Page 6 of Loud Hot Roomie (Taboo Streets #4)

Riko

I scratch out a line in my notebook and groan in frustration. Time is ticking away until Derek gets home from work, but I still don’t have a plan in hand. It doesn’t help that I’ve been in a lot of pain today.

And now I’m waiting for a heaping helping of it.

“Riko,” Drew says as he walks to the reception area of the physical therapy clinic he owns. “Casey’s ready for you.” Then, to his wife who’s sitting at the front desk, he says, “You’d know that if this one actually did her job for once.”

Sophia is a menace. She lives for picking at her husband. The dude must get off on it because he keeps her around. That shit would get on my nerves, but he likes fighting with her.

I flop my notebook closed and rise to my feet, wincing slightly. Casey flashes me a bright smile as I hobble my way over to her.

“Long time, no see, Valentine,” she says in greeting. “Let’s head to your room.”

Apparently I’m a problem patient they like to hide behind closed doors. To be honest, I’m glad not to get dirty looks from other people in therapy. I can’t help it Casey hurts me and I have to say something about it.

“Last time I saw you, you were about to pop.” I chuckle at the memory of her being pregnant. She was miserable toward the end. “How’s the kid anyway?”

“Perfect.” She gestures at the exam table in the room. “How are you? Looks like your hamstring’s acting up again?”

“Nah, just missed seeing my favorite sadistic woman.”

She closes the door and shakes her head. “You act like I enjoy making you cry.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the highlight of your day.”

“I guess we’ll never know the truth,” she says with a smirk. “Hop up there and let’s get you some relief.”

I complain a lot and it does hurt when she beats on me, but it always helps in the long run.

She slaps some goo on my thigh and begins her intense, deep tissue massage that makes me want to climb the walls. It’s like she knows exactly the spots that hurt the most and digs her thumbs into it on purpose. I squirm and thrash, all the while cursing her name. It’s a spectacle.

“I curse your firstborn and all your grandchildren,” I say through gritted teeth. “And your little dog too!”

“I have a cat,” she says sweetly as if she’s not torturing the fuck out of me. “Don’t be dramatic.”

After she massages me until actual tears form, then she sets to stretching me. It’s not as painful but it makes me curse a lot. So much so, Sophia pokes her head inside to check on us.

“Need this?” Sophia asks, holding up a roll of duct tape. “I’d be happy to assist, Case.”

“Go away, psycho,” I call out to her, “or I’ll demand your firing!”

Sophia cackles with laughter. “Drew fires me at least three or four times a day. Your threats mean nothing to me.”

Casey shoos her out of the room and then her expression grows serious. “How’s school?”

This distracts me from the physical pain. “Eh, I quit.”

“Oh,” she says, eyebrows flying up. “I’m surprised.”

“My parents were riding my ass too much—fucking ow, woman!”

“Sorry.” She lets up on her stretch. “How did they take that?”

“Not well.”

“Are you going to elaborate?”

I sigh heavily. “I moved out. Got a roommate. Doing my own shit now.”

“Good for you. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I know this has all been stressful for you. You’re doing something about it and that’s admirable.”

“You’re just trying to distract me from your abuse.”

“It’s working.”

I chuckle until she pushes my leg in a direction it doesn’t want to go. “Fuck!”

“Language,” she chides. “How’s living on your own?”

An image of a shirtless Derek flits in my mind. “Pretty good. Great view.”

“Is the roommate nice?”

“He is,” I say with a stupid grin. “He brought me cookies as a reward for being a good boy.”

Her grin is devilish. “Ahh, so that kind of roommate. Is he hot?”

“He’s so fucking hot,” I complain. “It’s not fair. I want to see him naked like every second of every day.”

“But you haven’t?”

“Nope, because he’s not that kind of roommate. I’m pretty sure the guy was straight until I came along. He’s going through some sort of bi-awakening. I have that effect on people.” I gesture at myself. “You’ve seen this face and have spent plenty of time with me. I’m irresistible.”

She laughs. “I see. You’re probably giving that poor man a heart attack.”

“More like a boner every time I’m around him.”

“Aww, so he does like you. I’m shocked you haven’t hooked up with him. It’s not like you to hold back.”

“Believe me,” I say with a sigh. “I want to. But, he’s my roommate and I can’t afford to fuck up my living arrangements. The last thing I want to do is go back home.”

She contorts my leg into a painful pretzel position that has me crying out “uncle” over and over again. Finally, she releases me and lets me rest a moment.

“From an outsider looking in, it seems like the guy likes you if he brought you cookies. That’s a super sweet and thoughtful thing to do. My husband does stuff like that. Not every partner is that way. My ex sure wasn’t.”

“To be honest, none of the guys I dated ever brought me cookies,” I say with a tinge of sadness. “See why it’s hard not to get all stupid around my roomie?”

My sadist begins torturing me again, but she distracts me by talking.

“Your voice softens when you talk about him. That’s sweet.

I can tell you really like him. It’s probably why you’re so worried about messing things up.

You can always find another roommate, but maybe you can’t find a guy like him? ”

I warm at her words. Sure, I’m playful and flirty, and love to watch him squirm, but she’s right.

Derek is not just nice, but he’s thoughtful too.

