Nothing, not even petty jealousy I didn’t have any real reason to feel, was going to deter me from the decision I’d made. I was moving into Taydom’s guest house tomorrow and I was damn well going to enjoy living in the little slice of paradise he’d offered me.
No naked butts or midnight frolicking in the pool were going to stop me.
Chapter 16
Taydom
“Is that it?” I asked as I loaded the last of Elsie’s boxes into the back of the truck I’d borrowed from a friend for the day.
She nodded and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Her face was red, but I was sure mine wasn’t any better. It felt like it was eleven-million degrees out and we’d just spent the better part of the morning loading up her belongings.
Her black hair was piled on top of her head, and she wore a simple pair of black shorts and a black tank top. She looked good, even with the red face.
I was starting to think this girl would look good in anything, but much better in nothing. While her outfit wasn’t revealing, it accentuated her curves and made my fingers itch to run along them.
“Thank God I don’t have a shopping problem,” she said, drawing my attention away from the small bead of sweat running down the side of her neck. “I can’t imagine how awful it must be to move if you’re one of those people who buys everything they see.”
“I think they just get moving companies to do it for them.” I closed the bed of the truck with a smirk aimed in her direction. “You know, just like I offered to get for you?”
“It really wouldn’t have been worth paying someone for this.” She motioned at the tied-down boxes. “I even told you that Beth and I could do it by ourselves. Unless you’ve conveniently forgotten that little detail.”
I tapped one of my temples. “I never forget the little details. It’s one of the things that makes me so good at what I do. As I told you before, it’s no trouble to help you. I was simply reminding you that you had another option available to you.”
“None that was viable.” She flicked her gaze up to her apartment building and I could have sworn I saw her eyes water up, but then she blinked and offered me a smile. “Should we get going? I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting this over with.”
“No way. Helping friends move is what I live for on Saturdays.” I walked around to open the door for her, smiled wide when she shot me a questioning look, and motioned for her to get in. “What’s that for?”
“Two things,” she replied once I was settled behind the wheel. “Firstly, you referred to us as friends, and secondly, you got the door for me.”
Her eyes were focused intently on me as I twisted the key to start the old clunker. For some reason, she seemed to stare at my hand as I flexed my fingers over the stick when I shifted it into gear. Interesting.
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about it, though. “We are friends, aren’t we?”
She shrugged and finally lifted her gaze away from my arm to focus on the side of my face as I eased into the traffic. “Sure. I guess. Does that mean I can borrow a cup of sugar when I need it?”
“That’s a neighborly thing, so you’re welcome to borrow sugar. Considering that your neighbor is also your friend, you also get wine-borrowing privileges.”
She chuckled. “While that’s definitely a perk I’m going to end up taking advantage of, never let Beth hear that you made that offer. Your cellar would be drained within a month.”
“You haven’t seen the size of my cellar.” I winked, then groaned when I realized how my playful, though completely accurate, comment must have sounded. “Sorry, that came out sounding like I meant it as a reference to something else.”
Elsie laughed. “It really did, but you’re forgiven. I know you didn’t mean it that way.”
The certainty in her voice made me glance at her. There hadn’t been much flirtation between the two of us, but something about her tone bothered me.
It was almost like she didn’t believe I’d want to engage in flirting or innuendo-laden conversation with her. Crazy, considering that my dick had started pressing up against my zipper when I’d noticed the way she was looking at my hand. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about what it might feel like on her.
It wasn’t like I could tell her that, though. I wasn’t about to make her rethink moving by suddenly starting to hit on her. So I settled for getting to know her better. Maybe eventually, she’d start feeling the same chemistry between us that I did, and once that happened, maybe we could do something about making it go away.
Besides, helping her move had been good for distracting me from what I’d learned yesterday, and I wanted to stay that way. “So, should I be expecting many parties over at the cottage from now on?”
A soft, cute little snort came from her side of the cab. “The college I go to isn’t exactly known for its active social calendar, so no. Why? Would it have been a problem if I said yes?”
“No. I really wouldn’t have minded. I was just curious about whether I should study up on how to talk to frat guys or expect my grass to get spun out in the midst of a showdown.”
“I think you watch too many movies.” She laughed, and I caught the end of a headshake in my periphery. “Also, if they were my parties these frat guys would have been attending, what makes you think you would have been invited?”
“Ouch.” I lifted a hand to my chest and rubbed the spot over my heart. “That hurts. I thought we’d established that we were friends?”
She dipped her head in agreement. “True. I’m sorry. If I undergo a change in personality and also change schools, you will be the first person invited to my party.”
“Thank you.” I grinned. “When do your classes start up again?”
“Monday.” She turned to face the window when we started getting closer to her new neighborhood. “Thank you for helping me get my car out here earlier and for all your help with the move.”
“No problem.” The city started growing smaller behind us and the buildings beside the freeway were less densely spaced. Green treetops and wide-open spaces loomed up ahead, bringing a smile to my face. “I’m glad you decided to take me up on my offer. We’re going to have fun living together.”
“We’re not going to be living together,” she protested automatically, almost as if she was as tired of hearing that phrase as I was.
My laughter bounced off the windows of the otherwise silent cab. “I was kidding, but I’m assuming I’m not the only one who got the talk?”
“Definitely not.” She relaxed back in her seat, her features softening with every mile that went by. “What about you? Am I going to be hearing any raging parties happening at your house?”
“The most raging it gets at my house is when Drew comes by to watch a game.” Sadly, it was true.
Elsie opened her mouth, presumably to ask something else, but then decided against it. She released a contented sigh instead when I turned off at our exit, then shifted to face me again. “What made you decide to buy a place out here anyway? There are much hipper, livelier neighborhoods around for a guy like you to live in.”