Page 36 of The Challenge

As I returned to the laundry room to finish the last of the folding, I again got the urge to burst into Chloe’s room and tell her not to take the other place. But I resisted for all the same reasons that had kept me from telling her to stay when she’d first gotten the phone call.

After I finished the laundry, I took a long shower to wash away the stress of the day. As was often the case lately, I refrained from jerking off because I knew I’d picture Chloe. And that would only make this predicament worse. Needless to say, it had been a long-ass time since I’d gotten relief. And now that my relationship was in the toilet, who the hell knew when I’d get laid again.

Before bed, I headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I turned on the sink, I heard Chloe’s voice behind me.

“Hey,” she said, almost a whisper.

I turned. “Hi.”

“So, I’ve been going back and forth about the house that opened up, and I was thinking maybe I should take it, you know since—”

“Don’t.” The word practically flew out of me.

Her eyes went wide. “Don’t?”

“Don’t. It’s a waste of money when you can just stay here. But that’s not the reason.” I took a deep breath in. “Effie likes having you around.” I paused. “I like having you around. I wanted to say it earlier, but I kept debating whether I should.”

Wow. That admission had come out like a runaway train. I guess I didn’t have as much control over myself as I’d thought.

“Well…” She smiled in surprise. “I like being here, too. And while I knew how Effie felt, I think my biggest reason for leaning toward leaving was because you didn’t try to convince me to stay. But now that you did…I feel better about turning down the other place.”

“And I think you should move into my bedroom.”

Her jaw nearly hit the floor. That hadn’t come out right.

I shook my head. “Fuck. I didn’t mean with me. I meant I think we should trade rooms. Mine is bigger and has a desk in the corner. You could use that for work. We can switch everything over tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I don’t need all that space because I don’t work as much from home. You do. It makes sense. You shouldn’t have to work at the kitchen table—unless you prefer it.”

“Well, that’s even more of a reason not to leave.” She looked down, then up at me. “But truthfully, I didn’t need an extra reason to want to stay.”

Fighting the euphoria that came over me, I cleared my throat. “Good then.”

For a brief moment, my world felt somewhat aligned with my desires. That is, until there was a knock on the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” She looked toward the front of the house.

“No.” I shook my head. “Definitely not at this hour.”

I went to the window and looked out. “It’s some dude I don’t recognize. He can stay outside.”

She rushed over to the door and peeked through. “Oh no,” she muttered. “Shit.”

“What?” My fists tightened.

“He’s here for me.”

“Who is he?”

She swallowed. “My boyfriend.”

Chapter 13

CHLOE

Heart pounding, I opened the door. “What are you doing here, Scott?”