Page 17 of Mastered By Desire

Danica takes one of the tiny back seats in the cab of the truck. I sit in the passenger seat. I carefully don’t look at Dmitri while he drives. He’s unbelievably gorgeous. Strong. I’m really only fully realizing that now. I always had a little crush, but I wouldn’t allow myself to consider it.

Now I know what he tastes like.

And I want more.

I need to stop with the horny thoughts and focus on this move. A room in Danica’s house opened up last week in Old Thirty-Three. It’s a respectable neighborhood. Good rentals are hard to find in San Esteban. My apartment was on the fringes of safety. If the room at Danica’s wasn’t available, I’d be searching for a place in the sketchy Bellefleur district.

Dmitri pulls up to Danica’s place. The duplex looks homey and wholesome, a huge step up from my apartment.

The three of us pile out of the truck. As Dmitri unlatches the tailgate, one of Danica’s roommates, Elias, comes running out of their little duplex.

“What’s this?” Elias asks.

“We’re moving Leah into the spare room,” Danica says.

Elias gives me a weird, panicked smile. “Um, I just moved in my cousin. Like, an hour ago. I’m so sorry. The room was free, and?—”

“And I said my friend was coming.” Danica’s gray eyes spark with outrage.

“You said shemightbe coming.” Turning to me, Elias says, “I really am sorry. But you’re going to have to find somewhere else. Rita’s already paid and we got her stuff moved in.”

Danica turns around, a look of fury on her face. She takes a deep breath and I can tell she’s trying to keep her temper. After another deep breath, she faces a very uncomfortable-looking Elias. “In the future, all roommate replacements and situations will be voted on and discussed by all current roommates, prior to anyone else moving in. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Yeah…sorry, again.” Elias skulks back to the house.

Disappointment washes through me. I didn’t expect to be homeless. I don’t regret leaving Mick, not for a second. But I thought I had somewhere to go.

Dmitri leans against the back of his truck, arms folded. He looks like he wants to follow Elias and have some words with him. Like he could solve this problem.

“We could see if Rita would be willing to share the room,” I suggest. “I’d get a storage unit for the rest of my stuff. I need one anyway, for the couch and dining set.”

Danica shakes her head. “That room is the size of a shoebox. Goddamn it. Fuck Elias.”

“He was just looking out for his cousin.”

“Don’t excuse his shitty behavior.” Danica gives double middle fingers to the front of her house.

“I’ll get a hotel and figure out next steps tomorrow. Every problem has a solution.” I infuse confidence into my voice. I have to believe it.

“Maybe.” Danica gives her brother a calculating look. “Dmitri?”

“Yeah?” His eyes are half-closed and he looks up at the darkening evening sky.

I don’t think he realizes what Danica’s about to ask, but I can see the gleam in her eyes, the gleam of an idea. When she givesDmitri a too-bright smile, the I-have-a-huge-request smile, I know I’m correct.

“No—Danica,” I say. “No, I can’t?—”

Dmitri’s eyes widen and he stands straight. He’s finally picked up on Danica’s plan. “I don’t think it’s a good idea?—”

“Leah’s going to stay with you until we find her an apartment.” Danica talks over us. “There. It’s decided. Let’s go.”

“My place has one room,” Dmitri says. “Even if I had an extra bed, where’s all her furniture going to fit?”

“The furniture can fit around your Mustang.” Danica claps her hands with an air of finality. “It’s only for a week or two while we find her another place.”

A week or two is fucking optimistic, and all three of us know it. San Esteban is notorious for being hard on renters—that’s the main reason Danica’s free room got snapped up before she and her roommates could get my arrangement finalized.

“What about Mom and Dad’s?” Dmitri asks.

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