Page 41 of Tapped By My Roommate
I hated that Tess had beaten Ethan down, that in a way she still was. I couldn’t help but worry that my kiss had felt so good to Ethan simply because it had come from a decent person, but I pushed that thought down. Ethan seemed to be into me, and if he wasn’t that’d become apparent very quickly.
We were experimenting. Any experiment could fail. But remembering how it’d felt to lie on top of him on the futon, his hands clutching at me as he moaned and shuddered beneath me, I really wanted to believe in Ethan’s hypothesis that he might be bi.
Because I wasn’t ready to give this up when we’d just gotten started.
12
ETHAN
The next morning, Rhett shuffled into the kitchen while I poured cereal for Linh. The box slipped, and I spilled Lucky Charms across the counter. He looked so good. His hair tumbled into his eyes, less perfect than usual, and a layer of scruff roughened his jaw. I found this unkempt version of him surprisingly sexy. My mind kept conjuring the kisses from the day before and wondering how that stubble might feel against my skin.
Linh took the box of cereal from my hand and placed it safely on the counter. Then she slid the bowl in front of her and popped a marshmallow into her mouth. “Do I need to leave?”
“Huh?” I turned toward her. “Why?”
She waved a finger between us. “I thought you guys might want to do sex stuff. I mean, I don’t mind watching, but I’m guessing you don’t want an audience.”
Rhett snorted. “You guessed right, but I’m more concerned with getting a coffee fix.” He glanced at me. “No offense, Ethan, but I’m not addicted to you.”
“Yet,” Linh murmured under her breath.
“What?” Rhett said.
Linh smiled innocently. “I need milk.”
That wasn’t what she’d said. Rhett and I exchanged a look. Linh had made herself part of our daily lives without much of an invitation, but she’d grown on me. Without her, I’d have spent a lot of lonely nights in this apartment. I didn’t have all that many friends outside of classes and the rescue center. I wasn’t sure if Rhett did, either. For an extroverted guy, I didn’t hear him mentioning parties or dates—just work, family, and hookups.
But nowIwas his hookup. How weird was that? How wildly unexpected.
I took another look at him, dressed only in basketball shorts and a tank. Yep, still hot. Even his hair-covered legs were a turn-on. How could that be? How could I go from being with girls—mostly petite, smooth-skinned, high-maintenance girls—to an athletic guy who was larger than me, stronger than me, and most definitely hairier than me?
He flashed me a sudden smile, and I choked on my own saliva.
Rhett patted my back. “You okay?”
I coughed, turning red, and tried to nod. Linh laughed while she filled a glass with water from the filtered faucet and handed it to me. “You two are cute.”
I was too busy drinking to respond, but Rhett rolled his eyes. “Not here for your entertainment, Linh. Why don’t you take your cereal to-go again?”
She looked displeased. Her eyes narrowed. “Fine, I’ll respect your privacy, I guess. But for the record, you’re no fun.”
“Noted.”
Before leaving, she made sure to pour some of our milk on the cereal, and then she walked out while crunching obscenely. She waved over her shoulder with one hand as she went, so I knew she wasn’t really mad. Linh played at being dramatic.
“She’s kidding,” I said tentatively as Rhett watched her go. “She doesn’t really want to watch us make out or anything.”
Rhett cut his eyes toward me. “She wouldn’t be the first girl into that sort of thing.” He shrugged. “I know you like her though. I hope it’s okay I kicked her out. She kept bringing up things that I thought maybe you’d rather not talk about?”
Right. I’d made that rule about not talking about our hookups. I’d half expected Rhett to fight me on it. Instead, he was…not just honoring my wishes, but protecting them in the face of our nosy neighbor.
My whole body warmed. “Thanks.”
“No prob.” He picked up his mug. “I should let you get ready for class. I’ve got to get in a few minutes of cramming before a test anyway.”
I felt a flash of guilt. “Did you need to study yesterday?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve been studying all week. I even hit the books when I got home last night. But I could use a few minutes to review.”
