Page 36

Kota

I wasn’t sure what Crew was trying to accomplish by walking around shirtless every chance he got.

I would though, be lying if I said it didn’t have any effect on me.

Before our rueful hookup, seeing him shirtless didn’t bother me in the slightest. Had I always thought he was attractive? Especially shirtless? Well, yeah. But after actually having the bare skin of his chest rubbing against me and running my hand over the prominent ridges on his stomach, the view was a bit more arousing than it used to be.

For the first two or so days after we hooked up, I could tell he was mad at me. Why, I still wasn’t sure. He practically went back to ignoring me like he used to. Leaving the room whenever I walked into it. Refusing to look at me. Pretty much taking my request a bit more literally than I’d meant for him to. We were right back to square one.

After those first few days passed of him ignoring me, he began acting similarly to how he had been right before we hooked up. Being civil. Not acting like my presence was a curse. Sometimes even making conversation.

Finals were right around the corner, and I had a neurobiology study guide to finish. After my classes, I went home and took a power nap. Then, I moved my school stuff into the kitchen because I kept getting distracted in my own room. I could’ve gone to the library or Starbucks, and honestly, I probably would’ve been more productive there, but I was rocking my panda bear pajama pants and a soft long sleeve, and I was far too comfortable to change to go out in public.

The first page of the study guide was a piece of cake, being mostly definitions and true or false questions. The last two pages were all short essay questions, which I hated most. I thought about saying screw it and turning it in how it was, considering it was for extra credit, but I needed the points to cushion my grade.

I’d been able to maintain a high B throughout the semester, but this final would probably be one of the hardest I’d ever have to take, so I wasn’t trying to play it risky.

Although this would be my hardest final, the others wouldn’t be far behind in terms of difficulty. Aside from a final in neurobiology, I also had biology of sensory systems, bioethics, pathology, and developmental genetics.

In other words— not a good time.

Sometimes I regretted choosing my major, and wondered how much easier my student life would’ve been had I done something less demanding or confusing like business or journalism.

Then, I would’ve been able to have a job during the school year. Instead, I spent numerous hours six out of seven days a week doing schoolwork, and spending almost every waking second over the summer working, just to save enough money to not have to work during the semester.

I was trying to divide my time this week between each of my classes to ensure I was prepared for all of them.

It was becoming harder to do that though when I kept getting distracted.

For what seemed to be the hundredth time since I sat down at the kitchen island today, Crew strolled in whistling. Of course, with no shirt on. But this time, he wasn’t wearing pants either. Only boxers.

Each time he’d come in earlier, he seemed to do something quickly and leave. Grabbing a cup of water. Making a protein shake. Bringing his dishes back and putting them in the dishwasher.

But this time, he headed straight to the fridge, and when he started pulling out ingredients for scrambled eggs and toast, I knew I might’ve been fucked.

Because it meant he’d be here for a while.

He cracked a breathtaking smile at me, pretending like what was happening was normal. “Hey.”

I kept my eyes down. “Hey.”

“Studying?”

“Yep.”

The last time I saw Crew wandering around the apartment in just boxers was shortly after we moved in and I walked in on him and that girl.

I hated him then.

I hated him now.

But I think this time, he’d somehow managed to land himself higher up on my hitlist.

When he had his back turned towards me, the weaker side of me gave in and I peeked.

It seemed like every square inch of his body was just pure muscle, and every time he shifted, making even the slightest of movements, some muscle on his body seemed to flex. Not to mention how phenomenal his ass was. Having him as my roommate was like dangling a treat in front of a dog.

I was relieved that lust wasn’t tangible, because if it was, he’d be able to see mine growing by the second.

The reason within me was trying to remind me that I was drooling over Crew . And even though we’d hooked up, we still weren’t friends.

Yet at the same time, the human part of me, AKA my biological instincts, were telling me to go tackle him and take him right here in the kitchen.

Flashbacks of the night in question raced through my mind, glimpses and noises all coming back to me.

The deep, sexy moans rolling out of his muscular chest as he buried himself inside me, barely fitting. My lips buzzing as he slowly ran his tongue over them. The shivers left in his hand’s wake as they slid all over my body. The satisfied cries leaving my overwhelmed, breathless lungs.

Maybe the lust swimming through me was tangible. Because I wasn’t sure what look was on my face as he turned back around, but whatever it was, it was enough for him to give a criminal smirk.

He was playing a game.

And for the first time, I wasn’t trying to play.

The look in his eyes was mischievous, but somehow serious all the same.

My head dropped back down to my work. I could feel all the blood in my body rushing to my face. I hated that I’d been caught.

Either way, it was too late. I’d seen too much of him to calm my body down with just self-talk.

There was a throbbing, aching feeling low in my core, a tingling between my thighs. I could feel my body temperature spiking upwards, too stimulated by the thoughts.

With a huff, I scrambled to gather all my schoolwork, not wasting time to shove it into my bag before speed-walking away.

I could practically hear his satisfied smile. “Bye, I guess.”

I threw a middle finger over my shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

The next twenty minutes were spent relieving my body, and unfortunately, I hated to admit it, but Crew’s face was in my mind the whole time.

After that, I threw on actual clothes, grabbed my schoolwork, and headed to fucking Starbucks.