The Roommate Arrangement Read online

  "Took you long enough," he says. "Your turn."

  The guys crowd the table, laughing at me.

  I sneer at them. "You’re all degenerates."

  "We already know that," Ditzy pipes up, not missing a beat. "Go."

  I haven’t played this game since school, and it was only a handful of times. Never was the partying type. Studying devoured the majority of my time, so I missed out on the whole college experience.

  They gaze at me, waiting. "I don’t remember what I’m supposed to do!"

  "You’ve been watching us for an hour," Grayson says with a lilt in his voice.

  He expected me to pay attention? "Yeah, I wasn’t focused on the minutia of the game."

  "Maybe if we wore shirts you would’ve absorbed some of the rules." He grins, offering me the ball again. "Go on, take it. Let’s not pretend it’s the first time you’ve handled one of these."

  Balls. He’s talking about his balls. "You’re so funny it hurts."

  His voice deepens as I pluck the firm plastic from his palm. "Wrap your little fingers around it, but be gentle. It’s sensitive."

  "Are you giving me instructions for fondling you?" I hiss in an undertone.

  He grins. "I don't understand what you mean."

  Sure you don’t. "Stop breaking my concentration."

  "Sorry, I didn’t realize I was so distracting."

  "It has nothing to do with your looks." I glare at him even though I know I’m wrong. "More with your lips flapping."

  "Not a big talker, eh? I’ll keep that in mind for later."

  God, shut up.

  I let the ball soar into the air with a quick flick of my wrist. It flies over the table and bounces on the concrete. Male voices ring with laughter through the backyard. My cheeks burn.

  Grayson fetches it. "Guess you could use a little practice. Here." He drops it in my hands. "Don’t be afraid to play with it."

  He won’t stop with the goddamn innuendos because he knows they’re getting to me. Pretty soon I’ll think of a man’s testicles every time I see a ping-pong table, and it’ll be his fault. Blood churns under my skin, which feels too warm.

  The smooth plastic rolls between my fingers as Grayson nods encouragingly. "There you go."

  "This game sucks." I pick up the plastic cup of beer and drain its contents.

  "Only losers talk like that."

  I put it down. "And you need to stop talking as though we’re on a porn set."

  "I have no idea what you mean," Grayson says, voice shaking with mirth. "Just trying to keep you from humiliating yourself in front of the guys."

  I snort. "Oh, you think not winning this stupid game is embarrassing?"

  "You’re the one with the law degree, and you’re losing to a bunch of brainless jocks."

  For God’s sake, I can throw a ball in a cup. "Two out of three."

  "That’s not how beer pong works, cheater."

  Alcohol chugs through my veins with surprising swiftness. Guess it’s been a long day, and I haven’t eaten much. I ignore the guys crowding the table and focus. Meatheads all over the world play this sport. Like he said, it can’t be that hard. I just need a little less power.

  I lob it. The ball bounces once, and it’s way too low. It dribbles on the surface as Grayson chuckles into my ear.

  I’ll throttle him. "Okay, I give up."

  "Sour grapes!" Grayson calls after me as I return to my lounge chair by the pool.

  My mood darkens as I take a long sip of my forgotten Moscow Mule, tapping the copper mug with a finger. Grayson meant nothing nasty, but the jibe about a law degree struck a sore spot. I spent months agonizing over practice LSATs, pouring hundreds of dollars into cram schools to ace the damn bar, followed by another two years of study at law school. I learned a lot, but I haven’t lived.

  And what did it get me besides an empty savings account?

  I shove those thoughts away as Tipsy makes a beeline for me, a tray of hot dogs balanced on his palm. They’re garnished with ketchup and mustard.

  I choose a blackened sausage wrapped in a toasted bun, mouth watering at the savory smell. "Thanks!" I bite into it, moaning in pleasure. "Really good!"

  He smiles, saluting me with a pair of tongs as he walks to the pong table. Grayson proposes a break as the aroma saturates the air. He grabs two dogs and eats half of the first before sitting next to me.

  I switch off my iPhone. "This is the part where I tell a joke about how quickly you eat penis-shaped objects."

  Grayson chokes. "Jesus. Someone has cock on the brain."

  Someone put it there. "With you hissing innuendos every second, how am I supposed to forget?"

  He lies back, smiling. "You’re not."

