“Listen,” she started.
“Shit, I’ve been out of the whole scene for a while, but if I remember correctly when a woman starts her sentence with ‘listen’, things get ugly,” Cillian said. “We have a problem here?” he asked.
Viv wanted to insist they didn’t but they did—a huge problem. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not but you’re a nice-looking guy,” she said. God, her heart was beating like a teenage girl and she was sure the next time she opened her mouth, she was going to vomit.
Cillian puffed out his chest and stood a little taller and Viv could feel her eyes roll. “Thanks,” he said.
“Okay, now you’re just being ridiculous,” she said. “I was going to try to make this less uncomfortable for both of us but I’ll just lay it all out there. We need ground rules.” She felt as if she was holding her breath, waiting for Cillian to start laughing or make fun of her, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded his agreement.
“Wait—you don’t think I’m crazy for wanting rules for us to co-exist under the same roof?” she questioned.
“Nope,” he said. “I think it’s a perfect idea. I mean you and I don’t know each other and as you’ve pointed out—I’m attractive.” He paused to bob his eyebrows at her and she giggled. “And you’re sexy as hell—so I’d say ground rules are in order.”
“Wait,” she whispered. Her brain was backtracking, trying to grasp what he had just said. If Viv wasn’t mistaken, he had just called her sexy as hell. “What did you just call me?”
Cillian tapped his finger to his chin as if he was thinking hard about something and she felt about ready to slap him. “I believe I called you ‘sexy as hell’.” He winked at her and took her bag. “So, these ground rules,” he prompted. “Want to tell me about them on the drive home?”
“No,” she protested, although just what she was saying no to was beyond her. Viv felt all turned around and completely off her game around Hot Irish Guy and it was starting to piss her off. “Yes,” she growled.
Cillian had the nerve to chuckle as he held the front door open for her. “Which is it?” he asked. “Yes or no?”
“Yes, I want to go over ground rules but no, I didn’t drive here. I told you my house was just up one block, right?” He nodded. “Well, I walk here most days,” she said. “We can go over the rules on our walk home and then you can pack your stuff at the motel and move it over. I can give you a hand if you need.” The only thing Viv wanted to do with the rest of her night was to take a hot shower and crawl into bed, but she was willing to help Cillian out to get him settled.
“No need to help,” he said. “Everything I own fits inside of a small duffle bag.” Viv locked the front door to the diner and was once again at a loss for what to say.
“Sorry,” she said.
“For what?” he questioned.
“For everything,” she said. “I seem to be saying all the wrong things since we’ve met. Truth is, I couldn’t even begin to fathom what you have been through and I’m not sure what the protocol is for polite conversation around you.”
“I’m not a polite conversation kind of guy, if you haven’t noticed, Boss,” he said. “I mean, I’m your employee now and I just told you that you’re hot.” He was right, she was blowing things way out of proportion, just as she always had and she was possibly going to scare off one of the best cooks the diner ever had.
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day and I need about two days' sleep to get caught up. I promise I’m not this shifty,” she said.
“So rules—what’s the first one?” Cillian asked as if getting them back on track.
“Well, you are welcome to use the entire house and you’ll have your room but we are going to need to share a bathroom. So, I think we should work out some sort of schedule?” she offered.
“As in I’ll need to plan for when I will need to use the facilities?” Cillian teased. “I’ve been well trained—prison will do that to a guy, but I can’t time that stuff.”
“No,” she said. “I meant for showers.”
“Thank God, because if I have to guess every time I’m going to have to take a piss, I’d need to hire a psychic. Okay, so no fortune teller needed and rule one works for me. I can take a shower around your schedule, it’s not a big deal. I hope to join a gym and might even shower there, just to help out with water and such.”
“Are you usually this considerate?” Viv asked.
“No,” he admitted. “I’ve been told I’m a class A asshole, but I’m in your debt for giving me not only a job but a place to stay.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she said. “I’m happy to help and with the way my customers loved your food today, I think I should be the one thanking you. I don’t know what I would have done today if you hadn’t come along. I probably would have had to shut the diner down until I could find help.”
“Let’s just call it a draw. It was a win-win for both of us,” Cillian said. They turned the corner and when she got to the front of her house, she suddenly worried if he was going to like it as if that mattered.
“So, this is me,” she whispered. “Well, I guess I should say ‘us’.”
“It’s so nice,” he said. “You said it was your grandmother’s?”
“Yep, and I moved in after my mom died and my dad took off,” she said. She had never told anyone else that part about her life. “Sorry, that was too much information.”
“Listen, we’re going to be living in the same house and we’ll need to know things about each other. I’ve already told you just about all there is to know about me,” Cillian admitted. Somehow, Viv didn’t quite believe him. She was betting that he hadn’t even scraped the surface.
“How about you go and grab your stuff and I’ll make us something to eat. Will it take you long?” Viv asked.
“No,” he said. “As I said earlier, I don’t have much.” She nodded and unlocked her front door.
“I’ll have a key made for you tomorrow. Let me give you a quick tour and then you can get settled.” Viv led the way into the kitchen and took her bag from him, noting the way his eyes flared when her fingers brushed over his hand. “This is the kitchen and if you go through that door, it leads to the family room and then the back yard. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and of course, the shared bathroom I told you about. Feel free to pick which one of the spare rooms you want. They are both pretty much the same—bed, dresser, closet—you get the idea. It’s not much but it’s mine.”
“It’s pretty fantastic,” he breathed. “When you come from having nothing, living in a place like this is almost a dream come true. Thanks, Viv.” He paused in front of her and was so close she thought for just a minute he was going to kiss her. But, when Cillian took a step back giving her some space, she felt almost let down.
“No problem, Cillian.” she turned to open the refrigerator, trying to find anything else to do rather than staring at the sexy man filling most of her kitchen. Having a roommate was going to take some time to get used to. Having Hot Irish Guy as a roommate was going to take every damn ounce of her willpower and then some.