With us, Nina got to live an alternate reality where she was the daughter of a pauper, and then she would go home to her rich family and laugh about it.

Still, I should’ve known better than to call her a whore. Even if she was dressed like one. I would apologize if the thought of looking like a fool in front of her didn’t make my skin itch. She’d get over it.

Didn’t she say she was a big girl?

Chapter six

Nina

“I. Hate. Him. So. Fucking. Much.”

Lindsay’s silvery laughter filled my ears. “Oh yeah? Tell me more.”

I turned on my bed to face the ceiling, scowling as I put the call on speaker and placed the phone on my chest. “How on earth did you grow up living with such a jerk? No offense, Lin, but your brother is the Devil. Like, seriously. The dude has done nothing but insult and belittle me since he moved in. And I’ve been nothing but kind and accommodating!”

“Have you?” Lindsay hummed. Her question didn’t even sound like a question. More like she was only half-listening.

But I had too much inside me I needed to let out, so I kept talking. “Like the other day, he informed me—very rudely, Imight add—that he was setting up a schedule for the house and I absolutely had to follow it. Can you believe that? Are we in the military? Who the fuck makes a schedule for their roommate?”

Lindsay chuckled. “Knox.”

I scowled, even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s not funny. I’m losing my mind here. When is he moving out?”

There was a ruffle in the background and a female voice that sounded oddly familiar, which was highly unlikely because I didn’t know anyone in Boston.

Then I heard Lin reply to the voice before, “Sorry. DoorDash. Right, so where were we? Yes. Knox. He’s not moving out anytime soon, Neens. You know he already covered the next two months' rent.”

My scowl deepened. “I’ll pay him back,” I said without thinking.

Lindsay made a scratchy sound at the back of her throat. “Uh… I’m not sure that’s a brilliant idea.”

“Why not?”

Because that would be me proving him right.

It hit me harder than expected. Cursing, I flipped on my stomach, dangling my legs in the air. “Lindsay?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“I hate your brother.”

Lindsay burst into laughter.

“I hate you too,” I added sourly.

“I’m sorry,” Lindsay wheezed, “but what did you expect? You’re both new to living with someone of the opposite gender as adults. Did you think finding a dynamic would be that easy?”

She was right, even if I was hesitant to admit it.

I mean, he was thirty-two, not exactly what I would describe as youthful. Surely, there had to be some women that had come and gone. For all his narcissism, he didn’t strike me as a troglodyte. In fact, it wasn’t hard to imagine him hazy-eyed and aroused, sinking into some girl’s—

Nina Burton, your mother did not raise you to be a fool.

Clearing those intrusive thoughts, I dragged my attention back to Lin, unable to stop myself from asking. “You’re saying he’s never had a woman in his space that wasn’t you or your mom?”

“Not that I know of. Knox is very particular about these kinds of things. He’s sort of a control freak, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it.” But my curiosity was not satisfied. “He’s never had girlfriends then? Somehow, I doubt that.”