by P. G. Van
“Are you following me?” A male voice cut through her haze of breathlessness.
She looked up, her eyes clashing with the familiar dark eyes, and a devious smile playing on his lips. Her breath hitched when she saw her roommate, her very sexy roommate. He was sweaty, and a dirty image of her licking the sweat off his neck flashed in front of her eyes.
Fuck! Stop it!
“Yes, I am following you. I don’t remember my way back to my apartment.” She laughed trying to ease the tension building inside her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m just out of breath. I’ll be fine.” She rested her palms on her knees looking down at the ground that was starting to spin. She shook her head when she realized she was extremely tired and knew the lack of sleep was catching up with her.
“Amy.” His voice was gruff and sweet at the same time making her want to close her eyes and listen to her name roll off his lips.
She looked up still bent forward, her palms pushing into her knees.
“Can you walk?” He took a step closer to her.
“You’re kidding?” She straightened her back and looked up at him. The last time she had to look up at someone, other than her dad, was a football player she had dated in college.
“You are swaying.” He wrapped his fingers around her arm.
“What? No,” she slurred, and that’s when she realized she was losing control. Sleep was coming to her fast, and she had no energy to fight it.
“Amy, hop on my back. I’ll take you home.” He turned before going lower in front of her.
“No, don’t be silly,” she objected, but all she wanted to do was place her cheek on his slick skin and take in his scent.
“Are you sick?” He touched the back of his hand to her forehead, and his touch was so warm she wanted to use his hand as a pillow and sleep.
“No, I can walk. Don’t…” her voice started to drift, and she felt a vise-like grip around her waist.
“Amy!”
She drifted off into darkness on the sidewalk leaning against a warm body that felt like a concrete pillar.
*****
I want to run the tip of my tongue on his warm skin and drink in every bead of the saltiness. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but her hands wouldn’t move… he is so hot!
She woke up to the noise of a motorbike zooming through the busy street feeling wet in her folds. Her eyes fluttered open as her last memory came flooding to her. She was in her bedroom and was tucked into bed with her running clothes still on. It had to be mid-morning, and she knew her body got the rest it needed by causing her to pass out on the sidewalk.
A chill passed through her when she wondered what would have happened if Sid wasn’t around when she passed out. She knew she would have woken up in a strange looking hospital and freaked out. She lay in bed feeling extremely relaxed—it felt like the stress that had built up over the past few weeks had melted away with one nap.
She lay in bed looking around her room that was her home for the next few months. The apartment was extremely quiet, and she smiled when she heard Sid’s voice. His voice came in clusters like he was talking to someone on the phone. She got out of bed convinced she had a good roommate. He surely was spoiled, but he was a good guy. She pulled her hair into a ponytail before shuffling out of her room.
The sliding door opened without the little squeak she was used to and smiled realizing how handy it was to have a guy as a roommate. Her mouth felt extremely dry and wondered if the weird taste in her mouth was how the combination of hunger and sleep deprivation tasted.
“Yes, I did.” Sid had his back to her as he stood on the small balcony talking on the phone. The French doors were closed, but she didn’t fail to pick up on the frustration in his voice as he continued to talk. Her eyes wandered over his back as they had earlier that day.
She walked to the kitchen to get a drink and yelped in surprise.
“Amy, you okay?” Sid stuck his head through the French doors.
“What time is it?” She looked at the kitchen clock indicating it was a few minutes past six.
“It is late afternoon. Looks like you were really tired.” He smiled, relief flooding his face.
“I’ve never slept this long unless I had pulled an all-nighter.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Looks like you’ve only been partying every night.” He chuckled stepping into the living area from the balcony.
“What happened?”
“Oh… you passed out, and I brought you home. You’ve been sleeping since.” He shrugged smiling.
“Okay… why does this whole area look weird?” She scanned the almost empty living and kitchen area and everything seemed to be in place yet, everything was out of place.
“What?”
“Everything looks off, and I don’t know why.”
“What looks off?” His voice was suddenly calm but firm.
“Look at that plant, the soil looks like a squirrel dug through it, and that end table is against the wall, and I know I had moved it away because I hate to see marks on walls.”
He laughed with pure joy echoing through the room, and she felt her annoyance creep back as he tilted his head back continuing to laugh. “I tried to kill time by pretending to be a good roommate while you slept. Sorry if I messed up your mental map of the apartment.”
“Sorry, I am a bit obsessive about a few things and won’t fail to notice. Thanks for fixing the squeak on my bedroom door.” She smiled sheepishly pouring some juice into a cup.
“It wasn’t a complete waste of time, I hope. I had my buddy who’s a doctor come by and check you out. She told me to keep an eye on you so I pretty much was stuck indoors.” He flopped his body onto the not-so-plush chair and gestured her to sit down.
“Thank you for bringing me home and what did the doctor say?” She sat across from him and took a sip of the orange juice enjoying the instantaneous energy boost.
