Page 56 of The Temporary Roomie: Extended Edition

I’m nothing if not stubborn, though, so I hold his gaze. “Don’t flatter yourself so much, Andrew. My body is reacting to the coffee I had on the way here—not you.”

“You didn’t have any coffee.”

“I didn’t?” I’m staring at his lips.

He shakes his head slowly, smiling.

Where is this sudden self-assured persistence coming from? Have I not made myself perfectly clear to him? Have I not kicked him enough to spook him into running off?Go on, man! Get out of here. Be gone!I’ve been trying to get Drew to leave me alone since the day I met him. It was working . . . and now . . . it doesn’t seem to be anymore.

“Want to know what I think?”

“Literally never.”

He grins deeper and uses his index finger to trace the outline of my lips. “I think you like me too, but you’re too scared to admit it.”

“Careful,” I warn, but it sounds weak. If this were a movie, I’d be holding a gun to him, but my hand would be trembling so bad he’d know I was too in love with him to ever pull the trigger. “I can march inside right now and end this whole charade, humiliating you again if I want to.”

“But you don’t want to. You don’t want this to end just as much as I don’t. You like the excuse to flirt and touch and . . . kiss just as much as I do.”

My eyes widen to their maximum diameter. “We arenotgoing to kiss on this trip.”

His eyes say,Oh?He steps forward and my stomach presses into his. Our hips would meet if I wasn’t eight months pregnant, and I’ve never wanted to be rid of this belly as much as I do right now.

Without hesitation, his hand loops behind my neck and he drops his lips to mine. It’s a gentle kiss, sort of like the kiss at the fundraiser—but even more patient and aching. It’s calculated in a way that says,I know exactly who you are, and I still absolutely want you.I feel like melting onto the floor. His lips are hot as he gently presses into mine, pulls away, tilts his head a different way, and then presses in again. He lavishes sweet kisses over my mouth again and again, gloating that I’m not trying to stop him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

I don’t know what to think or do. All I know is I’m not moving. I’m accepting every single one of these kisses while still trying to hold up a mental guard against this man. It’s the most difficult game I’ve ever played. With one hand braced on the back of my neck and the other firmly anchored on my lowerhip, he kisses the corner of my mouth. A tease. Another hint of what could be. Slowly those dangerous lips move to the center of my mouth and hover, barely touching. I feel his smile rather than see it before he lightly tastes my bottom lip. I can’t breathe—if I do, it will come out like a moan. Drew brushes his lips to the opposite corner and lavishes it with attention too. He’s so thorough. There’s not a single centimeter of my mouth that gets left out, but all I do is stand here receiving. And then, when my lips are fully attended to, he leaves them to drag his way down the side of my jaw. He lands with a warm, open-mouthed kiss on that same pulse point he gloated over earlier.

I want to scrape my hands down his abs, feel the taut muscles of his back, pull his hips flush with mine. But my bones are pudding. My eyes are shut. A thousand different sensations are swirling through my body, making me feel like a frayed and sparking live wire. Drew moves his way around my neck, and jaw, and mouth, taking as many kisses as he wants from exactly where he wants, because I’m not doing a single thing to stop him. I’m not participating, but he doesn’t seem to mind. No, in fact, he’s treating me like I’m the most delicious dessert he’s ever had, and he will savor every taste.

Finally, after two and a half years, he pulls away with a soft smile, takes my shoulders gently in his hands, and peels me away from the railing I practically draped myself over when I lost all feeling in my legs.

“See. I felt nothing.” I sound like a zombie.

He cups my face, looking like he could laugh at any moment.Why does nothing make him angry at me?His thumb sweeps over my lips like he needed to touch them one last time, and he shakes his head. “This morning, I decided I’m done avoiding my feelings for you. And whether you like it or not, you have feelings for me too. I know it. So let me know when you’re done fighting it. I’ll be here waiting.”

Ugh!The arrogance of this man! He may be able to get his way with everyone else in life, but not me!Not me.Nope . . . not . . .me.

He turns and walks into the house. Like a ding-dong, I wait until he’s almost disappeared into the house to yell, “Yeah, right! Don’t hold your breath, Andrew! You’ll be waiting forever!”

Forevergets cut off when he shuts the door behind him. I clasp my arms tightly around my middle and spin to look out over the water, suddenly feeling dizzy and sick and uncertain. What am I going to do? It’s like Drew has X-ray glasses and can see right through me at all times. And by him telling the truth, he’s completely stripped away all my power. I can’t deflect. I can’t sabotage.Dammit, Drew, I’m supposed to be rubber and you’re the glue! Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!Turns out I’m working with a whole other substance.I’m a magnet and so are you. Whatever I say doesn’t matter because all I want to do is jump you and never ever come up for air.Not quite as poetic, but oh well.

He’s right. I’m just scared he’s going to hurt me—and this isn’t some big revelation. I’ve known it since the beginning. It’s why I decided to hate him right away. He’s not mediocre. He’s not easily replaceable. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to let myself love recklessly again.

Drew makes me want to try, though.

I take a deep breath and look down, running my hands over the swell of my stomach. I need more time.

CHAPTER 29

Jessie

Moment of truth. It’s dinnertime.

I successfully made it through an entire day of faking it as Drew’s fiancée. He hasn’t tried to kiss me again and hasn’t been quite as touchy-feely as he was this morning. I’m given the occasional hand brush or knee bump, but other than that, he’s behaved himself pretty well. Unfortunately, even those tiny touches have set me off like a rocket.

Even so, Richard and Henry are the best. I want them to adopt me. They are both easygoing lovebirds, and the way Richard dotes on Henry even after being together for twenty years is incredible. Henry has such a tender heart, and talking with him is like sitting down in a plush chair by the fire with a warm cup of tea.

The expansive lakeside view is giving me the breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed. Just getting out of the city and stepping away from the salon with my phone off has been a dream. I have a hard time relinquishing control to other people, but being forced to let Lucy take over managing the salon for a few days is good for me and will probably help me relax more when I have to take time off after the baby comes. Honestly, though, what I’ve enjoyed the most is listening to Drew and Richard talk.

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