Chapter 1 #2
He led me down the upstairs hallway. There were two rooms on each side, two with their own bathrooms, but I wasn’t that lucky.
While Zade and Aaron across the hall had one each, Jeff and Tanner shared theirs.
And Jeff’s was the room I was using…meaning I had to share a bathroom with Tanner Johnson.
A gorgeous, god-like man who would share and be naked in there…
Down, girl.
Two months was going to be a long time.
“Okay, Kenny. Here’s Jeff’s room.” He opened the door and gave me a bemused look. “He’s the neatest out of all of us. I saw you scowl on the way up. We’re not total pigs.”
“I’ll just have to do some cleaning, that’s all.” Thank God I brought supplies. Cleaning was therapeutic for me and I’d be glad to do a wipe down before touching too much stuff.
He chuckled and dropped my large duffel bags on the beige carpet. I took a hesitant step inside the room and sniffed. Nothing smelled off and there weren’t any weird stains on the carpet. Score.
“Did you just smell the room?”
“Yes, I did.” I jutted my chin out at him. “I’ve lived with Aaron. I know how smelly boys can be. It seems fine so far.”
“God, this is going to be fun.”
“I’m bursting with excitement,” I deadpanned.
It earned me another grin, showcasing his impressive dimples, and I scanned the rest of the room.
The walls had various baseball posters of the team and MLB teams. The sheets had been stripped from the queen-sized bed and the dresser drawers opened and emptied.
I placed my bag on the desk and spun around.
Tanner watched me with a curious expression and I refused to look at his mouth when his lips quirked up on one side.
“We need to talk about some ground rules.”
Shit. Butterflies formed in my gut and I felt foolish. I wasn’t sure what I’d thought he was going to say, but it wasn’t that. Crossing my arms, I scrunched my nose and asked, “About what?”
“Living here.” He stepped farther into the room and with that small action, the walls seemed to close around us. He took up so much space and his warmth crowded me. “I know you’re pretty chill from everything Hilly’s told us, but I want to get it all out in the open, you know?”
I bit my lip to prevent myself from smiling. Was he going to give me the talk? Holy shit. I hoped he was because I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Okay. I’m listening. Should I write this down?” I moved toward my backpack, but he shook his head.
“We share a wall and a bathroom. The foundation here isn’t great and I don’t plan on being a saint just because you’re here.” He winced and moved his hand to his neck, stress lines forming around his eyes. “I mean, I’ll be more discreet about it. I won’t…you don’t have to see anything.”
“Tanner, what are you talking about?” I asked, successfully keeping my face blank.
He had to know what my life had been like with Aaron.
Hell, everyone knew the baseball house was notorious for hooking up.
I wasn’t dumb or na?ve. But watching him struggle through this was worth it. “What do you mean by saint?”
“Christ,” he said, then rubbed his hand over his face. Gone was the playful expression—uneasiness replaced it. “I don’t want you uncomfortable, but you might run into girls who…spend the night.”
“Ohhh, you have a girlfriend?” I whistled, getting another worried look. “Do I get to meet her?”
“Kenzie.” His cheeks turned just a little bit red and I pressed my lips together to prevent breaking character. “You might hear…stuff. I don’t want you to… Shit. I don’t know how to do this. I didn’t think it through.”
“Okay, enough. I’ll stop.” I laughed and enjoyed the myriad expressions crossing his face.
They ended in curiosity and I closed the distance between us so we stood a foot apart.
“I know you’ll have hook-ups. That’s fine.
All I ask is that she doesn’t hog the bathroom the morning after and that you don’t fuck too loud. ”
He blinked. It was slow and telling, and I bit my lip, but it did no good. I burst out laughing at how uncomfortable he was and I hit his shoulder without real force. “I was messing with you before, but I appreciate you trying to warn me.”
“I thought—Aaron said… Never mind. I didn’t want to shock or upset you.”
His comment warmed me, but his use of my brother’s name did not. “Whatever warning Aaron gave you, forget it, okay? I’m not this na?ve, innocent kid. Aaron Hill is my brother. You think I don’t know how he is? Please.”
“Okay.”
“Your tone doesn’t agree with your word.” I pursed my lips and gave him my best leveling stare. “Mean it.”
He gave me his signature crooked grin, narrowed those baby browns just a smidge and lowered his voice like a soccer coach. “Okay.”
We stood, not in a face-off or battle, but in a weird bubble of not really knowing the other person.
He was the playboy with a bright future.
I was the innocent younger sister of his best friend.
Two months living with him, good or bad, would be an adventure, and my excitement for something new overshadowed the awkwardness.
I held out my hand, grinning, and broke the tension that had formed in the last two minutes.
“Thanks for letting me live here, roomie. I think we’re going to have a hell of a time. ”
He placed his large hand against mine and shook, a slow smile forming on his too-handsome face. “I already regret agreeing to this.”