  Warmth swirls over my chest, wrapping around my limbs, rendering me immobile. He hasn’t stopped tempting me all night. First with the jokes, and now with that smile. Henry doesn’t want me anywhere near Grayson, but he’s not here.

  And darkness is falling thick over the backyard, blanketing the bushes, covering my shoulders like a shroud. The lights hanging overhead are easily turned off. The ones beneath the pool, too. A fine mist rises above the water’s surface, tantalizing.

  Grayson made it clear what he wants. No strings. No relationship. Just fun. God help me, but I could use some mindless fucking as a distraction.

  One by one, the guys say goodnight and head into the house. I check my iPhone, surprised. "It’s only ten o’clock."

  "We have to get up at five for training, so most of us go to bed early."

  "Not you?"

  He stands. "I’d rather stay here and play with you."

  I give the ping-pong table a derisive look, and his laughter echoes. "That’s not what I meant."

  God, we’re alone.

  Grayson takes my hands and pulls me upright. My palms slide against his warm chest. I yank back as though burned.

  His handsome face splits with a wide grin. "What are you afraid of? No one’s here."

  I glance around the backyard, the light from the pool rippling over the grass and the side of the house, which is dark inside.

  We’re alone.

  My hands fly to my neck as my heartbeat drowns out all sound.

  Grayson steps too close. "How about a swim?"

  Swimming with him isn’t against the rules, but the way he’s looking at me certainly is. "Fine."

  I yank the Pollos Hermanos T-shirt from my head, blushing under Grayson’s intense gaze as I adjust the straps of my bikini.

  "Ready?"

  My scream splits the air as he lifts me in his arms. It’s effortless, like I’m nothing but a bundle of linen. Grinning, he hoists me to the edge of the pool. I pound his shoulders. He bends his knees and leaps.

  The splash swallows my yell as we break the calm with a loud crash. My body plunges into the lukewarm water, my skin stinging with cold when my head breaks the surface. Turquoise light ripples over his chest and face.

  "You freaking bastard!" I punch his shoulder, but the pool slows my fist.

  Grayson’s arms unravel from me, and he bounces back. He shakes the drops from his eyes, swiping his hair. I launch at him, chopping the surface with my forearms to make a huge wave. He ducks, his body, rippling in a dark mass as he swims behind me.

  Suddenly he grips my ankles and tugs. My chin touches the water, and I kick free from his hold. He emerges, rivulets cascading down his face.

  "Are you a toddler?" I shove his chest before paddling away. My shorts are heavy, so I strip them, throwing them over the concrete. "You’re damn lucky my phone was sitting on the table."

  He bobs through the surface, swimming toward the ladder. Water sloshes in a small wave as he heads for the glowing sauna. I step out, shivering. Great, no towels.

  "Saffie, join me."

  That’s the last thing I should do, but I’m not keen on dripping all over Henry’s floors. I dip my toe into the cerulean pool. God, it’s hot.

  Grayson’s gaze follows my calves as I slide in
, the heat scorching my skin. The water creeps to my neck, and I shut my eyes, enjoying the warmth.

  He sloshes toward me, and suddenly a thigh presses against mine. My eyes flare open to Grayson, who sits close enough to count the beads of moisture clinging to his lashes. His thick arm rises from the hot pool, draping across my shoulders. He pulls me over his lap.

  My breathing stalls. "What are you doing?"

  "Finishing what we started."

  I palm his chest to push him away, but that’s a mistake. The moment his skin burns against mine, my heart throbs an impatient beat. "What the hell do you want from me?"

  "Everything," he says.

  "Why?"

  "Do I need a reason? You’re single, aren’t you?"

  It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex. Hell, I can’t remember when a man gave me goose bumps with a brush of his hand. There’s never been anyone like him in my life, and I’m scared. He’s too good to be true. Too hot to ignore. "Yeah."

  "Then I don't see why we can’t fuck around." He draws a line over my shoulders, slipping under my spaghetti strap. He tugs at the fabric, watching my tits bounce.

  Fear throttles through my veins. "For starters, all they have to do is look through the damn window!"

  A smile staggers across his face. "So you like the idea."

  Is he blind? Of course I do. He’s a Greek statue brought to life. Pleasure buzzes between my legs with his stare. "I’m just not sure I trust you."

  His arms encircle my waist. "We have to live together for the next few months. Making things awkward isn't what I want."

  "Good thing you’d only be fucking Henry’s sister."