“She’s not like a real doctor yet, she is a resident at the city hospital. I just needed someone to tell me I didn’t need a real doctor.”
“You told your friend that’s why you called her?” She laughed.
“Yeah, I’ve known her way too long for me to spare her feelings.” He winked.
“Just when I thought I had a cool roommate… you just crushed your own image to death,” she teased downing her juice.
“If I had a roommate to begin with, you are barely around.” He laughed shaking his head.
“When do you start work?” she asked out of curiosity.
“Work?” He looked surprised.
“You are here for work, aren’t you?”
“Well, my work is twenty-four/seven. I have some downtime, but it’s ongoing.”
“Oh… what do you do?”
He looked at her for a long moment. “I’m not at liberty to speak about my work.”
“Seriously? Should I be concerned?” She couldn’t believe the candor.
He looked at her for a long moment before responding. “You have nothing to worry about if you are a law-abiding citizen.”
“What the heck? Why wouldn’t I be a law-abiding citizen when I want to be a lawyer.” She laughed.
“What kind of law?”
“I like criminal law, but I am torn between corporate and criminal law.” She scrunched her nose.
“Interesting.” His accent made the simple word sound so much sexier.
“Where are you from? Your accent, I can’t tell where it’s from.”
“Any guesses?”
“I want to say British, but it’s not pure.”
“It’s part Aussie and part British with a bit of American now.”
“How cool, what’s your story?”
“What’s your story?” he retorted.
“I asked first, and from what I told you, you know more about me than I do about you.”
“This is true.”
“So, what’s your story?” She probed.
&nbs
p; “Went to boarding school in London for a few years, moved to Sydney for my last year of college and now in America for training.”
“What training?” She was curious and was slightly jealous of the guy who had been exposed to so many cultures when she hadn’t stepped out of California in all her twenty years.
“Training to be a good roommate to Ms. Amy and a few other things.” He winked.
“Fine, don’t tell me.” She stood up and walked to the kitchen. “Since you are not an asshole, I will make dinner for us if you don’t have plans.”
“I don’t, and I will help until I get my phone call.”
“You work on weekends?”
“Yes, and that’s why I get paid the big bucks. How do you afford this apartment on your intern budget?”
She turned her head at an angle suspiciously. “When did I ever tell you I was an intern?”
“You didn’t, I found out.” He walked toward her and came to a halt just a foot away from her.
“Really? How?”
“I had a background check done on you after I got the information from the rental agency.”
“What the heck?” She flattened her palms on her hips giving him a death stare.
“You can be mad at me, Amy, but my job needs the extra caution, and I don’t lie,” he declared leaning on the counter looking down at her for any signs or indications of fear but didn’t see any.
She looked up at him feeling tiny standing next to him. “I appreciate honesty any day, and the law firm I work for reimburses a good amount of the cost of my rental.”
“Sweet!”
“I know! It was one of the things I asked for, and they agreed.”
“Great! What’s for dinner?”
She laughed and saw his eyebrow cock up. “I don’t know why, but it annoys me when you ask me that question. You ask with so much authority it makes me feel like you are ordering me to make you dinner.”
“Yeah, damn right it is for today. You aren’t really feather light, and I burned a lot of calories carrying you here.”
She poked her tongue at him surprised at how completely at ease she felt around him. He wasn’t a typical guy who was unsure of himself. He had the confidence to say what he wanted to say with a lot of charm. “I didn’t ask you to carry me to the apartment, and I don’t believe in eating like a bird. I was raised on a farm.”
“I know that already, about the farm thing.”
“Whatever, but you won’t tell me anything about you?” she grumbled.
“I can’t.” He shrugged.
“Fine, what’s for dinner?” she teased.
“Pizza and wings?”
“I can make pizza, no for the wings.”
“Who said anything about making it, order it!”
“Dude, I don’t eat out. I can’t… the food is too stale.”
“What a snob!”
“What did you just say?” She sneered playfully.
He took a step forward making his scent invade her space. “I called you a snob.”
“How dare you?” She reached for the glass of water and splashed his face and took off laughing from the kitchen while he recovered from the shock.
She had barely taken a few steps before he caught her by her wrist, yanking her back to him. “Your background check didn’t tell me anything about your reactions or how much of a snob you are.”
She was laughing hysterically enjoying his irritation as she tried to wiggle out of his grip. He held her pinned to the counter with one arm as he wiped his face with his t-shirt.
“You called me a snob, and I splashed water on you, we’re even. Let me go.” She slapped on his shoulder gently and was amazed at the strength he had to keep her pinned to the counter with his side.
She knew she was pushing it when she reached for the kitchen faucet and turned on the tap. She pulled the extendable cord and sprayed into his ear making him jump away from her.
“That’s what you get for holding me captive.” She laughed turning off the faucet.
He looked annoyed and angry as he tried to empty the water out of his ear. She knew the feeling of submerged eardrums but couldn’t stop laughing as she watched him slap his palm against his ear.
