Page 14 of My Office Rival (Keep Your Enemy Closer #2)

CYNTHIA

I officially hated my roommate. Jason Elliott of the hot body and the constant irritation.

He of the rules and the carefully leashed restraint.

Trapping me against a shelf one moment and making fun of me the next.

I wanted to be a shark around him, but he threw me off-kilter.

I forced myself to relax into the mattress and breathe evenly.

It was going to be a long few weeks trapped in this house with him.

I’d avoided him for the entire day today, except for a brief awkward dance when I’d wanted to brush my teeth and he’d been in the shower.

I snuggled deeper into the bed and texted Margo.

Cynthia

I’m going to freaking strangle this man before the week is up.

Margo

That bad??

Cynthia

He drives me insane. He literally told me it was his house, and he’d do what he wanted.

I rolled my eyes as I typed the message.

Margo

Coming from him…that’s hot.

Cynthia

Andrew has ruined you! Jason is the WORST. Please focus.

Margo

Sorry, but those eyes! That jaw! Come on.

I know you see it.

I did see it. The growl in his voice when he’d told me it was his house and his rules. My whole body had stood at attention.

Cynthia

It doesn’t matter. We are never ever sleeping together again.

Margo

SAD. I need something to live for. Being a partner is boring as hell.

I laughed at that and then smacked a hand over my mouth. Jason could definitely hear me. I knew he was in bed, judging off the creak of his bed frame and the rustling of his sheets. I pictured his big body in that four-poster bed, and my breaths shallowed.

Cynthia

He definitely thinks I’m a wimp.

Margo

What??

Cynthia

I may have opened up to him and he may have laughed at the fact that I wanted to leave the firm for something better.

Margo

Man, fuck that .

Yeah, fuck that. I sighed in frustration.

I needed to be prepared for tomorrow, and I was anything but.

Maybe I should go through my file one more time.

That would make me feel better, more like the shark I could be.

I levered myself up, grabbed my laptop and landed back on the bed with an audible thump.

My phone lit up with another message.

Jason

Some of us are trying to sleep.

I clenched my hand around the phone. I wasn’t going to survive this. He was the world’s most irritating man. I stabbed out a message with shaking hands.

Cynthia

Deal with it. I need to prep.

Jason

Are you doing work right now?

Cynthia

You’re not? It’s 11 p.m. on a Sunday.

It was when most law firm attorneys wrote their best emails. I knew he usually worked late, because I had received many an email from him after midnight.

Jason

Not tonight. Though I do my best work from bed.

Why did everything he said sound like an innuendo? Because you’re obsessed with him , my traitorous brain whispered. Now I was picturing him shirtless, bent over his computer, his abs contracting delightfully over his sweats. I shook myself. This is horrible.

Cynthia

Well, I’ll try not to disturb your highness.

Jason

Unlikely. I can hear everything on your side of the wall.

Cynthia

Well, I can hear everything on yours.

Jason

At least I don’t snore.

Cynthia

As far as you know…

Jason

I’d have to sleep to snore.

Cynthia

If you start snoring, don’t worry. I’ll come smother you with a pillow.

Jason

Breath play. That’s hot.

Breath play? What the hell was that? I switched over to search and opened a private tab. This felt taboo. Oh wow. Was he into this? Heightened sexual stimulation, safe words, safe actions. My stomach tightened, and I quickly closed the tab. I refused to be turned on by this jerk.

His bed frame groaned, and I froze. What was he doing over there?

Cynthia

Just trying to get rid of the competition.

Jason

Get ready for tomorrow.

Cynthia

You don’t scare me.

Jason

Get some sleep. You’ll need it .

I didn’t respond. A moment later, my phone pinged again.

Jason

And I’m sorry about yesterday. I think choosing to do something else is noble.

Huh. He might not be a total jerk. Apologizing was…unexpected. I fell asleep feeling better than I had all weekend.

Jason was in the shower on Monday morning at the exact moment I wanted to be.

