Page 27 of Girl Going Nowhere

Rafael turns to me, taking in what little I’m wearing. If he’s as surprised as I am that we’re in the same apartment, he’s really good at pretending otherwise.

This can’t be happening.“Areyou stalking me? Is this all some messed-up dream?”

Half his lips kick upward. “I’m flattered that I’d be featured in your dreams,” he says, leaning back against the pillows somebody gave him. “I was told everybody agreed to let me stay here until my apartment was ready.”

He was told—

No way.

“You’reDante’s brother?”

The other half of his lips curve up at the corners. “In the flesh.”

And flesh is right.

He’s shirtless. Who knows what he has on under the blanket Dante must have given him when he arrived. But what is exposed is… dangerous. Taut muscles covered in ink, broad shoulders, and—

“You’re one of the roommates,” he states, not questions. He mutes the TV and shakes his head. “You never texted me, by the way. I was waiting for it. Even thought my phone was broken. Felt like an idiot when I realized you were ignoring me.”

He’s clearly never been rejected before.

“I told you before, that what happened was fun, but it was supposed to be a one-time thing. It wasn’t meant to extend past North Carolina.”

His eyes roam over me again, giving special attention to my thighs. “Is your pussy still on lockdown?”

I cross my arms over my chest, not willing to let him see what his question does to my nipples. Or the rest of me. “Why do you want to know?”

“Seems like this is a second chance. We keep bumping into each other, you and me. Don’t you think that’s worth exploring?”

Scoffing, I say, “That’s because you want me to get you off again.”

He shoves the blanket off his body and swings his legs over the side of the mattress. The only thing he’s wearing is a tight pair of briefs that leave little to the imagination, even from where I’m standing across the room. They’re tented in the front as he stands to his full height. “That’s where you’re wrong, Blake. It wouldn’t be me getting off this time.”

I blink, not moving an inch. “I don’t understand why you want this so bad. We don’t know each other. You hardly look like the kind of guy who buys into fate. So, what gives?”

He walks over confidently, pace slow, and smirk lifting half his lips upward as he stops just in front of me. “It’s not very often that a pretty girl gets under my skin, but you have. Especially not one that’s piqued my interest from turning me down.”

This is a cat-and-mouse game to him, then. One I’ve played many times in the past. Which one of us is the cat in this scenario? “What are you even doing here, Rafael?”

My attempt to deter the conversation works, but the glaze in his eyes remains. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Dante, and I have time before I need to be elsewhere for work.”

I’m quiet, hoping for him to enlighten me. Dante hasn’t said much about his brother’s visit since he asked if it was cool with us that he stayed here. Out of the three guys, he’s the wildcard for me. He’s not rude but not overly nice. He never flirts. Half the time, it feels like I’m the one starting conversations with him. But it works. I know what it’s like to set boundaries, and that’s what he’s done with me. He doesn’t offer, so I don’t ask.

Rafael’s head cocks. “I think if I kissed you right now, you’d let me. You want to know how I can tell? Because you’ve got a glint in your eye that’s been there since you saw how hard I am.”

It’s a bold statement.

And not an untrue one.

I’m horny and have easy access inches from me. How could I not entertain the idea?

That doesn’t mean he needs to know that. “I told myself not to do this anymore.”

“What?”

“Random hookups.”

“Why?”

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