“Sid, can you hear me?” she taunted, and when he turned to look at her with raw anger in his eyes, she knew she was in trouble.
He moved so swiftly, she had no time to run. He held her to him with a burning grip around her waist and breathed fire on her cheeks. “This is the game you want to play, Amy?”
“No, stop. We need to start cleaning the floor.”
He moved closer, his hand melding her body to his as he turned on the faucet and pulled out the cord to spray directly in her face. She gasped in surprise but was soon laughing which seemed to piss him off further. She felt the grip around her waist tighten as she buried her face in his chest to avoid the endless stream of water.
“Are you sorry you splashed water on my face?” he growled.
“No,” she squealed against his chest but refused to give in.
“I will empty every reservoir around San Francisco until you apologize,” he threatened making her quiver deep inside. Quiver with a deep longing and not fear.
“Fine, I’m sorry.” She managed to push him away as soon as he turned off the water.
“Now, you’ll clean up the kitchen,” he ordered.
“What an asshole. I’m not sorry I sprayed water on you, and you will clean up with me.” She fired back fighting novel sensations that had started to stir inside her.
“You will clean up the mess because you started it,” he fumed.
“You can’t make me,” she declared adamantly.
He was back in her private space. “Listen, Amy, I may not be an asshole, but I’m not a good guy. I’m sure it’s all fun and games for you, but it’s time to start cleaning up your own mess.”
She held her chin high and looked into his dark, dangerous eyes. “I won’t do it myself. You made a bigger mess.”
His fingers crept into her damp hair and just when she thought he was going to say something, the words died and seemed to have gotten lost in the thickness of their sexual tension. Her breathing was coming fast, and she noticed he was having a similar reaction.
As if in response to the pressure on her head, she dug her fingers deeper into his arms. She refused to look away from his eyes which held a primitive longing, and she wondered how much she was imagining. His gaze bore into her eyes for a long moment before he looked at her lips that were parted and trembled invitingly.
Her skin burned in spite of the dripping water, and she felt molten lust surge through her as she watched his face move closer to hers. Her eyes rolled shut, and she moaned when she felt his lips on hers. For a confident guy like Sid, his lips were unsure for a moment, and then she was lost. She gasped when his tongue tapped on her lips before entering with dominance.
The hand that was around her waist slid up to cup her cheek, and she dug her nails deeper into the solid muscles of his arms. His hand caressed her cheek while the grip of her hair demanded her submission to the devouring kiss. A kiss she had never believed could be so earth-shattering—like the Disney princess kiss she had laughed at growing up.
This guy kissing her was a complete stranger who she had known for less than a week, and he had an effect on her making her question her resolve.
The moment was intense, and she felt his hunger on her lips, the demand in his grip, and his longing against her belly. She didn’t want him to stop because she wanted it all. Her rational side was tied up and put away in a dungeon as she let him explore her mouth.
Her eyes fluttered open when he abruptly pulled away. She looked at him, his lips glistening with her sweetness, and his chest heaving heavily.
He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Clean up!”
He left the kitchen, and a moment later she heard his phone ringing just as the drumming in her ear started to fade.
Fuck, that was clo
se.
Chapter 3
Sid cursed under his breath before answering his call.
“Hang on.” He stepped into his room and shut the door before saying another word.
“Sir, we are done with the analysis. Every sample we collected did not indicate the presence of another person in that apartment. Her responses to the truth serum test were consistent as well. We are now capturing audio from the apartment,” a male voice reported on the phone.
“Is there anything else we need to check?” Sid’s voice held authority.
“The only person she interacts with outside of the people at work is the homeless guy who camps out at the end of the street.”
“What?” Sid ran his fingers through his damp hair.
“She stops by for a few minutes to chat and gives the person food.” The man on the phone reported.
“Do not ignore any of it. He could be the messenger. You know this jeopardizes the safety of the Swan, and the Eagle will have no mercy on either of us if we don’t get this right.” He barked at the man on the phone. They had to get to the injured guy to find out if they had decrypted the stolen file containing the information about the royal family.
“Understood. I will look into the homeless guy’s background and see if he is a messenger.”
“Thanks, John.” He pressed his fingers to his temple not feeling great about losing his temper and being snarky with one of the most loyal guys on his team.
“I’ve ordered your dinner, and it should arrive shortly.”
“John, do me a favor. Cancel what you ordered. I want pizza for two, and I want it homemade.” He needed to make up to her. There was no way his mission would be a success if he didn’t get her to trust him.
“Got it, sir!”
“Thank you, John. Good work today, and I will be sure to speak to the Eagle about the great work your team did in this short amount of time.”
“Great! Thank you, sir!”
He ended the call and looked up at the ceiling. His heart was still pumping fast, and all he could think of was the warmth that cocooned his tongue a few minutes ago. He felt intoxicated and had no control over his actions. His sense of duty was in question, and he thanked the stars for John’s timely call. He knew he would have ripped her wet clothes off in another thirty seconds into the kiss or if she had moaned like she did one more time.
