House Rules(15)

He screamed. The mist hit the side of his face, touching the corner of his eye. He grabbed his face and hunched over at the waist, the duffel bag forgotten on the floor.

“You fucking cunt.” His words were slightly muffled by his hands.

“I said, get the hell out of my apartment.”

He snarled, but picked up his bag with one hand and staggered through the door. Of course the sleazy asshole went running. I followed quickly, throwing the deadbolt across because he had a key and could come back at any time.

I grabbed my phone and called a locksmith to come and change the locks. I only had to worry about him coming back that night, and although I had a feeling he’d spend the night whining about his eye and drinking away the pain, it was a relief to know the locks would be changed by the time I got back from class tomorrow.

I sunk to the couch, the familiar softness the comfort I’d been looking for from the moment I’d opened my eyes this morning; something to settle my already frayed nerves. Without Ray’s share of the rent and utilities, I’d have to save even more money to make sure I had enough to pay the rent at the end of the month. But eating out less and making coffee at home would be worth it to have the little twerp gone. Besides, a roommate could help with all of that. There had to be someone on campus looking for a place. I could put notices up in the student union   tomorrow.

I rested my head on the back of the couch and without any prompting or thought, my mind drifted back to the night before, my nipples tightening at the mere thought of the way Miller’s tongue had flicked against them, and how well his body molded to mine.

“Damn it.” I sat up and gave my head a brief shake, which only made it throb harder.

It wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. The sooner I got him out of my head, the better.

Forcing myself up, I trudged down the hall to the bathroom. No matter what the rest of the day might bring, I needed a shower.

Once the water warmed I climbed in, watching as the room slowly filled with steam. That didn’t stop me from standing there, my head under the water, doing nothing to clean my body because images of the night before danced across my eyelids. Of its own volition, my hand sank down my stomach to slip a finger between my folds. One flick of my fingertip and I couldn’t stop the soft moan that pushed past my lips.

But it wasn’t enough. Not now. I needed something . . . more. Using slow, rhythmic circles, I pushed my body further and further, until something snapped inside and the sweet feeling of release overcame me. Panting, I leaned against the shower wall, my mind wonderfully blank.

Hopefully, that was enough to start to help me forget about Miller Hawes.





CHAPTER 5





Miller




Something was off. Like I was reaching for a dream but just couldn’t get my mind to put it together.

Last night was the only time I’d ever let a woman stay in my bed. Most of the night I had dreams about her naked; of the two of us rolling around the sheets in the morning. Every inch of her curvy frame screamed for a good fucking—something I’d given her last night. This morning I wanted slow. I needed to take my time, savor every inch of her.

Stretching, I reached out for Tess but all my hand encountered were cold, empty sheets.

What the fuck?

My eyes snapped open to scan the room. Had she gone to use the bathroom or get a drink of water? There was no sign of her anywhere in the room. I jumped from the bed and ran downstairs, all without bothering to get dressed.

Everything was gone. Her dress, her purse, even the shoes she’d kicked off her feet while we’d sat on the couch talking. She’d snuck out of my bed in the middle of the night. What the hell was wrong with this woman?

For years, women had thrown themselves at my feet, begging for one night, hoping I’d let them stay through into the morning. Finally, I let a woman sleep in my bed, and she snuck out before I even woke up.

Whether it was anger, frustration, or something else I didn’t want to recognize, I ran back up the stairs to look for my phone. Maybe she’d left me a message.

But there was nothing, not even one missed call. I almost threw my phone across the room. That was the moment I realized I was acting like a moody adolescent. That shit had to stop. Tess, no matter how intriguing, was just another girl.

I dropped the phone on the counter and jumped in the shower, hoping to wash away all of the bullshit with a little soap and some hot water.

Once I finished drying off, I walked out to the bedroom to grab some clothes. I saw the flashing screen from the phone. Hoping to see a message from Tess, I snatched the phone up and unlocked the screen.



Dad: Breakfast?

Me: Sure. One hour?

Dad: Good.