Chapter 22
TROY
I collapse on top of Charlie, spent. In any other circumstance, I’d hit the sack to recover. But since we’re starting our ridiculous bet tomorrow, I have no intention of resting. A sex marathon tonight it is.
“Troy, you’re crushing me.”
“Oops, sorry.”
I get off her, standing up to get rid of the condom. When I return, Charlie is already sitting down and, to my disappointment, putting her sweater back on.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting dressed.”
“Wait. Do you think I’m done with you?”
She arches her eyebrows and makes an O with her mouth. “Are you serious? How about your shoulder?”
I rotate it backward, wincing as pain flares up. It’s not as bad as before, but I’m definitely not recovered. “It’s okay. Maybe I can take a bath to relax my muscles. Do you want to join?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Uh, no. I won’t be taking a bath until I buy new products. I don’t trust that Andreas didn’t leave us more surprises.”
“Nah, he wouldn’t prank me. But I think we should retaliate.”
Charlie perks up in her seat. “Really? You want to prank that bastard with me?”
The way her voice rises in excitement is cute as hell. If I’m not careful, I might fall for her.
“Damn straight. I told him I was done fighting with you, but he didn’t listen.”
Charlie taps her lips with her index finger as her eyes become unfocused. I’m witnessing firsthand her devious mind at work.
“I might have an idea, but I need to check with my sources first.”
“Wait. You’re not going to tell me?”
“Not yet. Let me find out first if it’s possible. I don’t want to disappoint you if it doesn’t work out.”
“He’s throwing a Halloween party at his place in two weeks. That would be the best time to prank his ass.”
“Really? You want to do it at his party?” She laughs. “That’s ruthless, Troy. And Jane said you weren’t mean.”
“Oh, she did, huh? What else did she say about me?” A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth.
The smile on Charlie’s face wilts a little, and her gaze seems troubled. The change is fleeting, making me wonder if I imagined it.
“She mentioned you helped her with her fear of heights.”
“Yeah, that was fun. We should do it sometime.” I put my boxer shorts on, then my jeans.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“If I can’t ogle your hot bod, you can’t ogle mine.” I wink at her.
“Fine. I guess that’s fair.”
“Are you hungry? I could… eat.” My eyes linger on Charlie’s long legs as she pulls her panties up.
“Will you quit for a second?” She laughs. “I already know who’s going to cave first.”
“Ha-ha. We still have to establish the ground rules. And one of them is not parading naked in front of me.”
“Fine. But that goes both ways, which means no walking shirtless in the house.”
Damn it . I was totally banking on my six-pack to win me this bet. But it’s okay, I have other ways to make myself irresistible.
“All right. So, food?”
“Yeah. Should we order in?”
“I think we have to. Unless you can whip up a miracle dinner with whatever is in the fridge.”
“There’s nothing there. I didn’t have a chance to go grocery shopping.”
“We’ll go tomorrow.”
She chuckles. “Look at us, planning to hit the store together.”
“What? Roommates do that.” I smile, knowing very well that we’re way past being just roommates with benefits.
The crazy way my heart is beating now is proof of that.