Page 55 of Sleeping with the Frenemy

Kamilah grimaced. “Okay fine, but I’ll sit still now. I promise.”

A scoff from the doorway had both of their heads swiveling to the side. Leo stood, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb. He was in his Chicago Fire Department Academy uniform and Sofi almost choked on her own saliva when she attempted to swallow. He’d really bulked up in the last few months and Sofi wasn’t sure how she’d ever keep her hands to herself now.

“You must like torture,” he told Sofi with a smart-ass smirk. “My mom hated doing Kamilah’s nappy hair. She was always threatening to shave Kamilah bald because she was such a pain in the ass about it. Right, Sideshow Bob?” He directed the question at his sister, who rolled her eyes.

“First of all,” Kamilah said, holding up a finger, “Mami was as serious about that threat as Papi was about cutting off your sticky fingers for constantly stealing the caramel-filled chocolates from the box.” She held up another finger. “Secondly, shut up and go away, you goblin.” She quickly dropped her index finger and left only her middle one up.

Leo’s smirk grew because he lived to get a rise out of everyone around him. “Let’s see how much that sassiness lasts, princesita. Mami and Papi want to talk to you downstairs. They heard about you calling Liam un huelebicho malagradecido to his face.”

Kamilah’s eyes widened. Sofi’s widened too, but mostly because she couldn’t see her bestie saying something so rude to anyone’s face, even Liam’s.

“Word of advice from someone who’s always in trouble with them,” Leo said, stepping into the room. “Don’t try to act innocent, just own up to what you did right away and apologize profusely, cry if they seem really mad, and most importantly never keep them waiting when they call for you. That just makes them madder.”

Kamilah hopped off the bed so fast that she nearly fell right on her face. She ran past Leo, knocking into his shoulder and almost sending them both to the floor.

As soon as the apartment door slammed shut behind Kamilah, Leo’s expression changed. He looked at Sofi like a panther stalking his prey. “Sofi,” he murmured, sliding farther into the room and closing the bedroom door behind him. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

Sofi fought the urge to shrink back against the ruffled pillows in Kamilah’s bed. Instead she snorted and rolled her eyes. “Please, as if you’re that important. I barely remember you exist unless you’re standing right in front of me.”

He moved closer. “I think I am and I think you do. In fact, I’m positive that you not only remember me when I’m not around, but you miss me.”

“Well, I’m not surprised about that. Your ego has always been bigger than your brain.”

He smiled. “Ouch. Someone is in a mood. What’s with the attitude?” He sat at the foot of Kamilah’s bed, his hip touching Sofi’s knee. “I thought that I’d for sure get sweet Sofi, the one who melts for me as soon as her tongue is in my mouth.” He brought his hand up and began dancing his fingers along her thigh where her sleep shorts had ridden up.

Sofi pushed his hand off. “I don’t know why you thought that. If you need something to melt in your mouth, you’d better hope parents have one of those caramel chocolates around.”

He chuckled and put his hand back. “But I already have one right here. Tú eres mi bombón de caramelo.”

Sofi wanted to ask, if that was true, why he’d been spending so much time with his fire academy friends trolling bars for girls, but that would’ve told him that she was jealous. She was jealous, but she didn’t want him to know that. It was bad enough that he was practically an adult now, he was so close to graduating, and she was still in high school. She didn’t need to look more immature. She was wracking her brain for something to say, but she couldn’t think of anything. Her mind would only process the feel of his calloused fingers on her skin.

Luckily, before she could make a fool of herself, the door swung open and an angry Kamilah stomped through.

Sofi hopped off the bed so quickly that she was sure Kamilah would call her out on her obvious guilt.

Thankfully, her friend was too busy shouting at her brother. “You jerk!” she yelled at Leo. “They had no idea I’d said that. You just made me tell on myself and now I’m grounded for the next two weeks!”

“Oops,” Leo smirked. “My bad. I guess I was the one who heard you. Not Mami and Papi.”

“You are literally the worst! Why do you always have to be such a tool?” She waved her hands around before he could answer. “Actually, I don’t care what your answer is, just get out of my room. Go hang out with your dumb academy friends and trick girls into thinking you’re an actual firefighter in hopes that they’ll overlook your personality and hook up with you. Neither one of us wants you here, right, Sofi?”

Sofi immediately nodded her head. “Yeah, go away, Leo. We’re too smart to fall for your charming act. We know you’re nothing but an idiotic douchebag.”

If she hadn’t known him so well, she would’ve missed the flash of hurt that passed his face before he schooled it into his usual look ofI don’t care about anything.

He let out a fake bark of laughter. “Please, as if I actually want to hang out with two high school girls. I have better things to do. I just came to grab a few rubbers from my room, since I used the ones in my wallet already.”

“Eww. TMI, you perv,” Kamilah exclaimed. She began actively shoving him to the door until he was on the other side of the doorway. Then she slammed the door on his face and locked it. She spun to face Sofi and rested her back on the door. She let out a sigh of annoyance. “I know I want you to marry one of my brothers, so that we’ll be real sisters one day, but promise me that it won’t be Leo.”

“God no,” Sofi said with a fake laugh of her own. “Never in my life would I even look twice at Leo.”

Kamilah nodded. “Good, because he’s the absolute worst. He’s a cocky jerk who thinks he’s the greatest thing since Ricky Martin and he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.” She pushed off the door and walked over to the bed where she plopped down on her back. “Saint would be the best choice for you, if he ever decides to come home. Otherwise, there’s always Eddie. He’s a dork, but he’s still a good guy.”

“Or I could just hold out and see if Cristian and Yasmeen actually make their marriage work,” Sofi teased.

“Gross, Sofi. He’s a dad already.”

“I think I’d make a good stepmom, don’t you?” Sofi waggled her brows.

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