He got me the ice pack last night and brought me a treat for cleaning up the house.

And, when I was pissed about talking to Dad, he calmed me down by having a conversation with me. Last night was amazing.

“I don’t want him to get tired of me and kick me out,” I admit, mostly to myself. “But I also really, really want to suck his dick.”

She smacks me on my good thigh. “Don’t be gross.”

“Trust me, there is nothing gross about him. He’s so fucking hot.” I grin at her and waggle my brows. “The dude is stacked. Abs for days.”

Her smile falters and she says, “Looks aren’t everything. If there isn’t personality and heart behind the beautiful body, it’s a waste of your time.”

The bitterness in her voice makes my skin crawl.

“Nah, he’s more than a pretty face. I even saw him try to smile once.”

She snorts out a laugh. “Boy do I know the type. Promise me you’ll be careful. You’re like my little brother. If someone hurts you, send them my way. I know pressure points that will bring a grown man to his knees.”

I knew she was a sadist.

To punctuate that thought, she stretches me in a way that has me howling to the moon like a damn werewolf. I imagine if I had a big sister, she’d be a mean-ass like Casey.

After PT, I get wrangled into Topher and Eloise’s web of laughter. This time, I take it easy, choosing to sit in the grass rather than kick the ball around. They listen well to my instructions which pleases me. When I get them started on some drills, Linda comes and plops down beside me.

“They adore you, Riko. Absolutely adore you.”

“Your kids are cool as hell.”

She beams with pride. “How did the make-up go yesterday? You and Derek okay now?”

“Yeah,” I tell her with a nod of my head. “He was cool. We talked it out. I made him dinner so he basically forgave me on the spot.”

She chuckles. “Food is magical like that. My neighbor, Clara, is always bringing by extra food her parents make. They’re big into baking. Everything is divine.”

I pat my belly over my T-shirt. “Maybe I should make friends with her. I love sweet treats.”

“Clara dates a lot. I’m pretty sure she’s slept with most of the men in this complex.” She frowns at me. “You deserve a dedicated, steady woman.” Her fingers brush over mine. “Someone who can see you for more than sex.”

It takes a second for my mind to catch up to me. Linda is hinting that she could be that woman?

“Oh,” I say awkwardly. “Yeah, so I’m gay.”

She stiffens and then giggles. “Ahhh, well, lucky Derek.”

I wish.

“We aren’t, you know, dating or anything.”

“Still,” she continues. “He scored big getting you as a roommate.” Then, she groans, and subtly points toward a car driving from where the dumpsters are. “Here come the beer bros. Stay away from them.”

Linda is just trying to look out for me, but I don’t like that she seems to have a problem with two of our neighbors so far. I just stood up for her last night with Derek.

The beer bros stop their vehicle in front of me and Derek’s unit just as Derek pulls up in his truck. They each roll down their windows and carry on a brief conversation. Then, the beer bros drive off while Derek parks.

“I’ll see you guys later,” I say as I gingerly climb to my feet. “I need to catch up with Derek.”

The kids hug me, but let me go when I tell them they have to practice a lot if they want to get good at soccer. By the time I make it to the front door of our unit, Derek is walking inside.

“How was physical therapy?” he asks, gesturing at the blue tape peeking out under the hem of my shorts.

“Painful as fuck per usual. How was work?”

“Sweat my ass off. Like usual.”

I peer around to check out his ass. “Nope. Still there and bitable as ever.”

He makes a chuffing sound as he sets his backpack on the table. “Good to know.”

“What did the beer bros want?”

“They invited us to come hang out tonight. They’re having a party.”

I grin at him. “So, we’re going?”

“If I think of something better, can we do that instead?” He unzips his backpack and pulls out another box of cookies. “I really, really don’t want to party with the beer bros.”

I make my way closer to him. “Those for me?”

“Depends,” he rumbles, voice slightly teasing. “Did you do what I asked?”

My blood burns hot with lust. “Actually, no. I fucking suck.”

I could make it up by sucking your dick…

His eyebrows furl together. “Why not?”

“I got frustrated,” I tell him truthfully. “I scribbled out a lot of ideas in my notebook. It’s stupid.”

He steps closer and raises his hand like he might touch me. I’m ensnared in his intense stare. The heat of his body makes me break into a sweat. We both remain frozen.

“Don’t call my friend mean names,” he says, voice low. “Want to skip the beer bros, order pizza, and make a plan with me?”

I mean…when he says it so sweetly, I’d do just about anything he asked.

“If I make the pizza instead, does it get me the cookies early?”

He opens the box and lets me smell the cinnamon and sugar heavenly scent. “That earns you an early treat. You’ll get the rest upon completion of your project.”

I stare at him, trying desperately to figure this man out. I’m almost certain he’s into me. But, if he’s not and gets cold feet after I put a move on him, I’m going to ruin everything. A quick, hot romance isn’t worth this budding friendship.

Don’t ruin this, Riko.

“Fine. It’s a deal,” I say as I snatch a cookie out of the box. “Prepare your mouth. I’m about to give you a taste you’ll never forget.”

The dark, dangerous glint in his eyes makes my cock sing.

Too bad I’m talking about pizza.

Ugh.