Page 11 of A Constant Surprise

Maybe it was the fact that last night he learned my body inside and out.

I reached for my coffee and took a sip. A slight moan escaped my lips, and I couldn’t help but notice Tyler’s eyebrow cock up at the noise.

Since he wasn’t saying anything, I spoke to get the conversation started.

“Okay, I have done some thinking about your offer. Well, actually before I go on, why don’t you tell me exactly what it is that you’re offering?”

Without hesitation, he said, “I’m offering you a place to stay. You can have your own room, your own bathroom, your own space. You need a place to stay, and it so happens that I have open rooms here. It would be just like you getting an apartment…except I am not some creepy stranger you have to worry about.” He smiled.

“Okay. Let’s talk about what I would pay for rent.”

He laughed. “Sam, I don’t pay to live here. I certainly wouldn’t ask you to pay to live here either.”

I shook my head. “Nope. That’s not how this is going to work. I don’t believe in getting something for nothing. If I stay here, I have to pay to be here. That’s how it would be in any apartment I would rent.”

He looked at me hard with slight annoyance in his gaze, but I wasn’t backing down.

When he could tell I had drawn my line in the sand, he said, “Okay, fine. How much did you pay at Emily’s?”

“Four hundred and fifty plus half of all of the other bills.”

He scoffed. “No way. That’s too much. Like I said, I don’t pay the bills. Everything is paid for, and I don’t feel right taking so much of your money. How about you pay me three hundred a month and none of the bills?”

I rolled my eyes. “What about food?”

“The fridge is always stocked. Make a list of what you like, and I’ll make sure it’s in there. My housekeeper usually shops and makes dinner, and you’re welcome to whatever.”

My eyes roll so hard it hurts. “I can buy my own food, and cooking for myself isn’t a problem either.”

“Are you always this stubborn?” He quips.

My loud laugh echoed in the room. “You have no idea.”

“Okay, you can buy your own food and cook it, but there will always be stuff here too if you change your mind.

I wasn’t exactly happy with the deal, but I knew he was just trying to be nice.

“Deal.”

He smiled and held out his hand for me to shake. “Welcome, roomie.”

I smiled and shook his hand. “Oh, and one more thing.”

He raised his eyebrows waiting for me to continue.

“Maybe if we are going to live together in harmony, we don’t do what we did last night. Might make things a little too….complicated.”

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “Sam, don’t get me wrong, if you did want to do it again, I wouldn’t turn it down. That being said, I am not going to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. So if you say no, it’s a no. But just know, I’ll be waiting if you change your mind.”

His sexy stare made my whole body heat with desire. I wondered how long it would take before I caved in and went running into his arms again.

No. Stop it. That can’t happen again.

“So when do you want to move in?” He said with a chipper tone while taking another drink of coffee.

“I don’t know. I mean I have a month, but staying at Emily’s now is just kind of awkward. I can tell that her boyfriend, Kevin, is sick of me being there. Pretty sure he is the one that convinced her that me moving out would be a good idea.”

“Okay, so move in sooner. I can have a couple friends come over and help me grab your stuff tomorrow.”

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