Ellie West has her life all mapped out, but after disappointing news, she's forced to take in the mysterious Seth Carter as a roommate.
Can the arrangement work?
Sure.
As long as she can accept his past, embrace his demons and maintain a firm gri...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Well that's not the reaction I usually get from women."
From that delivery, I can just about guarantee he's right. He's a confident piece of work, but one whose good looks have no effect on me. All I feel is rage.
"Oh my god, you don't even recognize me, do you?"
The grin falls, making room for confusion. "No, should I?" His brows crease together before recognition dawns. "Did we sleep together and I forget to call you? Look, it was just a one-time thing. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
Seriously? He thinks I'm a jealous ex-fling? Maybe in another lifetime it would have been possible. He's wearing a fitted grey t-shirt that rolls over the six pack it's hardly concealing, his low hanging jeans sculpt him to a T, and his 5 o'clock shadow would feel phenomenal against my skin, but that's beside the point. He stole my purse, not my heart.
"This is rich." Finding this humorless situation hysterical, I wrap my hands around my waist and laugh. The guy who mugged me last night is standing in my doorway. Fate sure has a twisted sense of humor.
Unaware of his current predicament, he watches my bizarre performance, gawking at me like I'm one choice away from needing a padded room. "Please tell me you're not my future landlord." He looks appalled at the notion.
When I get my hysterics at bay, I straighten back up, leaning my hand against the doorframe. "And please tell me you're not here to become my roommate."
"Fuck." He releases a sigh and rubs the arch of his jaw.
A confident leer stretches across my face because he still doesn't realize the entire reason for his expletive yet. "Fuck is right."
I skim my gaze down his jeans because I can't help it and a girl's allowed to look even when she isn't interested. When it lands on the duffel bag beside his black boots, I laugh again.
"Wait. You actually thought that if you showed up at my apartment I'd let you waltz into your room? Just like that?"
"You're the one who wrote 'Roommate Needed ASAP' and listed your address," he shoots back, defenses rising. "I figured ASAP meant right now and your address meant come the fuck on over."
A few strands of jet black hair slide to cover his forehead. It's not exactly long, just slightly beyond needing a haircut. Somehow it works on him. My eyes narrow at that fact. "I bet you don't get rejected often, do you?"
"Not really."
Of course not.
"Well, let me be the first."
"Are you kidding me? C'mon–" he pauses a second, "–It's Ellie, right?" He makes my name sound like warm chocolate tastes. I hate that he knows my name. "I need a new place to live and from what I can see through this doorway, your place looks like it's perfect."