I’d slept poorly and despite my shower last night, I needed to shave my legs and air dry my hair before meeting my roommate on the field of battle.

I ground my teeth and stomped downstairs to get a second cup of coffee.

His coffee . “My coffee, my house,” I mimicked and angrily poured another cup.

“I heard that,” he said, and I whirled.

Blue eyes glinting over a freshly shaven jaw, hair tamed with gel, a navy suit highlighting his broad shoulders and long legs. My stomach did a little flip, and I glared.

“Done showering, your highness?”

“Like you said. My house. My shower,” he responded, and winked. “You’re behind, aren’t you? We have a ten a.m. meeting to kick off the diligence.” He raised a brow.

“ Someone was in the shower.” I shot back. “What happened to seven a.m.?”

His eyes glinted with amusement as he settled against the counter. “I went for a long run this morning. Chop, chop.” His eyes dipped to my legs. “Unless you’re planning to wear that to work?”

My fingers twitched to pull the hem of my sleep shirt past the top of my thighs, but instead I leaned back against the counter. My shirt rode up, just to where my black lace underwear was exposed. He jerked back slightly, and I smothered a smile. “You know I’m not.”

“Then hurry up. Wouldn’t want you to be late on your very first day.” He bared his even, white teeth .

“That would be terrible,” I agreed. I crossed one leg over the other. His eyes arrowed to my thighs. His fist clenched.

I narrowed my eyes. I pictured myself slapping that look off his face, then clawing his eyes out. I’d have to settle for this instead.

“Oh, Jason. I wanted some sugar for my coffee this morning. But it’s too high.

Can you help me? Here, I’ll show you.” I set my mug down and reached up to the upper cabinet.

I leaned over just a little, until the cool air kissed the bottom curve of my butt.

His rough inhale lit through me. “Do you mind grabbing it?” I sank slowly back to earth and turned to see his fist clenching and unclenching.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“This.” He waved a hand, his voice slightly hoarse. “You’re practically naked,” he growled.

I frowned. “I thought it didn’t matter. Since we’re roommates and all.

” I glanced over at the clock. “Oh, look at the time. I better shower. Sometimes it takes me…a while.” I sank innuendo into my voice.

He shut his eyes briefly, as if in pain, and I wanted to howl in triumph.

“See you at the office.” I strode out of the room, all too aware of my ass swaying under my shirt and his eyes following my every move.

I locked myself in the bathroom and started the shower, fumbling at the still-unfamiliar controls and wishing he didn’t affect me the way he did.

I pressed my thighs together and tipped my head back under the spray.

That clenched jaw, his rough words. I wanted to press my lips right to where it flexed, wanted to hear dirty words in my ear.

Get it together. Calm, confident, collected.

That would be me today. I repeated the mantra as I enjoyed the hot water.

I reached for my shampoo on the edge, and my hand scrabbled the empty air. I cracked an eye. No shampoo, no body wash, no razor.

“Jason fucking Elliott. I will kill you,” I muttered.

He’d moved them, like he was a little boy pranking me.

I was not going to give him the satisfaction.

I snatched his body wash and cracked the top.

It looked designer, in a black bottle with gold letters and, wow, it smelled amazing.

Warm, woodsy, spicy. My stomach tightened at the scent memory.

His sheets had smelled like this. His skin had smelled like this.

I shook my head, poured a sizable amount into my hand, and soaped.

I repeated with his shampoo and then his conditioner, which luckily were not a two-in-one.

Why did men buy that? In what world would conditioner do the same thing as shampoo?

I looked around for a razor. He must have one in here somewhere.

Preferably a new one, because ew. I pulled back the curtain and spied a silver razor on the counter, with one shiny new head gleaming in the open package.

Perfect. I smiled an evil smile. With each stroke of the blade up my skin, I felt calmer, more myself.

Jason had no idea what was coming for him.

When I was done, I ran a hand down my calf. It had never felt smoother.