I wouldn’t say that I wasindulgingthe flirting, but there was no point playing obtuse about it, either. Everyone in the world wanted something. And as long as I was being honest with them about their chances, was it so wrong to use what I had to get what I wanted?
As the episode came to an end and the autoplay timer counted down, Spencer snatched up the remote to pause it. “So, what’d you think?”
“Pretty good.” I nodded, leaning back into the couch.
“Pretty good?” Spencer balked, throwing up her hands.
Leo shook her head beside us. “You’ve gotta give it a season at least. Once it catches its footing, that pretty good skyrockets to fucking amazing.”
I turned to face her, pretending not to notice as my body pressed closer to Spencer’s. “You think I’ll be around long enough to catch a whole season?”
The Major swallowed, an earnest smile playing at her lips. “I sure hope so.”
I shrugged. “Not sure your landlord feels the same way.”
Leaning closer over my shoulder, Spencer whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry, Bunny. We can always hide you in my room if she complains.”
“Yeah, right,” I laughed, sitting up. “As if my own room isn’t stuffy enough.”
Suddenly, concern creased Leo’s brow. “Is the stuff we got you not helping? Do you need me to pick you up something from the store?”
I shook my head, a twinge of guilt biting at the pit of my stomach. “No, no, nothing like that. It’s all wonderful, honestly, it’s just… tight quarters when you spend half the day locked away in there.”
Leo nodded, biting her lip knowingly.
Spencer sighed. “I should be home some more tomorrow. If you want, I can set an early alarm. Give you a few more hours before I leave for work.”
I swiveled in my seat, letting my hand rest on Spencer’s forearm. “No, no, I don’t want you to have to do that. I was just wondering if…”
“If what?” Leo sat straighter, ducking her head to intercept my gaze.
“...maybe I can get some more freedom in the house?”
The suggestion landed with all the grace of a cannon ball, but I doubled down.
“I mean, I’ve been here for days and nothing’s gone wrong. I haven’t even broken a glass. Certainly it seems a bit extreme to keep me locked away in a room all day like some kind of prisoner, no?”
Leo scrunched her nose. “I mean, you’re not wrong. But Dom?—”
“Dom can lock all the doors she wants.” I held her golden gaze. “I’m not asking for full access to the house. Just the kitchen, the living room, and the gym.”
Spencer sighed. “I hear you. But she’s really protective of the South Wing. And once you’re out of your room, there’s not really any locking you out of there.”
I laughed. “I have no interest in that construction site. When I leave here, I’d love to do that without having ingested any asbestos, thank you very much.”
That won a chuckle from Spencer, though Leo’s face was still riddled with worry. “Please? I’d settle for just the living room. I just… need to feel less caged.”
She bit her lip, eyes glimmering as she considered the request. But before she could open her mouth to respond, the front door slammed open, ending the negotiation before it started.
Leo met my gaze with an apologetic shrug. “We’ll talk about it later, alright?”
“Later. You promised.” I slunk back into my seat just in time for Dom’s thundering footsteps to crash over the living room, ruining everything like usual.
I might not know why she hated me, but what I did understand was why everyone in this house seemed to fear her. Maybe that was my problem: she could tell I wasn’t afraid of her tough guy act.
But while normally she would slink off to her room with that stupid pouty sulk, today, her face was beet red. One glance at the three of us on the couch only deepened the color. For once, she stopped in the doorway instead of running to hide upstairs.
Her eyes narrowed as they locked on me. “Still here?”
