Page 25 of Pucking My Grumpy Roommate
And now Kate. The one good distraction I’d found had just become infinitely more complicated.
By the time the team meeting started, the rest of the guys had trickled in. Dennis dropped into the seat next to me, as he always did.
“You look like shit, Stone,” he greeted me cheerfully.
“Thanks.”
“Knee bothering you?”
I shook my head. “It’s fine.”
Dennis raised an eyebrow. “Then what’s with the extra scowl? You’re at level nine today. Usual morning scowl is only a six, maybe seven.”
The meeting began before I could answer, with Coach going over our upcoming road trip and strategy adjustments. I tried to focus, taking mechanical notes out of habit, but my mind kept drifting to Kate—the way her eyes had darkened when she’d noticed my body’s response to her this morning.
The more I wanted to change my mind, the more it diverted to her.
“Earth to Stone,” Dennis elbowed me as the guys started to disperse. “Meeting’s over. You didn’t hear a word, did you?”
“I heard enough,” I muttered.
Dennis studied me with uncharacteristic seriousness. “Okay, what’s going on? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because I’ve known you too long for that bullshit.”
I hesitated, then decided what the hell. “Found out something interesting about my new roommate yesterday.”
“The science chick? My cousin’s friend?” Dennis perked up immediately. “Don’t tell me you hooked up already. I had at least two weeks in the pool.”
“There’s a pool?”
“Focus, Stone. Did you or did you not finally get laid after your year-long drought?”
I glared at him. “No. And it wasn’t a year.”
“Eleven months,” Dennis corrected. “We keep track of these things. Team morale depends on you not being so fucking uptight.”
“Remind me why we’re friends?”
He grinned. “My charming personality. Now spill. What about the hot scientist?”
I sighed, lowering my voice even though we were alone. “Remember those texts I was getting? The wrong number that turned into...whatever.”
Dennis nodded eagerly. “Ah, yes you mentioned it. Wait what was the name, Desert Survivor. The mysterious woman who made Stone Callahan actually look at his phone without scowling.”
“It’s her.” I waited for his reaction.
It took exactly three seconds for Dennis to process, then he burst into laughter so loud it echoed through the empty room.
“Holy shit,” he wheezed. “Are you serious? The woman you’ve been sexting for weeks is living in your condo? That’s—” He wiped actual tears from his eyes. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Glad you’re amused,” I said dryly.
“How did you find out? Wait, did she send you a dirty text while you were in the same room? Please tell me that’s what happened.”
I shook my head. “She gave me her number. I recognized it when I went to save it.”
“Fucking poetry,” Dennis declared. “This is fate, my friend. The universe threw you a perfect centering pass.”
“It’s not fate. It’s a statistical anomaly.”
