That earns me a snort. “Wanna see your room then, smarty pants?”
“Lead the way, officer.”
“Smart-ass hose jockeys,” he mutters, but he does it with his mouth turned up.
I snort and shake my head. “Stick-up-their-butt po-po,” I retort, not quietly. That earns me a chuckle as I follow him down the hallway and try to focus on anything but his butt.
Roommates, Alex. Friends, hopefully. No checking out the landlord.
The room is bigger than I expected, and even has its own bathroom, which is an unexpected but definitely not unappreciated bonus. Better still, Gio explains that I’m welcome to use the double bed and other furniture in the room if I want since it was Marco’s, and he left it when he moved out.
“So, what do you think?” he asks when we finish the tour and are back in the living room.
“It’s a room without noisy neighbors having sex all night—not that I’m against people getting themselves some, just not all night, every night, when I’m trying to sleep. Or the old dudes yelling obnoxiously at some sports game on the television, and here, I don’t have the temptation of room service cheeseburgers, which my generous curves will seriously thank me for.” His eyes drop down before jerking back up, amusement written all over his face. “So, if you think you can handle living with a firie and the shift work, then I’m good to go . . .”
“Since I work shifts too, there’s no worries about me being inconsiderate when it comes to sleeping and downtime.”
I tilt my head, schooling my features. “And the guys said it was sweet to pay in sexual favors. Is that still the case?” I ask, as all the color drains from his face.
“What? No. I mean, shit. Sorry, but fuck no. God! I’m going to kill those two,” he growls, stalking to the kitchen counter and picking up the cell phone lying there.
“Wait! Wait!” I say, choking with laughter. “I totally made that up. I’m just playing with you, Gio.”
“Fuck. You’re such a smart-ass. I can already tell you’ll get along far too well with my sisters.”
“You have sisters too?”
“Two of them. One older. One younger. And you work with my brother-in-law, Cohen, too.”
“Yeah, I’ve met Cohen. You guys definitely like to keep it in the family, don’t you? If I move in, am I gonna be adopted by your mama too?”
Gio smiles and nods. “Pretty much.”
“Hey, as long as she feeds me, she can adopt me anytime.”
My eyes kind of glaze over a bit as I lose myself in his smile. I quickly recover, but not before my cheeks heat as a flush washes over me. I bet this man is never short of a date or a bedmate.
I need to get outta here so I can stop thinking my new roommate is hot. I don’t have time to moon over him or any man. I’m here to work and learn and spread my Iowa wings in the Windy City. But a little eye candy at home is okay. I mean, I may be focused on my career, but I am still a red-blooded female.
“So, that’s everything. Is there anything else you want or need to know? Any questions? Concerns? Disclaimers?”
I cross my arms over my chest and bite my lip, making a show of thinking really hard about absolutely nothing. “Do you have a problem with clowns?”
Gio jerks in surprise. “Doesn’t everyone?”
I tilt my head to the side. “What about houseplants?”
His brows furrow. “I guess a bit of greenery is okay. Why?”
Nodding, I tap my finger against my chin. “All right then. Last one, do you promise not to cooperate when—not if—my brother and/or my father call you to check up on me? Because believe me, they will.”
To his credit, he tries to fight his laughter for as long as he can, and the smirk that curves his lips is definitely one of those sexy, all-knowing ones that never bode well for me—mainly because those panty-melting kind of grins are my kryptonite. Not with the roommate, Alex. Behave!
“I guess there’s only one thing left to say then,” I say.
“What’s that?”
“When can I move in?”
4
Gio
After sorting out the details and giving Alex my bank details for her first month’s rent and a security deposit, I gave her a spare key to the house so she could start moving her stuff in whenever she wanted. It seems that will be today, since her first shift at Firehouse 101 is tomorrow
. She tried to hide it, but I could tell she was relieved that she could move in straight away. So on the roommate front at least, it’s so far, so good. Given our less-than-ideal introduction, I’m more than happy about that.
It’s not that I wasn’t open to having a female roommate, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a helmet-wearing, leather-clad Alex to rock up to my door this morning. Things would’ve gone a hell of a lot easier if I had—something I’m planning on bringing up with my brothers when I see them. It’s just unfortunate I couldn’t stick around to help her out, but before she left, I made it clear that it’s now her home too and she is welcome to make herself comfortable.
I park outside my parents’ house and see I’m the last to arrive, so I let myself in, calling out, “Hey” as I do so.
“We’re out the back,” my father replies, his voice leading me in the direction of the kitchen and dining room. With the temp reaching 75 outside, we’ll be eating in the backyard, Mama having recently cajoled my dad into finally renovating the area before summer hit.
I walk down the hall and stop in the doorway, my gaze sweeping the room and spotting Marco and Luca sitting at the dining table, Renee sitting on Marco’s lap. I don’t have to even ask how last night went given the look of absolute happiness—and exhaustion—written over their faces. A quick glance at Renee’s ring finger confirms that fact, along with the glass of champagne in her hand.
“Congratulations, you two,” I say, crossing the room and pulling her up, then giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, she’s mine. Find your own,” Marco says, snatching his fiancée back and earning himself a giggle when he nuzzles her neck.
“Ugh, you two are far too happy,” Valentina groans as she comes in from outside where the rest of the family are. “Hey, little bro,” she says as we hug.
“Hey, Val. How’re things?”
“Good. Busy, but good.” Val is an aesthetician with her own spa. It’s something she enjoys, but being the boss, it also means that—like me—she works far too much and doesn’t have much downtime.
“How come you didn’t give me a hug when I got here?” Luca says, feigning offense. Val giggles and shakes her head, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and cuddling into my side.
“Because Gio’s my favorite brother . . .” That earns arched brows from all three of us guys, which seem to make her laugh louder. “Today anyway.” She turns to our mother, who walks inside and heads to the stove. “Need help, Mama?”
“I’m okay, Val. I could do with a wine top-up though,” Mama replies with a grin.
“I’ve got you, Ma.” I walk around the kitchen island and move to the fridge, pulling out a half-full bottle of Chardonnay and a beer for myself. I pour Mama a glass. After giving her a hug and a kiss, I screw the top off my bottle and lean back against the counter.