Page 41 of My Brother's Roommate (Frisky Business 2)
He turns to me, his bottomless gray eyes locking with mine. He doesn’t have to say another word. Just the way he looks at me, like he’s staring straight into my soul, says it all.
In a lot of ways, Wolfie is a lot like the building he grew up in. Worse for wear, but still standing strong despite everything it’s endured.
“Thank you for telling me,” I say in a small voice as the weight of his admission still rocks through me. “It means the world to me, and I will do whatever I can to help you. Whatever you need, Wolfie, please know that you can always count on me.”
After a few more moments, we leave in silence. On the drive back to my apartment, it’s like the fog of tension has lifted and Wolfie is a whole new man.
He points out the parks he went to growing up, the corner stores where he and Maren used to pool their money and buy bags of chips and packs of gum. For as broken as his childhood was, there were brighter memories too, little golden moments shining through the cracks in the concrete. And he’s all too eager to share them with me.
By the time we pull up in front of my building, I feel closer to him than ever. Like his chipped edges all make sense. I want to keep driving with him, to learn this whole city through his eyes. I want to know every story and every scar. And it seems like he’s finally brave enough to show me.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Wolfie says as he shifts the car into park. “For letting me share that with you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I say, correcting him. “I want to know that stuff. To learn everything about you.”
And I realize my words are true. Things didn’t start out this way between us, but they’re changing. I want to be here for him, to help him work through his hang-ups. It’s no trouble at all, despite what he thinks. It’s a privilege to know that he trusts me with this stuff.
I reach over the console, taking Wolfie’s hand in mine. He doesn’t flinch away, just lets me trace the lifeline of his palm with light, reassuring strokes.
“Well, if you’d like to keep learning. You know. Stick around.” He pauses, wrapping his fingers tight around my thumb and treats me to a gentle smile. “I think I’d really like that.”
“Yeah? I think I’d really like that too.”
I’m not quite sure who makes the first move. All I know is that moments later, we’re sharing the sweetest, softest kiss I’ve ever known, each touch of his lips to mine more grateful than the last. There’s something about the way this man kisses that’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. His earthy, masculine scent coupled with the tender strokes of his tongue against mine is the most perfect thing.
When I break away from our kiss, I trail my fingers along his scruff and breathlessly ask, “Maybe you should come inside?”17* * *WOLFIEAs we stumble over the threshold of Penelope’s apartment, every nerve ending in my brain is firing with the same persistent message . . .
Let the fuck go.
Let go of the past, of the anxiety, of all the bullshit that’s been holding me back from the gorgeous woman in front of me.
I’ve spelled it all out for her, showing her where I grew up, admitting what happened to me there. And despite it all, she’s still here, clutching my shoulders and kissing me with a sense of urgency, like she can’t get close enough, like she wants to take on all my pain and help me heal.
It does things to me—warm, soft, sweet things—to know that this gorgeous, perfect girl actually wants me.
The door has hardly closed behind us before my fingers are weaving into her soft blond hair, pulling her back into the intoxicating kiss we started in my car. She tastes like honey and early winter air, so sweet and biting all at once.
I’ve never felt this close to anyone in my life, and not just because she’s pressed against my chest, our tongues rolling together in a gentle, rhythmic dance that has every square inch of my body on high alert. No, it’s because this beautiful, confident woman knows me, all of me, even the ugly parts, and it feels like the first step in letting go of everything.
When we part, I’m breathless and aroused, but I know I need to slow things down, to see where Penelope’s head is at. The last thing in the world I want to do right now is rush through this. That’s what the old me would have done. The new me I’m still figuring out, but I know he’d want to take his time with this beautiful girl.
