Page 80 of The Roommate Experiment

“Verdict?” Dylan asks, calm under fire. But maybe I’m the only one who’s burning.

“G-good.” My voice comes out breathy, and I wonder if he notices how completely undone I’m about to become.

Dylan takes a bite for himself and proclaims, “More than good, I’d say.”

He sets the plate aside, and I think now he’s going to pull away. But he leans in closer, his hand coming up to cup my jaw. His thumb swipes at the corner of my mouth, and my entire body goes still.

“You had a little syrup.” He brings his thumb to his lips and sucks it clean.

A rush of heat pools low in my belly. The sight of his mouth around his thumb makes my head spin. But then the last sliver of rationality I’ve left takes over. I frown, confusion tempering the desire swarming through my veins. This is so unlike the easygoing, goofy Dylan I know. The one who cracks jokes and teases me relentlessly but has never crossed the line into blatant flirtation. This version acts like he’s got secret training from the “How to Make a Gal Swoon” Academy.

“What are you doing?” My voice wavers. “Why are you spoon-feeding me breakfast like we’re in a daytime soap? And why did you buy me a book last night?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he places his hands on the counter on either side of me, caging me in with his body. I have to tip my head back to meet his gaze, my pulse pounding wildly in my throat.

“I think the real question is…” His face is so close I can count his lashes. “Why are you wearing my shirt and rolled-up crew socks?”

He raises an eyebrow, his expression amused and smug at the same time. It’s the look in his eyes that makes realization wash over me: I’ve been caught.

37

HUNTER

My entire body seizes up with a heat so intense, I’m afraid I’ll burst into flames.

“Did Tristan talk?”

Dylan grins and gives me a subtle nod.

I groan and, since I have nowhere to go, I hide my face in Dylan’s hoodie. “What did he tell you?” My voice is muffled, but my mortification is clear.

“He informed me I’m on the receiving end of a seduction scheme.” Dylan’s tone is light, teasing.

I want to crawl into a hole and disappear. Burrowing my face deeper into his hoodie, I mutter, “I won’t be able to look you in the eyes ever again.”

Dylan works his fingers up my scalp and pulls my half-ponytail loose. “That’s a pity because I really enjoy eye contact while making love.”

His words knock the little air left in my lungs out for good. My heart stops, the entire world flips upside down, and my ears ring as he gently but firmly tilts my chin up. His touch is soft, yet the control behind it is undeniable. When our eyes meet, the intensity in his gaze leaves me exposed. He’s stripping me down to my core, and I can’t stand the vulnerability of it.

“You want to have sex with me?” I ask on a breath, the question landing with a quiet force that fills the space around us.

Dylan brushes my hair backward. “Yes, I would very much like that.” His tone is resolute, and a magnetic thrum starts at the base of my spine.

“But you said make love?”

Dylan’s thumb traces my bottom lip, his touch light but deliberate. “I did.” His voice is low, but the words echo through me like a shout. “Because that’s what it would be with you, Hunt. Making love. Not sex.”

My heart stutters at his confession, a warmth blooming in my chest and spreading through my every cell. I grip his arms tighter, my fingers digging into his skin as if I’m to hold on to this moment, to make it real.

“R-really?” My voice fails me, the words getting stuck in my throat.

Dylan nods, his gaze never leaving mine. “Really.”

He cups my face with one hand, placing the other on my hip. His touch grounds me, anchoring me to this moment.

“It might sound absurd.” His thumb strokes my cheekbone. “We’ve known each other forever. But something has changed, and I can’t ignore it anymore.”

I almost flatline. “What’s changed?” Anticipating what he might say is the purest form of misery.

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