I held up my hands. “It’s in the contract.”
She raised her eyebrow. “You mean the invisible contract?”
“The verbal contract.”
“Fine,” she said and swept past me. “Take your shower, or whatever, and I’ll tend to my domestic duties.”
Thirty minutes later and showered, I walked out in sweats and a tee to find Elise in the kitchen wearing herHot Stuffapron, which was a good sign. She never made food without wearing that thing.
I sat at the peninsula, and she set a plate in front of me.
“Pizza?” I said, surprised. “And salad?” She’d heated up a frozen pizza and even added additional toppings. But the salad with cut vegetables was the biggest shocker.
This was a huge upgrade from her normal fare. Call me impressed.
Elise busted out a piece of fabric and handed it to me. “Here.”
I held it up. “Are these…my boxers?” I glanced at her legs, now covered in the jeans I’d bought her that looked damn good, if I did say so. Her top was something black and stretchy the salesperson had insisted would look nice. And it did. Too nice, because it was hugging her curves in all the right places, drawing my attention and holding it.
And then my body froze. “These aren’t… Is this the pair of boxers you were just wearing?”
I’d considered buying her lingerie when I bought her a wardrobe, but figured she’d take it the wrong way and injure me. Now I realized I should have taken the risk.
“Yeah, but don’t worry,” she said. “I only wore them for an hour or so.”
I stared. “Tell me you wore underwear underneath these.” The idea of her bare flesh against the boxers was too much. The partial erection I’d had earlier was now at full mast.
She checked the time on her phone. “Of course I was, silly.” She took off the apron. “Are we good here?”
I frowned as she rushed to put away dishes she’d used to prepare the food. “Where are you going?”
“Date. Sophia convinced me to try this new app her employees were talking about.” She closed the dishwasher and dusted off her hands. “She’s worried this fake-dating arrangement will ruin our friendship, and she wants to make sure things stay platonic. Toodles!” She finger-waved and walked out the door before I could catch my breath.
More dating?
It wasn’t until she was gone that I realized there was no way she could have done laundry and made dinner in the last thirty minutes. Which meant the only underwear I had for tomorrow were the ones in my hand. The ones that had caressed her long tan legs earlier. And other bits.
Fuck.
ChapterFifteen
Jack
The entire secondweek of our four-week living arrangement, Elise was driving me absolutely insane. She’d finally washed the laundry, and she’d made a couple of decent meals, as though she was thinking about my cholesterol. And she’d also gone on at least a half a dozen dates.
Some might think she was avoiding me.
The food was no big deal, nor was the laundry. I could do those things just as easily as she could, though for the first time since I was thirteen, a woman had done them for me—and I’d liked it.
I never cared for a woman to do anything for me, but for some reason I liked it so much when Elise did that I’d turned into an asshole and insisted on it. I’d suggested the arrangement so she’d feel comfortable moving in and not paying rent, and here I was demanding she tend to household duties.
The frozen food tasted better when Elise prepared it. Maybe the extra toppings she put on the cheese pizza or the way she folded the clothes made the difference—I didn’t know. But I liked it better. I also liked the way the apartment felt with her in it. Which was why I was about to lose my mind with her going out every night.
And because she was spending her time with other men.
I’d just clicked out of email in my home office when she knocked on my open bedroom door. “Have a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
