pleasure in a completely different manner.
Oh, yes, he would love to give her pleasure.
But this was all fake, and he had to keep his hands to himself.
He took another few steps to the only other door in the short hallway and swept another hand for her to take a look.
“Now, it won’t take much for me to move my stuff out and your bed in. I promise.”
She stepped inside, looking around. He decided to stay out in the hallway and give her space. Space that he realized she might need all the time.
Damn it. He should’ve told her how small his apartment was.
“Where are you going to put all this? Brick…”
He hated how forlorn she sounded now. As if she regretted everything. He might’ve kept a few things from her. It might seem crazy to deceive her mother the way they planned. But he didn’t regret anything. He’d wanted this beautiful, wonderful woman the last few months, and he finally had a chance to show her how much he wanted her.
“In the living room. I know. I know. It might be a little tight, but we’ll make this work.”
She rolled her eyes. “We have no choice until I find another place to stay. My lease is up in a week. I have nowhere to go.”
“Hey.” He took two steps, entering the room and into her space, brushing his hand across her cheek. “You are welcome here for as long as you need. It won’t be so bad. I promise. Like I said, I’m fairly clean and organized. With a bit of rearranging, your stuff will fit with mine. And I can wear boxers to bed. No big deal.”
A slow, tentative smile emerged. Her eyes sparkled with laughter. “You’ll wear boxers to bed. Meaning you wear what now?”
His own smile appeared, although more devious. “I don’t wear a thing.”
