Page 4 of He's Mine

“Don’t lie.” I sit up straighter at the suggestion I would ever, “How long has this guy been bothering you?”

Well, shit.

I wouldn’t have lied necessarily, but I certainly wouldn’t have told him the whole truth either. I pop my bottom lip in between my teeth and start to wiggle around on the stool.

“From the very moment you moved in?” He gives me a sexy know-it-all look that could kind of grow on me…if we weren’t roommates. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes.” I give in. I miss having someone to confide in, someone who can understand what my every day looks like. “But I want to handle this myself. I don’t want my father or my brother to come and fix this.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll keep your secret…” I start to give him my first smile of the morning when he opens his mouth again, “unless…”

I don’t like the unless part and I doubt I’m going to like what is coming even less.

Chapter Four

Whit

I look at her wide, innocent eyes and plump lips. Some women would have to do things to make them that full, but I don’t think this girl does. I think it’s natural. The fact that she is standing naked in nothing, but my hockey jersey hits hard…right in the balls. And let me just say, it looks way better on her than me or any of my teammates could ever make it look.

I’m unprepared for the hit of possession that swamps me when I think of any of them seeing her like this. Not mine! Not mine! But I bet she could be. No! Not mine! And the stupid voice in the back of my head that I’ve always called my ‘gut’ needs to chill the fuck out. I see her face start to morph into one of expectation and remember I need to make sure she understands the rules.

“I won’t tell on you if you promise to always tell me if he does something or makes you feel even the tiniest hint of uncomfortable.” I see her acceptance already and go for the sticky point. “And…you let me take care of it.”

“What? I can’t…”

“Otherwise, the next time it happens I’m gonna speed dial big brother and let him handle it. Now, if you think he won’t make another play for you, you have nothing to fear about me telling and you can do what you want without a worry.”

But she knows he will and that is why I want her promise.

“Fine. I’ll let you handle it.”

“And you will tell me immediately.”

She deflates and rolls her eyes, ‘Yes, I’ll tell you.”

She doesn’t like it but she understands I’m not giving an inch.

“Good girl.”

I know the minute I say it, I shouldn’t have. I can tell by the widening of her eyes and the little puff of breath she quickly sucks in. I turn so she doesn’t see the way it affects me and rush ahead. Am I going to stop doing it? No, not if it affects her the same way every time.

“You have nothing to eat and you probably should eat something before that hangover gets any worse.”

“Oh, um, I guess I could go to the corner store…”

“No, let me.” She hops off the stool and follows me over to the table I flung my wallet on last night after paying for pizza. “Any requests?”

“I’m easy.”

God damn it. She really needs to stop saying things like that if my fucking ‘gut’ is going to behave himself at all. A knock comes at the door and before I can reach her to stop her, she is opening it. Without asking who it fucking is. The frown on my face is enough to make Spade shut his damned mouth but the look of shock in his eyes remains.

“Oh. Hi.” She gives him a big smile and for the first time in my life I want to hit my best friend. Right in the face. I brush past her and take Spade by the arm pulling him with me but turn before we go very far. “Don’t open the door without asking who it is ever again, sweetheart. And lock it when I leave.”

I see the look of exasperation written on her face as she closes and locks the door. Spade is silent for the entire ride down but once we are out of the building he breaks.

“Did you hook-up with someone last night when I left?”

“What? No!”

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