Are you sure about that? I appreciate the offer and all, but—I mean, we’re basically strangers.
My last couple of roommates were strangers. It’s all good.
As long as you’re not the type to let leftovers turn into science experiments in the fridge.
That made me laugh, which felt amazing.
I’m not. I promise.
Don’t sweat it, then.
I appreciate it. For now, I think I’m going to try to get some sleep.
Me too. Good luck.
Same to you.
Then I put the phone aside. For long minutes, I stared into space, just trying to quiet my thoughts. I couldn’t say if I felt better or worse after the brief conversation with Jesse. A little less irrationally guilty about moving in with him, at least, so there was that.
The rest—well, I’d just have to sort that out in time. This was only my first night of processing that Selena had been cheating on me.
I was pretty sure I could be forgiven for not having it all figured out quite yet.
CHAPTER 4
JESSE
Pulling up in front of Eric and Selena’s house felt like returning to the scene of a crime. Except the night I’d spent with them had been amazing. They were both hot and insatiable, and we’d all had a great time.
That was the only night I’d been here, apart from picking her up to go out or go to my place.
Shouldn’t that have been a clue, Jesse?
Probably, yeah. But I’d stupidly taken her at her word when she’d said it didn’t feel right for us to sleep together in the same place we’d hooked up with her and her ex. She’d said once her lease was up and she moved someplace on her own, we could “christen every surface.”
Yeah. That wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I was here to help hernow-ex-fiancé move out of their place and into my condo while he got on his feet. While I’d been texting back and forth with Eric about those logistics, I’d offered to help him pack up and move out of the house. He’d accepted that offer without needing any convincing; apparently he wasn’t ready to tell anyone they were breaking up or why. I knew the details, so I wouldn’t ask questions that hurt him to answer right now. Igot that, and I was happy to help. Everything I did for him felt like another grain of sand tipping the karmic scales back into my favor.
I tried to tell myself—and Eric had told me repeatedly—that I hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t known. Sure, a lot of the red flags were obvious in hindsight, but I hadn’t been malicious or dishonest—just stupid.
As I shut off the engine, the two-car garage door opened, revealing an empty bay beside Eric’s Jeep. Made sense that she wasn’t here—we weren’t confronting her yet, and she was still away on her bachelorette weekend. She’d be home tomorrow, which gave us plenty of time to clear out everything Eric owned.
Eric appeared, offering a tired smile and a wave.
A rush of very pleasant but highly unwelcome feelings flashed over me. The first time I’d met him had been at a dinner date for the three of us to discuss the threesome she wanted, and I’d been fully onboard the moment I’d laid eyes on the couple. She’d been utterly gorgeous—a petite brunette with mischievous brown eyes, smoking hot curves wrapped in a little black dress, and a smile that pulled my entire focus to her full lips.
And Eric? Fuck me, but that man was sexy. He was white with dark hair that he kept a little long on top, and his blue eyes made my damn knees weak. That smile—that lip bite while we’d shaken hands the first time—oh my God, yes, I’d been down for anything those two had in mind.
Today, as I got out of the car to help him, I lost my breath. Despite all the guilt and anger and grief, I had that same frisson of desire I’d had when we’d met in the restaurant, except this time I knew what those hands and that mouth were capable of. I knew what he sounded like when he came. I knew what he felt like sliding in and out of my ass.
I forced all of those feelings far beneath the surface. They weren’t why I was here. While it was fun to imagine helpingeach other get over Selena by way of hooking up together, that wasn’t going to happen. Even from across the driveway, it was impossible to miss the shell-shocked look in Eric’s eyes. The last thing he probably had on his mind at all was fooling around with anyone, never mind the guy who’d been screwing his fiancée for most of the past year.
A pang of guilt helped to tamp down all those impure thoughts; even if I hadn’t known it at the time, I was part of the reason his life was a mess. If he was going to get laid to get over her, it wouldn’t be with me.
I cleared my throat as I approached the garage. “Hey. How are you holding up?”
The answer to that was a grunt and a dismissive wave. Then, “I started boxing things up already.”
I nodded. “Sure. Just let me know what goes where.”
