Page 9 of Roommate Wanted (Knotty #1)

Nia

The heat was killing me. I twisted the knob until the water turned cold, but it didn't stop the burning need inside of me. I stepped forward, shivering, when the spray of water cascaded down my breasts. Lyall’s grey sweatpants and tight-fitted white t-shirt made my fingers creep down until—

No.

What was I doing?

Goddammit.

Was I the Single White Female?

But that thick bulge in his pants. Why didn't he have the decency to wear some underwear? No, he was showcasing the elephant trunk in his pants.

With a groan, I turned the shower off. I would not creep on my flatmate like a pervert. I’d been too scared of Amara’s reaction, so I didn't tell her Lyall had moved in. Tomorrow. I promised myself. Or I could text her and take the chicken’s way out. Yes, a cowardly retreat sounded perfect.

I yanked the towel off the rail and dried off. The cold water had been refreshing, but the ache at the pit of my stomach churned until I rubbed my thighs together. The delicious friction made me quiver for relief. The heat began to radiate again.

“Dinner’s ready,”

Lyall said with a knock on the door.

His low rumbling voice and the Scottish brogue made me ache a little more.

“I’ll be out in a minute,”

I said, hoping my voice didn't sound as strained as I felt.

“Ah cannae wait. Our first dinner together,”

he said, making me smile.

He was so sweet to cook for both of us. Addison never made me dinner, but then again, I never made anything for her. I sighed because it didn't matter. All that mattered was that rent would be paid this month, and I wouldn't receive an eviction notice. The last thing I wanted was another lecture from my parents about responsibility and a stringent budget plan.

I wrapped the towel around me and put my slippers on before rushing back to my bedroom. As I combed my hair, my gaze wandered to the drawer beside my bed. My toy barely took the edge off these days. I thought of Lyall’s bulge. Perhaps it was time to buy a new vibrator—something a little more powerful and a few inches longer.

**

The food was simple yet decadent. The beef broth was so rich that it was sticky, and the meat melted in my mouth. His ‘tatties’ turned out to be creamy mashed potatoes with fresh parsley through them. They were addictive. The wilted chard was seasoned and complemented its hearty companions.

“You can stay forever,”

I moaned before shamelessly licking my finger.

Lyall’s intense brown eyes stared at my lips as I finished licking the stray piece of mash. He cleared his throat.

“Wud yae like some more?”

“No, I would devour every last drop of that creamy mash, but it’s no good for my gut,”

I said, rubbing my belly.

“I barely saw Addison. So all this is new to me.”

We sat on the couch with the TV switched on in the background, but the conversation with Lyall was far more interesting. His family owned an actual whiskey distillery. They no longer lived in the Shetlands, where they started, but moved to Argyle. He made the community sound idyllic.

“Dae yae want me tae go intae ma room?”

I glanced at him in surprise, but remembered my earlier comment about Addison.

“No, that's not what I meant. It’s nice to have a little company.”

He set the plate on the table, and my smile vanished when I saw the head of the beast stretched against the material. It had stretched down to his damn thigh.

Free me. Free me.

I closed my eyes, but the tiny dick voice didn't go away. In fact, everything became heightened. The scent of his body reminded me of childhood woodland walks out of the city. Musky, fresh, and so strong. The ache between my thighs made me wince.

“Ur yae okay, Nia?”

His soft voice wooed my eyes open. There was something about the way he said my name. Ni-aah. His voice was low and velvety, like a caress.

His hair fell over his cheek, and I wanted to touch the dark locks. I needed to get closer. Smell him.

Why did he smell so damn good?

“I have to go to bed,”

I croaked out before grabbing our plates and cutlery.

He stood up to help, but the scent of his cologne or body wash hummed around me. It took every last bit of my woman-power not to look down at his crotch to see what his dick was doing.

If I ever found Addison, I was going to kill her.

**

I sighed in relief to see that the office was empty. Amara couldn't lecture me if she weren't present. With any luck, she might call in sick. I frowned because I wasn't a very good friend if I was wishing sickn—

I gagged at the stench.

“Ugh. Oh God. What is that?”

I said, holding a hand over my face and looking around.

“At a guess, I would say it’s Satan’s decaying pus running out of Claire’s orifices.”

I twirled around to see Amara, but she held the bottom half of her teal-gold hijab to cover her nose.

“No, I can't do this. Let’s go to the break room.”

I said, holding my nose while trying not to throw up at her description of the cause.

I raced out of the office, only breathing when the double doors closed behind us. I grabbed a mug from the shelf and poured my coffee in while Amara rummaged through her bag, pulling out a Krispy Kreme bag.

“So, tell me about this Scottish serial killer,”

she said, laying out two napkins.

“I bought you a doughnut as your last meal.”

She’d bought me my favourite—lemon meringue. My cowardly text message had not gone down too well, but she seemed to be a little more chipper about it all.

“He is too sexy to be a serial killer, but thank you for this lemon-y goodness,”

I said, sitting beside her to grab the sugary treat.

“He made dinner for me last night.”

“Mmm hmm,”

she mumbled while she took a bite out of her strawberry and cream doughnut.

“He isn’t like Londoners. He is from Argyle, and his family owns a whiskey distillery. Why would he want to murder me? I’m a delight,”

I said before taking a large bite of my doughnut.

“Just call me if anything happens,”

she said.

“It’s just weird how Addison vanishes and he shows up at your door.”

“I posted the roommate ad, but I don’t know what happened to Addison,”

I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

I paused and took another sip. The coffee tasted different, as if something was missing. Perhaps the barista used soya milk by accident.

“What’s her full name?”

Amara asked, picking up her phone.

“Hmm. I want to say. Connor or Connelly.”

“How long did you live with her for?”

she asked, rolling her eyes.

“Almost two years and I’m messing with you, it’s Conbury. I tried messaging her on her social media, but she didn’t reply.”

Amara’s eyes locked onto mine.

“I can’t find any account or person by that name.”

She handed me her phone, and I put my half-eaten doughnut on the napkin.

The spelling was correct. I scrolled down the page before moving on to the next three, but she was right.

All traces of Addison’s social media accounts were gone.

**

Following an emergency meeting, Alan announced that we could work from home using company laptops.

Claire was seething, but she would never say anything in front of Alan.

Last night, Lyall said she sounded like a harpy, and it was the perfect description for her.

We had to sit around and wait for IT to release the equipment to us, but at the back of my mind, I wondered what happened to Addison.

All I knew was that she worked nights somewhere.

I didn’t know where her family lived or where she worked.

None of my messages went through to her anymore.

She’d vanished without a trace.