Off-Limits Roomates

20. Ella

20

***Ella***

I could hear someone in the weight room as I hovered just outside of the door. I wanted to take advantage of there being a workout room in the house but I was nervous to face Vaughn, or Fisher, after what I’d done the night before. I’d snuck out that morning while Fisher was still asleep and did everything I could to avoid him during the rest of the day. I didn’t know the normal etiquette around sleeping with your roommate. Vaughn had said Fisher didn’t do seconds and I didn’t want him to think I was being desperate and needy.

A growled curse sifted through the door and I let out a sigh of relief as I placed the voice as Booth’s. I didn’t have a reason to avoid him, thankfully. I pushed into the room and froze in the doorway. Booth was bare-chested on the weight bench, lifting a wild amount of weight. The muscles in his arms and chest stood out and I saw just how built he really was for the first time. It was only the sound of the weights settling back in place that snapped me out of my stupor.

I closed the door behind me and licked my lips. “Hey! Sorry if I interrupted your workout. I just figured I should pretend to take care of myself.”

Booth grunted but didn’t say anything as he moved to another piece of equipment and started doing squats with another crap ton of weight on his shoulders. His thighs strained his gym shorts and I felt sweat pebble along my spine at the sight of his back muscles flexing. I’d known Booth was a mountain with enough strength to take down multiple men his size at the same time but seeing it undressed was another thing.

I reached up to make sure I wasn’t drooling before forcing my eyes away from his body. Unfortunately, the wall in front of him was fully mirrored. I could not only see his body once, I could see it twice. I patted my cheeks at the warmth flooding them and blew out a shaky breath.

“If I walk at a snail’s pace on the treadmill and call that a workout, don’t judge me, okay?” I smiled and shrugged out of my oversized t-shirt as I climbed onto the giant machine. I looked at the dozens of buttons and winced. “It’s been a long time since I spent time in a gym. Do all the machines feel like a sci-fi movie now?”

Booth sighed and dropped his weights before closing the distance between us. He stopped next to the treadmill and I saw that he was glistening with sweat. His scent should’ve been illegal. Or sold as an aphrodisiac. “How fast do you want to go?”

“Fast.” I swallowed and sank my teeth as his muscles came even closer as he reached to hit a button. Then I realized what he’d asked and how I’d answered. “No! Sorry! I want to go slow. Slow. Very slow.”

He lifted his eyes to mine and I saw that they were pinched. With his eyebrows furrowed, he looked grumpier than Vaughn usually did. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “You okay?”

He rolled his lips into his mouth and nodded. “Yep.”

I wanted to say more but he hit another button that started the machine and I discovered fairly quickly that our version of slow wasn’t the same. I nearly stumbled off the machine and only stayed upright because of Booth’s grip on my arm. “Thanks. I think-”

He was already turned away from me and back at his machine, working out those strong thighs. I watched him through the mirror and tried to imagine what had gotten him so cranky. He usually had a smile for me every time I saw him.

I stumbled again and heard Booth growl. “Pay attention to or you’re going to lose some skin to that track, Ella.”

I jerked my eyes back to my reflection in the mirror and told myself the flush was because of the workout. My workout set felt obscenely cheery next to his mood. The hot pink set showed off more skin than I ever would’ve showed out of the house. It hugged my body and left nothing to the imagination. The color made me happy but Booth’s mood was working hard against it.

My eyes naturally found Booth in the mirror again and I watched him drop to the ground to do push-ups. I should’ve felt some shame over gawking at him after sleeping with Fisher but I didn’t feel anything like it. I felt plenty of other things, but not anything remotely resembling guilt.

My feet got tangled and I went down hard. I landed in a heap a few feet in front of Booth. He moved faster than should’ve been possible for a man his size as he hit a button to stop the treadmill and helped me unravel myself. I laid flat on my back and groaned as he checked me for injuries.

“Well, that was embarrassing.” I hated how annoyed Booth looked and just wanted him to smile at me again. “What’s wrong, Booth?”

“I told you to pay attention, Ella. You could’ve hurt yourself. You’re going to have bruises.” He stood up and grabbed a towel to wipe his face. “I’ll just finish my workout later. Be careful in here.”

I struggled to my feet and reached out to grab his arm. “Booth, wait. Did I do something?”

