Page 6 of Room Twenty-Nine

Chapter Two

Chantelle had thoughtthe day couldn’t get any worse by the time her car had broken down. She had a complaint made against her by a malicious parent who was so rigid on what her son should read that she objected strongly to Chantelle giving him something of his own age. And her boss was on the side of the parent. She had no idea being a librarian was so difficult.

Add to that Wade refusing to agree to a divorce and wanting to get her back, the car making a loud bang and stopping in a cloud of smoke in the street just felt like a way to end a shit day. At least it was dark and there was barely anyone on the road; Chantelle didn’t want to think how it could have gone if the traffic was more than a couple of cars passing by.

Now she was sitting in the passenger seat of Matt’s car, being taken back to their place. They had hitched her car to the back of theirs with some rope, and she could see it being dragged smoothly along in the wing mirror. At least she had managed to find help. Although she hadn’t expected it in her three former roommates.

Coming upon Matt, Darren and Cedric when she did felt like time hadn’t passed at all. The guys she had shared a house with for half of their college life didn’t look to have changed at all. Especially Darren. Well over six-five, the former college basketball player was just as imposing as before. And his warmth was still like chocolate, smooth and inviting, wrapping around her like a blanket. He did look better with a shaved head. It suited him, just as the beard dusting his jaw suited his firm jaw.

Cedric hadn’t appeared to have changed. He was almost a foot shorter than Darren, which did look to be rather comical. But what he lacked in size he made up for in strength. Cedric had been a weightlifter in college, and it looked like he still lifted weights every day. Bulky but very solid. His black hair was longer than she remembered, brushing at the collar of his shirt. She had an urge to run her fingers through his hair to see if it was as silky as it looked.

Then there was Matt. Solid, dependable Matt. The one who was always there with the ice cream and an awful movie whenever Chantelle was feeling low or sick. The one who was already there to give her a hug when she needed it. Chantelle had missed those a lot.

She had even missed those damn Stetson hats. Matt had never been on a ranch in his life, but he loved a Stetson. He wore it whenever he could, covering up the dirty blond hair that was always in a mess. It was silly, but sweetly endearing.

They didn’t look to have changed, but there was also something different about them. Something very subtle. Chantelle couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was hanging in the air, tickling her skin like someone was brushing their hands over her body with a featherlight touch. It was making her want to squirm.

Fifteen months since she had last seen them, since Wade said they were moving to California to finish their degree and she had lost touch with them. And yet, being with them made it as if it had only been a couple of hours.

Although time away from them hadn’t stopped the tightening in her belly, the way her mouth went dry whenever she saw them, or the yearning to touch them and keep on touching. That had actually increased. Hugging them briefly was not enough to calm it.

She must be starved of male attention if she was thinking of running her hands, and then her body, all over three people who had been really good friends.

You’re starved of sex. No sex or affection from a guy for a short period of time, and you’re already going loopy.

But a girl can think about it, can’t she?

The rain had eased off a little as Matt entered a neighborhood in Queens, turning into a house at the end of the street. Chantelle leaned forward and stared at the house.

“This is where you live?”

“It is.” Matt grinned at her. “It’s not much, but it’s ours. Even if it was murder getting the deposit together.”

“Not much? It’s bigger than our student digs!” Bigger, even, than the house she had moved into on Rancho Mirage, and Wade had called that enormous. “How long have you lived here?”

“About six weeks. We were living in an apartment in Brooklyn. That was...very different.” Matt unbuckled himself. “Darren, get Chantelle inside. Cedric and I will get the car into the garage and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Okay.”

Before Chantelle had even taken her seatbelt off, the door was open and Darren was leaning in, giving her a smile that made a throbbing begin between her legs.

“Come on, sweetheart. It’s a lot drier inside.”

Chantelle wasn’t sure how she managed to get out without her legs giving way. How was it Darren could look at her with a smile and she was weak at the knees? Four years from the first time he looked at her, and he still had the same effect.

Clutching her bag to her, Chantelle allowed Darren to wrap an arm around her shoulders and lead her to the house. Darren unlocked the door and allowed her inside first, kicking the door behind him.

“Give us your coat. Then head into the living room. I’ll join you in a moment.”

Chantelle was glad to take off her coat. It had been very flimsy against the rain, sticking to her like a damn band-aid. She put her bag down and started to peel away the waterproof jacket, but it made her grimace. Yuck.

Darren chuckled.

“Do you need some help?”

“I...that might be useful.” Chantelle licked her lips and turned around. “Would you mind?”

“Not at all.”

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