More than Roommates

by Jillian Quinn

  There’s no reasoning with Will when he is like this, so I ignore him. Let him be mad. He’s still in shock.

  Mia steps forward to take Will’s hand in hers, forcing him to look at her. “Don’t talk about your best friend like that.” She strokes his skin with her fingers in an attempt to soothe him. “Nothing we say or do will change the fact that we have been sneaking around behind your back. I am sorry.”

  “So am I,” I mutter. “I wanted to tell you, but I had no idea how you would react. Well, I knew you would be pissed, which is why I wanted to wait until we knew what we were doing.”

  He laughs. “Oh, so you thought you would fuck my sister until you grew tired of her so that you never had to come clean with me. Was that your plan, E?”

  “No, of course not. It’s not like that with Mia.”

  “You are just another girl to him,” Will says to Mia, irritated. “Ethan does not date. Whatever the two of you have going on will not end well. I won’t be around every morning to bring you breakfast or rock you back to sleep when you need someone to piece you back together because he broke your heart.”

  Right now, Will is an asshole. But he’s a good brother, always has been. He’d help her with her homework, make jokes when she needed a laugh, and even sang her to sleep a few times. He’s a horrible singer, but it was the thought that counted.

  “He won’t break my heart,” Mia tells Will. “Not again, not after last time.”

  “Mia, open your eyes. Do you see him fighting for you? No. He hasn’t said more than two words. This relationship is one-sided. I know you well enough to know that you are in love with Ethan.”

  Mia pushes her hand onto her hips, causing the silky fabric of her robe to slide further up her bare thighs. “You know nothing about our relationship, Will.”

  “Am I wrong? Are you not in love with him? I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. You have looked at him that way for years.”

  “Yes!” Mia throws her hands in the air. “Yes, I am in love with him. I have loved Ethan since I was a kid. What is so wrong with that?”

  Bile rises from the back of my throat, choking me. Mia loves me. A small part of me had always known that, but hearing the words aloud makes this real. She loves me. Do I love her back? I have never been in love before.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt,” Will says, his tone softening.

  “Sleep on it, okay? Maybe spend some time apart. Give this time to process before you throw Ethan out of your apartment. You guys are teammates, roommates, and best friends. Hear him out. Don’t dismiss him. If not for Ethan, then do it for me.”

  Will sucks in a deep breath and lets it out. “Fine. For you.” He glances over at me with a hard stare. “Meet me at Ollie’s tonight. I need to get out of here before I smash your fucking face in.”

  “I would deserve it,” I admit.

  “Yeah, you would, asshole.”

  Will kisses Mia on the top of her head. “I probably won’t stay here tonight. Don’t wait up for me.”

  She gives Will a tiny smile.

  Then, he removes his keys from his pocket, slamming the door behind as he exits the apartment.

  25

  Mia

  So that just happened. Will caught me in bed with Ethan and naked, of all things. Fuck. I don’t even realize I am biting my nails until Ethan comes up from behind me and wraps his arms around me. He hugs me, the warmth of his body instantly soothing me.

  “I’m sorry, Mia,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “I should have said something to Will. This wouldn’t have happened if I had manned up and told him sooner.”

  I rub my hands over his and look up at him, blinking away a tear from my eye. “We made the decision together. At least Will knows now.”

  “I would have preferred to have the conversation with our clothes on. It didn’t help that Will found us naked and in your bed. If I had a sister, I probably would have beat the piss out of Will for having sex with her. I can’t say that I blame him for being mad. I thought we were going to fight and get it out of our systems, but the fact that he left worries me.”

  “He didn’t mean what he said,” I tell him. “He would never throw you out of the apartment.”

  Ethan laughs. “I would like to see him try. I own half of it.”

  “Ugh,” I grunt. “This feels like a bad divorce. My brother will forgive you. I know he will. Just give him some time. He’s like my dad. Once he blows off some steam, he will get over it and come to his senses.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. In all the years I have known Will, I have never seen him this mad.”

