The Room Mate

Part 4

Paige

After I showed him out the door, I placed my hand against my hammering heart, wondering what in the hell just happened. How I went from spending a quiet evening alone to preparing for a new roommate was beyond me. And not just any roommate, but my best friend's sexy, off-limits brother . . . Cannon freaking Roth. Great!

Pulling a deep breath into my lungs, I shook the thoughts away. I might be attracted to him, but there was no way I'd ever allow myself to act on it. So it didn't matter how handsome he was, how dominating and sexy. I would just have to keep a calm, cool, reasonable head and make the best of these next two months. Well, that, and buy some extra batteries for my trusty BOB.

I found myself walking down the hall to the guest room I'd shown Cannon just minutes before. All that separated this room from mine was a thin wall. I wondered if I'd be able to hear him when he jerked off. Would he bring girls home and fuck them while I was forced to listen, alone in my bed? I could institute a "no sex allowed" rule to ensure that there'd be no awkward hookups to endure. Only if I did that, he'd find some way to spin it around on me—say it was because I was jealous.

Maybe I hadn't thought this roommate thing through well enough.

Heading toward the kitchen, I grabbed the half-full bottle of chardonnay from the door of my fridge and poured myself a glass. Bringing it to my lips with trembling fingers, I took a tiny sip. Then another. I'd been starving when I got home, but now my appetite had vanished.

Taking my wine into the living room, I flipped on my TV and settled in on the couch.

Cannon hadn't even asked me about rent. If he thought he was staying here for free, simply because he was my best friend's brother, he was dead wrong. I should at least be compensated for the inconvenience of having to share my space.

Several more sips of wine and my muscles began to relax. Enchilada hopped up beside me and nuzzled against my arm. I picked him up and set all six pounds of him on my lap.

"Sorry, buddy. Looks like you're not going to be the man of the house anymore," I murmured, petting his feather-soft fur. While that statement was true, I had no idea how complicated my life was about to become.