Page 2 of Persuading Liam

“I mean the make of the key, jerk,” I say shoving his key back at him. “I was trying to see if it was a copy made at a different time.” I squeeze my eyes shut and walk in a small circle trying to wrap my brain around what’s happening.

When I stop, he’s staring at me like I’m on display at the freak show. I dismiss it easily, I’m used to that look. I think better when I move. “Didyousign a lease?”

He nods.

“For this address?”

“It’s the only apartment available within fifty miles of here,” he snaps, but in a frustrated-with-the-world way and not against me.

“Oh. I know. I’ve been waiting two months for something to come open.”

“Six for me,” he mutters.

I shake my head, feeling the dream of my beautiful apartment slip through my fingers before I can even inflate my mattress. “I don’t understand. I spoke with Mrs. Alldridge, I sent the down payment, and I signed the lease online. She never mentioned anything about another renter.”

Mystery man frowns. “You spoke toMrs.Alldridge?”

I nod.

“I made my arrangements throughMr.Alldridge.”

My shoulders sink. “You don’t think they rented the apartment without checking with each other, do you?” Even as I say it, I know that’s exactly what happened. My dealings with Mrs. Alldridge were—interesting at best.

He blows out a breath and runs both hands through his previously immaculate hair. “I think that’s absolutely what happened.” He stretches his neck to the side and when he drops his hands, hair all tousled, I feel a pull in the center of my stomach that I shake away immediately.

“Oh my God,” I mutter, walking in circles again. “What do we do? I need this place, I just moved here. There’s literally nothing else.”

He cocks a shoulder. “Believe me, I know. But I’m not giving it up. I’ve been living with my brothers for too long as it is. If I don’t get out of there now, I’ll go to jail for murder.”

I feel my hands fly to my hips. I mean the man already has a place to stay. It doesn’t seem fair. “I don’t see how that’s a problem for me.”

He gives me a hard stare, clearly unamused. Probably because I was only mostly joking and he can sense it. “I’m going to call the Alldridges,” he announces, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

“Good idea. Put it on speaker phone.”

He nods, and we both stare at the device in his hand as it rings on the other side. Over and over again until a painfully cheery recording clicks on.

“Thank you for calling the Alldridges. The missus and I are in Me-hi-co for the next month enjoying all the fiestas and siestas we can stand. Leave a message and we will get back to you when we return. Adios amigos!”

Mystery man and I make eye contact as my stomach sinks through my body, through my feet, and I think into the currently-being-renovated bookstore below us. Because I realize we will either have to live together for a month or fight to the death.

And I’m not leaving.

2

LIAM

Irun a manic hand through my hair and walk a path around the open living space I’ve been eyeing, waiting for, yearning for, close to six months now. Finally a chance to live alone again. Quiet. Neat. Organized. Did I mention quiet?

After living for half a year with my brothers Max and Elliot and then just Elliot for another six months, I’m ready to be on my own. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brothers, but loving and living together are two completely different things when none of you share the same idea of what ‘clean’ means.

Elliot’s bar for cleanliness is so low I’m not sure it’s above ground and I’m desperate to be out of there. I’ve already packed. I’ve already carefully planned every square inch of this space because I don’t like surprises.

I look at the intruder, who is desperately leaving a message for the Alldridges, nearly in tears and I don’t know what to do. I’m not so evil that I would throw her out on the street, but I’m not giving up my claim to this place. If we could just figure out who signed the lease first, that would fix it, right?

Except that one of us would still be homeless.Fuck.

I glance at her again as she finishes the message with a concealed sob and my stomach does a little twist when her eyes meet mine. I brush it off as guilt and not because I find her luscious curves, long dark hair, and light green eyes attractive. Nor is it because the freckles across the bridge of her nose and the dampness of her eyes make me want to soothe her.

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