A knock at my bedroom door has all three of us turning our heads. Camden peeks in, his gaze running from Todd who has one hand around my ankle and another in a bag of chips, to Lumi and her head of curlers, to me. “Uh… That huge dude…Trevor? He’s downstairs.”
“Thanks, Big C,” Todd says cheerfully.
“Uh-huh,” Camden replies before backing away.
“At least I wasn’t covered in butt plugs this time,” I mutter.
Lumi snorts a laugh. And then another. She starts taking out her curlers as her chuckles continue.
Todd makes a curious noise. “Is that what those were?”
“I’ll be back,” I say loudly, exiting my room and closing the door behind me. I puff out a breath before heading for the stairs.
I find Trevor in what passes as our living room, nodding along as one of the housemates I rarely speak to…Brian, I think? Brady?…chats his ear off. For a second, I simply stare, trying to see a fraction of what it is everyone else does when they look at Trevor.
Yes, he’s incredibly tall and broad, big even without the extra muscle he’s put on. He’s not smiling, exactly. I suppose someone might call his expression stoic or even cold if they couldn’t see the small uptick at the corner of his mouth that means he’s enjoying whatever maybe-Brady is saying, as well as the clear focus in his dark brown eyes. They might see the ink covering his hands, chest, and neck and not realize those tattoos are a patchwork of love.
They might look at Trevor and reduce all he is down to a few simple words. Large, strong, unafraid.
I even thought some of that myself when I first saw him.
But I never feared Trevor’s strength. I was…in awe of him.Amin awe of him. Because he makes me feel strong, too. And that’s something I’ve rarely felt in my life.
Trevor finally notices my presence at the edge of the room, his lips jumping into a smile. I nearly groan at the sight of such automatic, earnest adoration.
Fuck. I’m doomed, aren’t I?
“Hey,” Trevor says, giving my housemate a parting nod before heading my way. “You look nice.”
I huff and glance down at my sweats. “I haven’t changed yet. Want to wait upstairs with the rest of us? Should only be a minute.”
“Sure,” he says easily. “Should I act like I need you to lead the way?”
Scoffing lightly, I wave him on, pretending I can’t feel the heat of his stare on my backside as he follows me up to the second floor.
I knock and stick my head into the room. “Safe to come in?”
Lumi motions us forward. I open the door wide for myself and Trevor.
And maybe-Brian follows us inside.
I watch as he plops down on my bed, right next to where Todd is sitting on the floor. He grabs a few chips. “Hey.”
Todd up-nods as I continue to gawk.
“Um,” I manage, steering Trevor toward an available sliver of space on my mattress. “I’ll just get changed real quick.”
Trevor shoots me a small smile, and I exchange a look with Lumi. She seems amused at my bafflement. Grabbing pants and a nicer shirt than I’m wearing, I step down the hall to change in the bathroom.
By the time I return, Todd and…Bryce?…are debating snack brands and Lumi appears ready to go. I briefly wonder if she changed in my closet but decide it’s none of my business.
“You look hot,” I tell her, knowing it’s the absolute truth, despite women never having done anything for me. But even I can tell Lumi is a knockout, and a dangerous-looking one at that. I’m fairly certain her stilettos could double as a weapon in a pinch.
“Thanks,” she says, accepting the compliment easily as she collects the top half of her hair into a few pins that look as sharp as the heel of her boots. “We ready to head out?”
“Where are we going?” maybe-Bryce asks.
I look to Todd for help.