His eyes narrowed as he shook his head. “No.”

“Then what’s wrong? I’ve been your roommate for over a month. I may not know you through and through but I can tell that you’re upset about something.” I slowly dropped my grip on his arm. “Just tell me. If I left something out or made a mess, or something, I’ll take care of it. Just tell me.”

He threw the towel to the floor and shook his head. “I saw you sneaking out of Fisher’s room this morning.”

Oh, there was that shame. I took a step back and nodded, never one to lie about things I did. Unless Vaughn asked about Fisher, because that lie would save everyone a headache. “Okay.”

He groaned. “It’s nothing, Ella. I’m just in a shit mood. Ignore it.”

“No. Why are you upset about that? I promise I won’t turn into a crazy person over Fisher. I’m not going to mess up things in the house.”

“I’m not upset with you, Ella. Not really. I’m just… I was hoping you wouldn’t fall for Fisher’s charm.” He locked his hands behind his neck and I nearly swooned over the muscles, despite our conversation. “He’s my best friend and I love him but… It’s shitty in his shadow sometimes.”

I snorted at the thought of Booth in anyone’s shadow but cut myself off at the dark look he sent me. “I’m not laughing at you, Booth. I just think it’s crazy that you think you’re in his shadow.”

He stepped closer to me. “Am I not?”

“No! How could you be, Booth? You’re a completely different person and you’re each great for your own reasons.” I smiled to try to lighten the mood. “Plus, you create shadows, Booth. You’re too tall to stand in other people’s.”

He turned to walk away but I grabbed his arm again. When he turned back to me, he let out a laugh. “It’s fine. I’ll get over it.”

“Get over what, Booth?”

“That he gets to touch you, Ella!” He walked me backwards until my back hit the mirror. Coming as close as he could while still not touching me, he dropped his voice as he spoke next to my ear. “I usually don’t give a fuck that people fall for Fisher’s charm. This time is different, though. I’m jealous. I’m jealous and I hate it.”

“You’re jealous?” I leaned into his heat and nearly whined when he moved with me to keep our bodies apart.

“I wanted it to be my room you were sneaking out of this morning.”

My jaw loosened and I couldn’t come up with words to make a reasonable response. I opened and shut my lips a few times before Booth gave up on me.

“It’s not a big deal. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should’ve just handled my emotions like a fucking adult.” Booth took a step back and grunted when I basically threw myself into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight so he couldn’t push me away. “What are you doing, Ella?”

“I didn’t know you were interested.” I breathed him in and shuddered. “I’m sorry. I’d only ever slept with one person before last night and I don’t know what’s happening, but I want to kiss you, Booth. And you should tell me to go fuck myself after what you saw, but-”

He grabbed my thighs and lifted me off the ground. I gasped and leaned back so I could see his face, but I still couldn’t read his expression. “The things I want… I can’t, though. Not when you’re confused.”

I gasped when he pressed me into the mirror and trailed his nose up the side of my neck. I could feel him stiffen against my center and I tightened my hold on him. “Booth…”

He brushed his lips over my ear as he spoke in a gravel-filled voice. “I’m going to put you down and walk out of here before I do something we both regret.”

“I’m not going-”

Booth rocked his hips into me and then swore. He unwrapped my arms from around his neck and put me down on my own two feet. Backing away, his eyes were all over me. “If I slid my hand inside those tempting shorts, would you be wet for me, Ella?”

I leaned heavily against the mirror and bit my lip hard. Nodding, I silently begged him to come back and continue touching me.

He looked pained as he rubbed his hands down his face and stole one more glance at me before turning around and leaving the room. Without his presence in the room, it felt a lot bigger and a lot cooler. I fanned myself and sank down on the weight bench.

I stared down at my vagina and held up my hands like it would see the question and be able to answer it. “What the hell? Is this how you handle being cheated on? You can’t have two men. You can’t have any men. You need to relax. Jesus.”

“I’ll come back later.” A middle-aged woman with a look on her face that said she’d heard every word I said, backed out of the open doorway of the gym. “It’s not even that dirty.”

“I’m sorry that-” I was talking to an empty room. She was gone. I recognized her as one of the cleaning staff Fisher brought in. I thought her name was Mallory, but I wasn’t sure. What I did know was that I could never see her again.