AVA
I was in the bath when I heard an abrupt knocking, then shouting, then a crash, then a stampede as someone was running in my apartment. I gasped, starting to jump up just as the footsteps arrived at the bathroom. The door flung open, and Zeke was there, his eyes wild and panicked.
We both stopped in shock, but I remembered I was almost standing up, in my bath, and I was naked. Yes, we’d had sex, but that was in the throes of hotness. Me in the bath, not so much hotness happening here.
I dropped back down, thankful for going crazy with the bubbles, and scowled at him. “What are you doing here? Did you kick in my door?”
“Uh yeah. I owe you a door, but it’s okay for now.” He was scanning the room, raking a hand through his hair. He didn’t answer right away.
“What are you looking for?”
“Booze. I don’t know.” Not seeing any, his eyes jerked back to me. The wildness had not dissipated. “Are you okay?”
“Yes! I’m in the bathtub.” I was seething, embarrassed, and happy he came over. How messed up was I? “What are you doing here?”
He stepped inside, moving to sit on the closed toilet. He leaned forward, but he wasn’t watching me. I could relax a little, moving farther back. He said, “You never text me or call.”
I bit down on my bottom lip. Why was my heart skipping a little here? “That’s fine. I was…” Terrified. Feeling crazy. “Bored.”
His eyes shot to mine and narrowed. “You’re lying.”
I looked away.
“Look.” I could hear him shifting so he could see me more fully. “Blaise is in town. That’s the only reason I didn’t race over immediately, but you sent that one text, and I was already here. If that makes sense?”
It had me feeling a certain way. A good way.
I moved the water around a little. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your bromance time with Blaise DeVroe. I know how much you love him.”
I risked a look and saw the slight grin on his face. His eyes were firmly trained on where my breasts were located under the water. I sank a little lower, and his gaze jumped back to my face. His grin just widened. “He told me to get my ass over here.”
I almost hiccupped. “What?”
“Huh?” His gaze went back to my boobs.
“Zeke!”
“Yeah?” His gaze never moved.
“Your best friend knows about you and me?” And also, what did he know? Thinking on it, what was there even to know?
“I guess. Screw it.” He stood, taking out his phone, his wallet, and his keys. He put them all on the bathroom counter. His shoes and socks were next.
“What are you doing?”
“That’s a big tub.” His pants came off.
“Zeke!”
His shirt, and whooooooaaaaa… Zeke worked out. Zeke worked out a lot. He was fully muscled, and his stomach was all sorts of hard. I had not fully appreciated his physique during the one time we had sex or the hugs or even the cuddling we did that night. My mouth was salivating because I was all sorts of appreciating it now.
He was in the tub in the next second, and I half-shrieked, scooting back as far as I could. It was a big tub, but not that big. Before I could move any more, he reached over, took hold of my waist, and I was lifted in the air, and then he maneuvered us so I was between his legs, my back to his chest, and I could sink down in the water.
Oooooh.
This was… This was amazing, and relaxing, and then his hand began moving over my leg and I was burning up from a whole different reason. “Zeke!”
He chuckled right behind my ear, and even that, with his baritone, sent sensations through me. I didn’t know how to handle this, any of this.
“This is way better.” He moved again, and I felt him press a kiss to the back of my neck. He began pouring water over me as he kept kissing my neck, his hands beginning to stroke over me at the same time.
If my grandmum were alive and if my mom were still living with me in the house, and this had happened, I would’ve considered this day heaven. And at the reminders of all the changes in my life, I tensed.
Zeke lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”
I sighed, settling back into him. “I wanted you to come over because this is my first night here. I’ve never not lived with someone—”
His arm muscles bulged, on both arms. He asked, cutting in roughly, “Do you like it?”
“What?”
“Do you like living alone?”
“I haven’t experienced it. I can’t answer that.”
“Move in with me.”
“What?!” I jerked forward and twisted so I could see him.
As I was learning, Zeke just took care of the problem.
He lifted me up, in all my naked gloriousness, and flipped me around so as I came back down, I was fully straddling him. We both paused at the feeling of him against me, but then I leaned back. “I just moved in here.”
He shrugged, his gaze skirting from my mouth to my arm. He began tracing circles on my sides. “You don’t like living alone. I didn’t know that was the issue.” His gaze moved to my eyes. He was somber, almost earnest. “I have that huge house. You could take an entire floor if you want. The basement is renovated to be its own living space. You could have that or the second floor. I don’t care. I don’t really like living alone either.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “I’m always around people, or most of the time. High school, I was always partying. College, I was either at the frat house or I was with Blaise or his brother’s group. I bought this house a year ago, and I get it. It sucks living alone. Move in. You can be my roommate.”
“You are serious.”
A second nod, and his mouth moved into a serious line. “Sex or not, you’d be the perfect roommate. And I mean that. If we’re not having sex, that’s cool.”
“I just moved in. I paid for the first month and I signed a lease.”
He leaned back, a cocky smirk appearing. “I know a lawyer. He’ll break your lease before he’s even had breakfast.”
I didn’t know who he was talking about, but I was surprised and kinda not at the same time. I let out a short laugh.
“What?”
I shook my head. “You’re flashy. I’m not. You live in the fast lane, and me, I’m a tortoise in the slow lane. Sometimes I forget what your life is like when you’re with me.”
“Ava.”
He sounded so serious.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re clueless about how many people care about you. I don’t know if I should find it adorable or concerning. Or both.”
I tensed but shook my head. He was being his crazy self right now.
“How about it?” His hand went to the back of my neck, and as he pulled my head toward his, his hand slid up into my hair. He cupped the back of my head. “Wanna be my roommate?”
My breath caught and held in my chest. That was nuts. Me in Zeke’s huge mansion? “You bought that place?”
He nodded, leaning even farther. “Yep. With my own money. No inheritance, nothing from my folks. I think it drove my dad crazy but made him hella proud at the same time. My house is almost as big as theirs.”