Page 93 of The Compass Series

AALIYAH

T he hardest part of living with Connor was that he was insanely attractive and kind.

It truly should’ve been illegal. No one should’ve been that handsome and nice—it ruined all other men.

One of his favorite hobbies was to walk around shirtless on the regular.

Some days, he’d come into the living room area dripping in sweat, and my lady parts tingled as if they hadn’t seen a shirtless man in ten years.

It wasn’t only his fit, muscular body that oddly turned me on, though. It was the way he went business mode on phone calls and spoke as if he was the HBIC—head bachelor in charge. He was thorough with every conversation he held and spoke with authority. His strength was sexy.

On the flip side, his bad jokes turned me on, too. Just watching the way his mouth moved when he spoke, how sometimes he’d bite down on the corner of his lip when he was trying to recall a punchline. Sexy.

And when he cooked? Holy crap. He turned me on when he made eggs. I was hot and bothered when he burned toast.

His laughter, his frowns, his goofy smirks.

Everything about him pulled me in, and I didn’t know if once it was time for me to move on, I’d be able to let go.

The more he existed in my world, the more I craved for him to stay.

The more I hoped he’d notice me as more than his roommate, more than his friend.

“You sure this looks okay?” Connor asked as we stood inside an old warehouse for his photo shoot for Passion .

He was dressed in a designer forest green velvet suit that fit him in all the right places.

His hair was gelled back, and he had a makeup team touching up his face as I stood nearby watching.

The whole crew around us was setting up for his photo shoot with one of the top photographers in the industry, Jean Paxon. She’d shot for the royal family in the past, so having her at our shoot felt extraordinary.

“You look amazing,” I told him as I held his coffee and my tea in my hands. “Besides, there will be outfit changes and whatnot. You’re in the best hands, and remember, you’re already a pro at this kind of stuff with your TikTok.”

“Uh, this is kind of more advanced than some silly social media app. They have like fifty lights set up! Plus, this magazine is going to be in stores. The last thing I need is to end up taking crappy pictures because of my ugly face.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have an ugly face, Connor.”

“You think I’m pretty, Red?” he said in a whiny, annoying voice.

“No. You’re hideous. Your nose is crooked, your lips aren’t full, and your eyes are too far apart—but we can fix all of that in editing. I just need you to get a somewhat decent shot so I don’t lose my job. Now here, take the coffee and stop whining.”

He smirked and nudged me in the arm. “Aw, I think you’re kinda pretty, too.”

What a dork.

“Also, I like your lipstick. Red on red. That’s a good color on you.”

My cheeks flushed.

I hated that I loved when he complimented me. It only made me secretly want him more.

If he felt any kind of nerves about the photo shoot, I couldn’t tell at all.

The moment he was given direction from Jean, Connor fell right in line.

His skill at looking professional yet sexy as hell was impressive.

He also came off as soft and approachable in some of the laid-back photos he took.

I loved the stills of him laughing the most because they captured his heart.

When it came time for the shirtless photographs, which Jean insisted on taking, my cheeks heated up instantly.

“Holy shit,” a crew member muttered beside me as she stared at Connor’s rock-hard body. “I can only imagine what’s hidden in those pants.”

Thor’s hammer, ma’am.

Thor’s hammer rested inside those pants, and it had powerful force behind it.

Did you know if you looked up the word Connor on Urban Dictionary, you’d find the second definition to say it stood for a huge penis? I couldn’t make that up if I wanted to, and from my own personal observation, it seemed Connor’s name was very fitting for his…assets.

Sometimes, my internet searches took me to odd places.

“Is he seeing someone?” she asked. “I might have to shoot my shot.”

The hairs stood straight up on my body as she said those words. “Uh, yeah, he’s seeing someone,” I lied.

Yup, that’s right, I lied.

I lied because the idea of any woman shooting her shot with my guy—err, my roommate —made a rage begin to rumble inside me.

Who did this woman think she was talking about shooting her shot?

Talking about his privates? Had she no shame in drooling over a grown man who was simply trying to do his job?

He’s not a piece of meat, lady! He’s a human being! Have some respect.

Also, did she not pick up on my context clues?

I’d been throwing them out all day. I wore red lipstick because I’d hoped Connor would notice—which he did.

My blouse wasn’t buttoned all the way to the top.

Actually, two buttons were undone, thankyouverymuch .

Also, my calves were on full display and looked amazing in the four-inch heels I would regret later that night due to foot pain.

For goodness’ sake! Did she not notice I was on the verge of physically humping his leg on set? I was seconds away from throwing my bra at his face. My red bra. Red!

How didn’t she see that? Didn’t she pick up the vibes I was spewing?

The level of disrespect was disgusting. Connor Roe was off-limits.

I tilted my head, not taking my eyes away from Connor’s abs.

“Gosh, lucky girl. I’d give anything to have just a day with him.”

“I know, right?”

“And his lips…shit. I bet he could do the craziest things with that mouth of his. I’m probably going to dream of that man tonight.”

Don’t you fucking dare!

I almost felt bad for lying to her, but was it really a lie?

She asked if he was seeing someone, and Connor kind of was.

Me. He was seeing me. He saw me in the living room, the kitchen, and on the rooftop.

He saw me doing yoga some mornings, and he saw me at the dining room table at night.

You could basically say we were getting pretty serious.

Oh, God. I was losing my marbles. Connor needed to put on a damn shirt ASAP.

For our last location of the day, we moved to Central Park, where Connor wore gray slacks and a button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked perfect in the most effortless way. I couldn’t help but notice people—men and women—passing by and taking in how handsome he was.

It was impossible to not take note. If he hadn’t been in real estate, he could’ve easily been a model.