  “Will needs you just as much as you need him. Trust me. You are as much his blood as I am. He considers you his brother.”

  “I guess that makes this even more fucked up then, Sis.” He laughs.

  I shake my head, smiling. “Call me that again, and I will kick you in the balls.”

  “Hey, if you ever want kids, I would not advise that.”

  I stop laughing and still in his arms. “You want to have kids?”

  “Sure. Someday.”

  “With me. You said if I ever want kids.”

  He squeezes me tighter. “I guess I did.”

  “Did you mean that?”

  “I don’t say things I don’t mean. You should know that by now.”

  I wiggle free from his grasp to spin around and face him. “What’s changed?”

  He shrugs. “Nothing. I have loved you since we were kids. Loving you was easy. I just wasn’t in love with you.”

  I raise a curious eyebrow at him. “But you are now?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I hold it, without meaning to, as I await his answer. A short pause passes between us, where he considers my question.

  “Yeah, I think so. But I wasn’t sure what to say when Will had asked me.” Ethan tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and smiles. “I’ve never been in love before. Until you, my life was nothing but parties and women. And hockey. Will wasn’t wrong about what he said earlier. I have done a lot of fucked up shit over the years. I don’t deserve you.”

  “You keep saying that, but I disagree.” I take his hand in mine and bring it to my mouth to plant a soft kiss. “You are what I need, E. I have been in love with you, on and off, since I was fourteen. I am even more in love with you now than I was back then. I might have spent a lot of years hating your ass, but underneath it all, I still loved you.”

  He moves his hand to my shoulder, his fingers slowly traveling up to my face. “I love you, too, Mia.”

  Ethan hooks his arm around my back, and his lips crash into mine. He kisses me with so much intensity and passion that I have to grip his shoulders to maintain my balance. But Ethan is here to catch me. He will always catch me, breathing his life force into me when I need him to bring me back to life. With Ethan, I feel alive, his touch lighting a fire everywhere he touches. Heat spreads down my arms, and with each stroke of his fingers, my skin burns with desire for him.

  The dream I once had of Ethan is now my reality. My heart swells with joy. Ethan loves me. My brother’s best friend is the last person in the world I wanted to fall in love with. But I did. I fell hard.

  Ethan explores every part of my body with his big hands, forcing me to beg him to take me into the bedroom. I need him, need to feel him. He squeezes my ass and lifts me up, pressing his erection against my soaking wet pussy. I’m dripping for him, desperate for him to stop the aching between my thighs.

  Instead of his usual rough touch, he takes me into the bedroom and lowers me onto the bed with care, as if he could break me. Because he can. Only Ethan has that power over me.

  He tugs at the silky belt of my robe, exposing my naked breasts to the cold air. The tiny buds were already painfully hard, even more so when Ethan rolls the pads of his thumbs over them, gently massing me. A soft moan escapes my lips.

  Ethan looks at me, watches me intently, and dips his head down to stick out his tongue. He’s all tongu
e and teeth, my nipple swelling in his mouth. My sex clenches, my insides tightening with each flick of his tongue. Writhing beneath him, I close my eyes and claw at the sheets, the fabric twisted so tightly between my fingers that my hands hurt.

  He stops long enough to remove his boxers and positions himself at my entrance. Instead of pushing himself inside me like a savage beast, he bends down to place his elbows on both sides of my heads, slowly inching his way into me. This is so unlike Ethan. Every sexual encounter we have had, from our first kiss and on, was aggressive and fueled by our constant internal struggle to be together. Now, we are both free.

  But that’s not the change in his demeanor. We are making love. Ethan loves me with his mouth and his cock, as he slides in and out of me. He loves me with every inch of his muscular body. We speak to each other in grunts and moans and consummate our love with each thrust as if we are having sex for the first time.

