Damn it, Jake, I’m not having these thoughts about you. I can’t. It was bad enough you sang that song. Don’t flatter me, too.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
I couldn’t move in here. No way. Even if the lock on the rented room was working, which it wasn’t, the way Ron stared at me made my skin crawl. Plus, the place was filthy. Scorpions were a fact of life in this part of the country, but roaches weren’t.
“What do you think?” Ron asked. “Pretty great, right?”
“It’s a little outside my budget.”
His face fell, but then he brightened with an idea.
“That’s okay. I can knock some money off the rent. I’m sure we can come to some other arrangement.”
“Nope. We’re done here.”
I suppressed a shudder as Jake ushered me out the door. Once we were in his truck, I let out a half laugh-half whimper.
“Did that really happen? Did that guy really go seventies-porno mode, or am I having a nightmare?”
His face grim, Jake’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. I laughed.
“It’d be horrible if skeezy Ron was my only choice, but I can stay with my parents longer. I’ll get some good headphones, and it’ll be like living in the dorms again. Except it’s my folks instead of my roommate.”
Jake’s brow wrinkled. If I didn’t know him, I’d be intimidated by that furrowed brow. His grumpy façade kept a lot of people at arm’s length, but not me. I knew the old softie behind his forbidding expression.
“Poor Miss Priss,” I joked. “She’s going to be sad she won’t get to chase vermin and bugs.”
He snorted.
“That cat is too lazy to chase dust bunnies.”
“Hey, don’t talk about Miss Priss like that. She’s not lazy; she’s particular. It’s not her fault she likes the finer things in life,” I sniffed indignantly.
His mouth quirked in an almost-smile, and I mentally pumped my fist. My phone dinged. When I glanced at it, I groaned.
“I cannot deal with you right now,” I muttered.
“Beau?”
I thumped my head back against the seat and let out a weary sigh.
“Beau.” My eyes grew heavy, but I wouldn’t give in to my exhaustion. “He’s not letting me go easily. Between him and the apartment falling through, today has not been my day.”
My eyes slid closed. The next thing I knew, the truck slowed as we pulled into Jake’s driveway.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe I fell asleep on you. I’m so sorry.”
One side of Jake’s mouth curled up. He parked and turned towards me.
“It’s not the first time I’ve heard you snore.”
“I don’t snore!”
His smirk grew.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
I gasped, affronted.
