Page 18 of Off Limits

The only part of the arrangement I wasn’t sure I’d survive was living with Dex again.

We had our own bedrooms back when we’d first been forced to live with each other, but that changed when Mom found out she was pregnant with Tanner, and they moved me into Dex’s room.

We spent a full year as roommates, and the only reason we hadn’t killed each other was because he was always busy and was never home except to sleep.

Now we had to live together again, not in the same room, thank fuck, but the apartment was small enough there was no way to avoid him when he was home. The living room was next to the den, and his bedroom was almost directly across from it. My only space in the apartment didn’t even have a door, so there was no way for me to escape or hide from him if we were both home.

“Asa?” Dex called from the other side of the apartment. “Are you here?”

“In my…the den,” I called back.

“Are you decent?”

“Yeah.”

He sauntered up to the door. “Where’s your stuff?” he asked, looking around the small room. “Did you find a place to store it?”

It was criminal how good he looked, and I cursed as my body tightened and a little flutter moved through my stomach.

Dex was one of those guys who was effortlessly gorgeous. It didn’t matter if he was in formal wear, jeans, or ratty gym clothes. He always looked like he’d just left a photo shoot.

His golden-brown hair was a mess of curls that fell in perfect spirals and waves around his head and was currently held back with a backward ball cap that had been his signature look since I’d known him. His hazel eyes flipped between green and brown depending on his mood, and his skin was flawless and had a natural tan to it that I’d always been envious of.

His features were classically handsome with high cheekbones, a sharp jaw I’d also envied since we were teens, and full lips that somehow looked rugged and masculine on him.

Beyond his perfect face and annoyingly nice hair, he was also built like an action hero. I knew he put a lot of work intomaintaining his physique while playing football, and it was part of his job now that he worked at a gym, but it was annoying as fuck that he could pack on so much muscle when I couldn’t manage to gain more than a few pounds no matter what I ate or how active I was.

He might only be a year older than me, but I felt like an underdeveloped kid next to him, and I hated that I cared.

Dex was the only person on earth who’d ever made me feel bad about how I looked. I’d realized pretty early on that I’d never be a heartthrob or even be considered attractive by most people. I was too delicate, too skinny, and between my pale skin and hair, I looked like a washed-out mess when I didn’t wear makeup.

My choice of clothes and accessories further pushed me out of the “he’s hot” category, and my piercings and tattoos just sealed the deal that I was a freak. Luka had called me a goth angel a few times, and that pretty much summed up my aesthetic.

I usually didn’t give a fuck what people thought of me and had decided long ago that I’d rather be myself than fit in. But after spending the last eight years being compared to my perfect stepbrother, who was everything I wasn’t, I had moments where I felt like a frumpy mess around him.

Tonight was one of those times, and I had to tear my eyes from his chest and the way his t-shirt pulled tight over his impressive pecs and showed off those damn arms that were as thick as one of my thighs.

“This is it.” I waved to the small stack of my possessions. “Well, most of it. One of my coworkers is keeping my books for me. But this is everything else.”

He looked puzzled for a moment. “This is all you own?”

I nodded.

“Any trouble bringing it in?”

“No. It only took me a few trips. I don’t think anyone noticed.”

“That’s good.” He pulled his ball cap off and ran a hand through his hair, smoothing back the curls that fell over his forehead. “Is the bed okay?”

“It’s good.”

The mattress was small, but it was more comfortable than the floor, so I wasn’t about to complain.

“Okay.” He blew out a breath. “I’m going to take a shower. Do you need the bathroom?”

“I’m good.”

He nodded and slipped his ball cap back on. We stared at each other for a few beats, the silence stretching awkwardly.

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