  Ethan presses his lips to mine, stealing my last breath along with my orgasm. He kisses me hard but not too rough, his body convulsing just as mine eases up. I tighten the hold I have around him, and he groans into my mouth. Our lips separate, but our foreheads are still touching.

  “My perfect little lamb,” Ethan says.

  I brush my fingers along his cheek. “I love you. So much.”

  His lips graze mine, the heat from his breath prickling my skin. “I love you, too,” he whispers, before kissing me again.

  Words I had waited to hear from Ethan for over ten years, stolen from his mouth and sealed with a kiss.

  26

  Ethan

  More crowded than normal, I push through the throng at Ollie’s Pub, nodding at people on my way to the long oak bar. With his back against the wood-paneled wall, Will knocks back a bottle of Heineken. The skinny blonde on the bar stool next to him giggles as if he said something funny. He wasn’t even talking to her, which makes me laugh.

  Stupid puck bunnies.

  His eyes grow wider when I stop in front of him. Setting the beer on the table, Will whispers something to the girl, who slides off the stool in a hurry. She smiles up at me as she leaves, flashing a set of pearly white teeth that are too perfect to be real.

  “You showed.” Will pats the open seat. “Come drink with me.”

  Concern bubbles up in my chest. Will is far too calm after his reaction this morning. I sit next to him and prop my elbow on the bar, leaning over it to catch the bartender’s attention. She takes my order with a smile and saunters off to grab me a beer.

  “About this morning,” I say, turning to face Will. “Look, I’m sorry you had to find out about us that way. I never wanted to sneak around with Mia behind your back, but it just happened. I didn’t plan it out. I tried to tell you so many times and pussied out.”

  Will holds up his hand to silence me. “I have been drinking all day. Ever since I left Mia’s apartment.” He slurs some of his words, though he’s not completely shitfaced. One thing about Will, he can handle his alcohol. “My sister loves you, I know she does. I thought long and hard about this today. I’m pissed at you for lying to my face and for fucking my sister. But I only care about one thing. If you love her back, then I can try to get used to the idea of the two of you being together. But if this is just some fling, I will bash this fucking bottle over your head without another thought.”

  “Kinda harsh, don’t you think?”

  The bartender returns with my beer, and I hand her my credit card to start a tab.

  Will presses his lips together, his jaw clenched in anger. “Answer the question. Do you love my sister?”

  I pound half the bottle in one gulp and set it back down on the bar. Serious conversations require a lot of alcohol. “Yes. I told her this morning after you stormed off.”

  Will pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighs. “Okay…Fuck.” He mutters something to himself under his breath that I cannot make out. “I guess it’s better than Mia hooking up with some random dude I hate. But you know what this means, right?”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “No.”

  “Our friendship won’t survive if you hurt her. Because I will kill you. Do not break her heart.”

  I reach out to touch his shoulder and give him a reassuring squeeze. “I promise. I will take good care of Mia. Isn’t that what you have wanted for her all along? Someone to look out for her.”

  He takes a sip from his beer, staring at me, his face expressionless. A beat passes between us before he bobs his head in agreement. “Yeah, I guess so. All I care about is that she’s happy. If this is what you both want, I don’t have to like it, but I can accept it. Maybe the idea of you two will grow on me over time.”

  “That’s all I can ask for,” I mutter. “I’m glad it didn’t come down to us beating the shit out of each other.”

  Will laughs. “Why? Because you know I would kick the shit out of your punk ass.”

  I smirk. “No, because I would have let you do it just to get out your anger.”

  “Now that’s just stupid.” He shakes his head, amused. “We move back to our condo tomorrow. What are you planning to do about Mia?”

  “Not sure I get what you mean.”

  “Are you going to bring her over to the condo? Is she moving in with us? Like what the hell is going on with you two?”

  “We’re dating, not getting married. At least not anytime soon. This is almost as new for us as it is for you.”

  “Promise me one thing,” Will says.

