Page 27

“Good,” I say. “But just so you know, I’m not a sex addict. People keep insisting that I am, but I’m not. Honestly, I’m not.”

“Why do they insist that you are, then?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “Earnestly, it’s not an addiction if I love what I do. I could stop whenever I wanted, but why would I want to?”

“That makes sense.” Laughter erupts from her throat. And wow. She really has the most beautiful laughter.

Pearly, infectious, coming from the heart.

Everything about her seems real, unlike all the fake women back home that are after my money.

“You’re good.” She laughs again before growing silent. “Look, honestly, I don’t really care what you are or what you do. You could have slept with half of the female population in the world, and I wouldn’t care. I want to go home, meaning all I care about is getting this whole thing over and done with. The only reason I wanted to talk is to ask you not to clog the sink with hair and what not—” she points at my crotch “—and please don’t touch my things, not my food, not my private stuff, and particularly not after you’ve touchedyourself.”

Why does her reference to me jerking off make her sound so damn hot?

Ignoring the sudden stirring in my crotch, I grant her an innocent smile. “That’s all?”

“I think so. I’m not looking to hook up with anyone. I’m not interested in getting into more trouble than I’m already in.”

“Done deal, roomie.”

There is a short, heavy silence.

She opens her mouth, then closes it again, surprise apparent in her face. “You’re fine with it? No arguing? No questions? No complaints? Just like that? Because you said—”

“I know what I said, and the answer’s yes.”

She leans back, all tension gone, but I can feel the waves of suspicion wafting from her. “Why?”

“What do you mean why?” I frown in mock annoyance. “Can’t your roommate be friendly with you and agree to your rules for the sake of building a good relationship?”

“Wow. You’re serious then?”

“Absolutely. Now, talking to me wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t.” Her skirt rides up a few inches as she crosses her leg. The way she’s leaned back gives me a good view of her breasts straining against the thin fabric of her top. God, it’s hard not to stare at them and imagine all sorts of things I could do to her naked body.

“It’s all settled then,” she continues, completely oblivious to the thoughts I’m harboring this instant. “You stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine. And if you could slip into something less discomforting,” she breaks off as she catches my face, then adds quickly, “or not. That’s totally fine, too.”

“You’re really pushing your luck, you know that?” I say, amused. “But all right, if it helps you feel more at ease around me, I’ll slip into something ‘less discomforting.’ Even though I’ve got to say, I still don’t get what’s wrong with it.” I consider getting up, then decide against it. For one, I’d rather be in her company than in the confines of my bedroom, unsure what to do with myself outside of my office. And then there’s the tiny inconvenience in my pants. I don’t think she’d appreciate seeing another hard-on—at least, not quite yet.

“It’s called having manners.”

“You keep mentioning that.” I wink. “Let’s not go there again.”

“I don’t know a lot about you.” She shrugs. “So, obviously, I wouldn’t know if you had any or not.”

“Then let’s change that, shall we?” I stretch out my hand over the table. “My name’s Kaiden Wright, but you may call me Kade. Obviously, I’m your new roommate.”

“Victoria Sullivan. Usually no nickname, but you can call me Vicky.” She takes my hand and gives it a firm shake. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, Vicky.”

I let her name roll off my tongue, realizing that it’s both sweet and innocent, and somehow fits her perfectly.

In spite of her firm grip, her hand feels soft inside mine. I marvel at the way it fits like it was made to feel perfect against my skin. She looks into my eyes, and for a moment I think I can see a sparkle that wasn’t there before. Her lips part, and her gaze lowers to my mouth the way it does when women have their own naughty thoughts about me and think they’re being discreet about it.

I would have held on much longer if she didn’t let go.