Page 45 of The Roommate Problem
“How long have you been dyeing streaks in your hair?”
“I think I started when I was about fourteen. You know, the angsty teenager phase.”
August chuckled. “I don’t think you could ever be angsty.”
“You’d be surprised.” Wasn’t every teenager wired with a bit of angst? Sure, she hadn’t gone full-on emo, but most of her allowance had been spent at the local Hot Topic.
“One of my older brothers had a bit of a health scare back then. He’s fine now, but for a while, it seemed like the entire family revolved around his health, doctor visits, stuff like that. I love my brother. I was terrified something bad was going to happen, and yet at the same time I was also a little…not jealous, but maybe angry at all the attention he was getting.”
She ducked her head, still ashamed of the way she’d secretly felt back then.
“Anyway, I started dyeing my hair as an act of rebellion. It was my way of trying to stand out, but also something that was totally in my power, you know? So much of our lives at that point was out of control, and I just wanted something I could do, without life or chance messing it up. Now I just do it for fun. Or when I’m stressed. And I like to match the colors of the weddings we plan, too.”
She glanced up to see August staring at the lock of her hair he still had wrapped around his finger. The stoic gloom was back, and she mentally kicked herself for bringing up such a downer topic after a night of hot sex. Aww, man, she really did know how to kill a mood.
“Sorry, I know that all sounds silly.”
She started to pull away, but August wrapped his arm around her, releasing her hair and cupping the back of her neck to bring her face close to his. He gazed into her eyes, an understanding light filling his gaze.
“It’s not silly. I understand feeling invisible to the people who are supposed to see you the most.”
Her breath caught as he offered another tiny glimpse into his life. He’d hinted at a childhood issue before, but she had yet to work it out of him. Odd, considering most people opened up like geysers around her. She’d been told she was very easy to talk to. And she liked listening to people, hearing their stories, helping them solve problems. But August kept everything very close to the chest.
The sexy, muscled chest she was currently petting in soft, soothing circles.
Casually, so as not to make a big deal of his tiny revelation, she tried to prod more out of him. “What do you mean—”
“What color are you planning on going for next?”
Okay. Guess they weren’t going to be sharing today. At least he wasn’t. She knew there was a soft nougaty center to August, if she could just get past this brick wall he surrounded himself in. His playful side had come out last night, but that was during sex. She’d liked it. She wanted to see more. Get to know all of August Porter. And she definitely wanted more nights like last night. But the real question was…
Did he?
Willing to allow him the subject change—for now—she answered, “Orange, probably. Our next wedding has warm fall colors. Which is good because warm colors are comforting.”
And she’d been needing comfort since her friends moved out. Mo was usually very good at going with the flow, but they had been roommates since college. Having them both move out to be with their soul mates over the last year had been a bit more flow than Mo could process.
But look what the universe sent you in exchange.
She snuggled up to August, slowly moving her fingers down his chest to outline those yummy abdominal muscles.
“So,” she said as she teased her finger along a solid ridge. “About last night. It was fun, right?”
His hand stroked down her neck, over her shoulder, and landed on her hip, where he gripped tightly, thumb stroking over her sensitive skin. “Fun isn’t the word I would use.”
“Oh, really?”
He dipped his head, running his lips along her jaw as he murmured, “Phenomenal. Exhilarating. Fucking amazing. Take your pick.”
She picked all three and then some.
Turning her head so his talented lips had access to the sensitive spot on her neck right below her ear, she tried to focus on what she wanted to ask. Hard to do, considering August was blowing everything out of her mind.
“Um, well then, would you like to keep doing it? Doing this? Sex?” she clarified, her brain all fuzzy from the man’s ministrations.
A sound of distress left her lips as he pulled away. Why had he stopped? She’d liked that.
She glanced up to see a look of concern pinching his brow. “You want to continue to have sex? You and me?”