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t fuck my sister while I am home. I will need lots of fucking therapy if you do.”

  I chuckle. “You already need lots of therapy.”

  “True, but I would need a lobotomy if I had to hear that shit. It was bad enough seeing your bare ass this morning when I went into Mia’s bedroom to wake her up.”

  We break out into a fit of laughter. My friend has returned, slowly but surely, and with each swig of beer he swallows.

  “I can do that,” I promise.

  “This sucks.” Will tilts his head back against the wall and glances over at the wall of expensive liquor bottles behind the bar. “No more talking about girls with you. No more chasing after them together either. I need a new wingman.”

  “Liam would be happy to take a few girls off your hands. You can always give him a call. Just because I’m with your sister doesn’t mean I am dead. I am still your wingman, bro, only in a different capacity now.”

  “You got that right,” he hisses. “If I ever see a girl around you that doesn’t share my DNA, I will kick your ass into next week.”

  I smile at his threat. “Duly noted.”

  “Enough with the talk about my sister.” Will holds the beer in his hand up to mine and taps it. “Drink up, motherfucker. Moving day is tomorrow.”

  As if I needed a reminder.

  It’s my last night in the apartment with Mia.

  27

  Mia

  After one month of living on my own again, I miss having Will and Ethan at my apartment. I didn’t even want either of them there in the beginning, yet somehow, my entire life changed over the course of the last eight weeks. The man of my dreams loves me. I love him back. I always did, though. I think he always loved me too, in his own way. And Will is okay with it.

  The little black dress Ethan had insisted I buy for our date finally came in handy. Ethan took me to a fancy Italian restaurant in the city, complete with all the bells and whistles. He picked me up in a limo, which was total overkill but still awesome. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman minus the hooker part, of course. He also brought me a bouquet of white roses that were died pale blue—my favorite color. Our date was perfection.

  “Give me your keys,” Ethan growls, holding out his palm, still as demanding as ever. But I would not have him any other way.

  I fish the key ring from my purse and hand them over. Ethan gives me a satisfied grin and shoves the key into the lock, pushing his shoulder into the door until it gives
way.

  He holds out his hand and winks. “Ladies first.”

  I smile back and kick off my shoes the second I walk into the apartment. My feet are killing me from wearing high heels. Me in heels. How comical? I laughed when Ethan sent me a pair of black Christian Louboutin pumps that fit me as if they were designed specifically for my feet. Alanna, his personal shopper, really knows her shit. She had my size spot on.

  I crash on the couch in the living room and kick up my aching feet on the coffee table. Just because I scored the sexiest hockey player in the NHL doesn’t mean I have changed one bit. I am still the same old girl who likes her Cheetos out of the bag and vodka from the bottle. I doubt I will ever get used to Ethan pampering me.

  Ethan sits next to me on the couch and lifts my legs so that they are on his lap. He takes my sore foot between his hands and kneads my sole with his calloused fingers. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like someone ran me over with a MAC truck. Better yet, it’s like someone rammed my pussy with one.”

  He laughs. “Stop being so dramatic. I wasn’t that rough.”

  At times, Ethan makes love to me, but he still loves to fuck me until I can barely walk the next day. He did exactly that right before we left for dinner, the effects of his aggression still having a lasting effect on me.

  I lean my head back against a stack of pillows and smile up at him. “You weren’t that gentle either.”

  Ethan runs his hand up my bare thigh and stops before he reaches my panties, my core throbbing and desperate for his touch.

  “I can be gentle,” he says with a wink and his signature smirk. “If that’s what you want.”

  “How about a movie? We could rent one.”

  “Whatever you want, love.”

  Exhausted, I reach for the TV remote and start flipping through the channels, fighting off sleep. It’s only ten o’clock, but I am so exhausted from staying up until this morning with Ethan. With our new living situation, we only see each other on the weekends. So we have to make up the time we missed.