Page 37 of The Roommate Problem
He wrapped the towel back around his waist, firmly securing the knot despite Mo’s forlorn whimper of objection.
“What are you doing home so early?” he demanded, not sure if he was irritated because he was embarrassed or because he was turned on. Probably both.
“Early?” Her gaze finally left his groin and focused on his face. “It’s eleven fifteen. Only the barely legal and fake IDers are out at this time of night.”
Yes, but he was counting on her being home after he’d taken his shower and was in his room for the night so he didn’t look like some lovesick puppy who’d stayed up waiting for her.
“I guess this means we’re even now.” She gave a small chuckle.
He said nothing, simply raised a brow. The sassy smile didn’t move off her face one inch, not even when he full-on scowled. He should have known better. Nothing intimidated Mo.
“You know, because earlier in my room, you saw my boobs, and now I’ve seen your—”
“Yes, Moira.” He interrupted before she could comment on just how much of him she’d seen. “I understand.”
Her eyes sparked with that mischievous glint that never boded well for him.
“Technically,” she said with a tilt of her head, “we’re not completely even. I mean, you got topsies, and I got southern hemisphere views.”
“Is that a polite way of saying you just ogled my junk?”
“I would in no way call anything I just saw ‘junk.’”
“Jeez, Moira.” He scrubbed his hands over his face.
“What?” She shrugged. “I was complimenting you.”
“You were complimenting my dick.”
“It’s a very nice dick.”
He tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a frustrated groan. “Can we not do this right now, please?”
“Do what?”
“Talk about our…” He waved a hand in the air between them. “Genitals.”
Her face scrunched up like she’d taken a bite of a sour lemon. “Well, not if you call them genitals. Technical terms are not sexy.”
“I’m not trying to be sexy.” He was trying to squash this completely inappropriate burning need he had for his roommate. And her strange humor was not helping matters.
“Look, August. I get that we’re roommates and we’ll be living together for the next few months so you think this thing is a bad idea, but what if you look at it from the other side?”
“There is no other side.”
“Oh, Gus Gus,” she sighed. “So blind to the truth.”
What truth? The reality was they were roommates and they did have to live together. That wasn’t an interpretation. It was solid fact.
“Fine.” If she wanted to play devil’s advocate, he’d let her. Wouldn’t change his mind though. “What’s the other side?”
She grinned as if she’d just won some secret game and he was the top prize. He wasn’t sure if he should be excited by that or terrified.
“Yes, we are roommates, and yes, we have to live together, but we also have this volcanic sexual attraction that’s about to explode and pour raging hot hormone lava all over us, right?”
He nodded. Not denying it but refusing to confirm it out loud. Mo gave a heavy sigh at his minimal participation but continued.
“So what do you think would be worse? Ignoring these desires we have for each other while we get more and more sexually frustrated, gripe at each other, and generally live in unfulfilled misery every day?”
