“Sawyer?”
His brown eyes look down as I rest on his chest. “Forget who you’re in bed with?”
I roll my eyes, looking up at him. His sexy smirk is playful. “No.” I trace the tattoo over his hardened pectoral muscle. It’s a gothic letter “P” right over his heart. I haven’t asked him about it. It’s none of my business. “But good thing you’re marked, or I might have.”
He chuckles beneath me. Everything is easy with him. No drama. Sex and conversation. Baz loves him. It’s been nice.
Although, before I moved here, we were thinking about starting a relationship, but that really hasn’t happened. We’ve pretty much had a friends with benefits arrangement and a true one.
Both of us are too afraid of a real relationship, and I'm not sure whether either of us even wants one. Not at this point anyway.
“Last night was fun,” I say, grinning up at him, totally satisfied.
“Yeah, it was. I fucking needed that. Lincoln is a real pain in the ass.”
I laugh at that. I still can’t believe he works for Asher’s older brother. “Why do you work for him again?”
His large shoulders shrug. “He’s the best. I should work for the best.”
“So cocky.”
And of course, he grabs his junk under my thigh. “You know it.”
I do. “You have plans today? Baz is on summer break. We could take him to the zoo.”
“Fuck. I’d much rather do that, but I have a meeting with Linc,” he grimaces, “that I'm already late for.”
“Better hurry.”
He looks at me with a hungry gaze, his hand gripping my chin and pulling me forward for a possessive kiss, leaving me wanting more. “Tomorrow?”
I nod and stand up, tugging on shorts and a tank top to walk him out. “Sounds good.”
He gets dressed, and I try to smooth down his messy bedhead hair, but it’s no use. His sandy blond hair needs to be washed to be rid of the haphazardness caused by our romp. I walk out of my bedroom that is thankfully down the hall from Baz’s room. He had his pick of rooms, and that’s the one he wanted.
Lola’s room is upstairs along with an office. And there’s another guest room next to mine. Baz is at Nora’s still, and the house is quiet as we walk toward the front door. But just as we pass the guest room next to mine, the door flings open.
I gasp when I see a shirtless Asher standing in the doorway, wearing only a pair of black sweats, staring at us with bored eyes. “Could you two be any fucking louder?”
I gape at him. His graduation was yesterday, but he wouldn’t let any of his family attend or even tell them whether he would be there, and now he’s here? I fold my arms over my chest and smile when I feel Sawyer’s hand on my back. “How long are you staying this time, Asher?”
His lips quirk into a hateful smile that sends shivers down my entire body. “Lola didn’t tell you?” I stare at him, trying not to give him the reaction he wants. “I’m your new roommate.”
I stare at him in shock, my heart thundering in my chest.
He has got to be kidding. Lola would never do that to me.
He must be messing with me. It wasn’t that long ago that Lola and I talked about this being Baz’s and my home. That she wanted us to stay here. He has to be trying to provoke a response from me. “Is that so?”
I’m met with an amused, hateful grin and cold eyes. “It is. Talked to Lola last night.” His eyes roam to Sawyer, who’s standing behind me. Asher rubs the scruff of his chin with one hand, the cocky smirk still on his handsome face. “Sawyer. Still just a one-minute man, huh?”
“I thought we were too loud for you?” Sawyer growls, clearly not happy to see Asher either.
“Yeah for that one minute, it was fucking loud.”
I push my hand against Sawyer’s chest when I feel him begin to push forward with yet another growl. I roll my eyes and look over my shoulder at him. Sawyer is so laid-back, it’s weird to see this side of him. “We both know that’s bullshit. He’s trying to get to you.”
“And it worked.”
I turn back to Asher when he taunts Sawyer, my gaze angry. “Is this your plan? Move in and torture me? Sawyer?”
“Does he live here now too?” He’s fucking with me.
“Why don’t you be a man and get your own damn place? Huh?” The tension coming from behind me is too much. I hate that their friendship is ruined. Sawyer tried to talk to him after our first date, but Asher wasn’t having it.
Now Sawyer is just as pissed-off.
I turn completely around to Sawyer. “Don’t. I don’t want an all-out brawl in Lola’s house. Please.”
Thankfully, Sawyer respects me enough to not push it any further, but he does wrap a possessive hand around my hip and pull my body into his for a kiss I’m sure is more about marking his territory in front of Asher than giving me a kiss goodbye.
I roll my eyes and shake my head when his lips leave mine, but he just smiles in a way that makes me smile back. It can’t be easy for him to see Asher here. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I nod my head decisively. “Yes
He lets himself out, and I face Asher, my arms folded over my chest in a defensive pose, ready for what he’s about to throw at me.
I know I didn’t leave him the best way I could have. I left in a hurry and hurt him badly. He hasn’t really said much to me over the past year other than “Baz there?” So I’m nervous. “Were you lying about moving in?”
Please say yes. Surely, he was saying that for Sawyer’s benefit.
He leans in close. My senses are instantly flooded with memories of him, his full lips leaving me in a trance as he speaks, “I’m your new roommate. Deal with it.”
That’s all he says before brushing past me and walking down the hall. This cannot be happening.
I don’t waste any time and walk up the stairs to Lola’s room. The door is cracked open, and I don’t bother knocking. I push it open and am greeted with Hayden’s bare, tan ass as he leans over and gives Lola a kiss.
I shield my eyes and look away, giving the happy couple a little privacy.
Okay, I should have knocked. Although, Hayden does have a nice ass.
It’s not something I needed to see. I think Lola is wearing clothes though, so I don’t believe I interrupted anything too graphic.
“I’m sorry, but I need to talk to you.”
My heart is still thundering in my chest when I hear Lola’s nervous laugh and then Hayden’s deep voice. “I’m going to go make some coffee. Good luck.”
“Chicken,” Lola teases and the bed rustles before Hayden walks by me, now in a pair of black joggers.
I cautiously turn back toward Lola, who is dressed in a silk nightie. “Lola . . .”
“I’m sorry, Viv. So sorry.” She does seem remorseful, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. It means Asher did talk to her.
“He’s moving in?”
She climbs to the edge of the bed and grabs a robe off the floor, tugging it on and staying seated. “I don’t know.” She sounds defeated. “Viv, he needs us.”
I know he’s withdrawn from his family even more since I moved here, and things weren’t great before. And I know they’re worried. “Lola, he’s your brother. I can’t tell you not to let him move into your house. I just . . .”