“Red, get in here,” he said, snapping me from my thoughts that had been all about him. “I need some shots with you.”

I laughed. “Oh no, I’m good. I’m better behind the camera.”

“No. I need shots with the one and only person who’s ever interviewed me. This is a big milestone, so come on.”

“It is a good idea,” Jean agreed. “For the records. Even if not in the magazine, it will be a nice memory. Come on, will you?”

I looked down at my overtly exposed chest, and then I heard Connor groan. “Stop it. You look breathtaking as always,” he said, waving me over.

The hesitation was strong, but I didn’t want to keep the crew from packing up and finishing their day. Maiv would kill me if we went over our time slot and spent more of the budget.

I hurried over to Connor, and he quickly instructed me on the positions we were supposed to take. “Just pretend we are a power couple, like Harry and Meghan, or Beyoncé and Jay-Z,” he whispered. “Stand back to back with me,” he said.

I did as he told me.

We stood back to back, side to side, and then, without prompting, he scooped me into his arms and swung me around, making me crack up laughing.

“Oh, my goodness, stop, Connor!” I screeched, but he kept going, spinning me round and round, faster and faster until he brought me back to solid ground. I felt dizzy and lightheaded. As I began to stumble a bit, he caught me, holding me in his arms.

He rested his forehead against mine, freezing my movements, and it felt as if he’d frozen time. “Sorry, too fast?” he whispered.

“Too fast,” I replied.

“I’ll take it slower next time.”

I laughed. “There won’t be a next time.”

“I think we’ll have a lot of next times, Red,” he said, his breaths falling against my lips.

His lips were close to mine. Were his lips always that close? Were they normal roommate distance apart, or was he going to…?

Oh, boy.

This boy.

For a moment, I forgot we were in the middle of Central Park.

For a moment, I forgot a photo shoot was taking place.

At that moment, all I felt was his heat and mine, and all I wanted to do was fall into him and taste his lips, allow him to taste mine, and then take him back home for more of the same.

“Okay, I think we got it,” Jean said, breaking me away from the fairy-tale story I was making up in my mind.

I took a step away from Connor and looked up at the crew, who were all staring at us as if they’d just walked in on us having sex.

The embarrassment hit me fast, but I tried my best to shake it off.

I clapped my hands together and cleared my throat. “Okay, everyone, that’s a wrap.”

After the photo shoot, we headed home, and I decided to allow myself a cheat meal for the first time in months. My meal of choice: Chinese food.

“I was wondering if you’d like to come down to Kentucky with me,” Connor asked as he unloaded enough food for an army. When I told him I was going to have a meal off my regular plan, he decided to order almost everything on the menu to celebrate the occasion.

“Kentucky? Home base?”

“Yeah. I was thinking of going down there for a weekend to visit. I thought it might be good for the article to see me in my true Southern element. To see the past of where I began. My roots.”

I smiled. “I think that would be a great idea. Maiv is all about us writing articles with the complete heart of our subjects, and from what you’ve shared with me, your mom is a big part of your life.”

“The biggest,” he agreed.

“How long has she been cancer-free?”

“This will be year ten, which…” His smile spread wide. “It’s just really good to hit the ten-year mark.”

“I’m so happy for her.”

“Yeah. She’s been through a lot of hard battles. I still deal with a lot of worry and fear that it will come back someday, but so far, so good.”

“Stay positive. Ten years is a long time.”

“I know. Sometimes my thoughts just spiral, but I’m thrilled she’s okay. I know the invite is a bit last minute, but I’m planning to go down two weekends from now.”

I smiled. “Lucky for you, I have no life. I cannot wait to see what small-town life is all about. I’ve never been to a small town.”

He laughed. “It’s a bit different than the New York life, that’s for sure. The people are everything you’d imagine them to be—gossipy, caring and closed-minded but fun. Everyone’s involved in everyone’s affairs pretty much.”

I rubbed my hands together. “I can’t wait.”

“Just a heads-up, not to sound cocky, but I’m a bit of a superstar down there. I’m like the small-town celebrity, which is ridiculous but also flattering. Last year, they named a street after me. Had a full-blown festival to do it, too. It’s insane, and a waste of money, but they love me.”

“What’s not to love?”

He looked my way and smiled before grabbing a plate to pile high with Chinese food. “I’ll book the flights for us tomorrow if that works?”

“Perfect. I’ll email Maiv later tonight to keep her in the loop of what’s happening.”

“Okay, so we have General Tso’s, egg foo young, shrimp fried rice, and...” He opened a carton and arched a brow my way. “Crab rangoon. What would you like?”

“Everything.”

“Thatta girl,” he said as he began making a plate for me. I would’ve argued that I could’ve made my own plate, but something was so sweet about him wanting to serve me before he made himself a plate.

He handed it over to me, and then after he had his plate in front of him, he sat beside me on the couch, and we both dived into the food.

“I want to give you fair warning that when I bring you home, people are going to assume we are in a relationship because I’ve never brought a girl home before.”

I laughed. “Then we’ll just have to work hard to convince them that we aren’t.

” Even though the thought of us being in a relationship made my stomach fill with butterflies.

Connor was only my roommate and my friend—nothing more, nothing less.

But sometimes, like at the photo shoot today, he’d touch my skin, and I’d feel a million different emotions all at once.

It was as if his touch, his smile, his warmth, his whole persona shot flashes of love throughout my body every single day.

My favorite kinds of flashes of love came solely from the man sitting across from me.

Connor kept talking about anything under the sun, and then, he paused his words and looked at me. His blue eyes smiled brighter than his lips, and I shifted around on the couch cushion.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. I was just thinking…” He laughed lightly and shook his head. “My mom’s going to love you.”

And just like that, his flashes of love crashed straight into my heartbeats.