  "If that makes me a monster, so be it." He stares at me with eyes half open. "You’re too sexy to ignore."

  I play with my lips. That's what I thought about him. "I’m not the type of girl who does this."

  "What? Meaningless sex?" He smiles. "You don’t need to put yourself through so much guilt. I won’t judge you."

  That’s not what I’m afraid of. "Why me? You could find another woman in seconds."

  "Because you’re here. It’s convenient. I can have you whenever I want, and sneaking around is an added bonus. Live a little, Saffie. Take a chance and fuck me."

  "You talk like a trucker; you know that?"

  "Whatever," he says. "After summer ends, I’ll have to travel, and you’ll go wherever the hell you want. As long as we’re clear this is temporary, what harm could it do?"

  I can’t think with his fingers playing with my strap, teasing my skin. If we kept it secret, it wouldn’t be a problem.

  "I’ll lay it out for you right now. I’m not promising you a relationship. There’s nothing on the table except really hot sex."

  I don’t know what that is. Average sex? Sure. I like to believe most women have had the misfortune of hooking up with a guy who believes he’s a good fuck but only manages a few seconds of pounding before laying his sweat-soaked body on yours. I haven’t run into just one man like that—virtually every partner I’ve had has left me less than thrilled. So after a while, I stopped trying. It didn’t seem worth the effort.

  Grayson is.

  My hand leaves the water to grasp his chin. I want to say something, but then he moves his head down, kissing my thumb. He bites it. My core tightens and releases.

  His smile broadens as the bra strap falls. My bikini top sags. Gasping, I push my breasts together to hide them until Grayson covers me with his hands.

  Holy shit.

  He gropes my tits. "That’s all I’m after, Saffie."

  It’s hard to form coherent sentences. "They’ll—they’ll find out."

  "We’ll be careful."

  "We’re in a house with seven other men. Oh my God."

  My bikini floats on the water, the triangle patches soaking up light. Grayson pulls me close, his back pressed against the rough wall. My nipples graze his chest as he dives his fingers into my hair. A blast of hot air hits me before his lips crush mine. There’s still time to leave. I could shove him away and march into the house, but then his tongue slips inside.

  I gasp, opening my mouth as boiling heat spreads over my lap.

  I catch him with my teeth, and he laughs, stunning me with another kiss. Then he moves so that my naked back kisses the stone. Something juts against my hip, and I look down. His shorts billow over muscular thighs and his rock-hard cock.

  Grayson grabs my hand and wraps it around his length. A thrill runs into the space between my legs. I dive into his shorts, cradling all of him.

  "Now you can put what you learned to use." He laughs, pressing his forehead against mine as I stroke him.

  He pushes me onto the ledge so that my torso rises above the water. I shiver, but he covers my body with his massive one, kissing a blaze down my neck. My nipples sting from the air, but his mouth and tongue find them. Wet heat flicks across their hardened points, electrifying my senses. I wrap my arms around his head, not caring that the sauna might as well be a spotlight for anyone looking out the window. It’s fucking hot. He’s fucking hot. I’ll remember Grayson tonguing my tits for the rest of my life, and then he turns me so I’m facing the house’s darkened windows. I forget the cold as he makes me bend over the sauna’s edge. My knees hit the cement floor. My bikini slides down my thighs, my ass bare to the world as Grayson moves behind, his hardness digging into my thigh. "Christ, I could fuck you right now."

  My mouth is dry. I want him to. Everything feels cool and wet, and it’d be such a thrill to have his hot length thrusting warmth inside me, but he doesn’t.

  Grayson slips up and down my clit, teasing me. My arms tremble from keeping myself upright, and then his finger sinks in like a knife through butter. A sound rips through me—a desperate noise that burns my cheeks. Grayson pulses into my pussy, pausing to grope my ass, slap it so hard it cracks like a gunshot.

  I turn around, dazed with lust. "Do you want them to see us?"

  "No," he says, pinching my clit. "This summer, your body belongs to me. Only me."

  He pulls me into the suffocating heat and lifts. I wrap my arms around his neck as he climbs out. "What are you doing?"

  "Bringing this inside."

  We drip over the stones and grass as he treks through the backyard, finding a stack of towels on one of the lounge chairs. He puts me down, wraps a towel around my body, and yanks. I crash into him, reaching for the surprising warmth under his shorts. He tips my head and crushes my lips against his. He kisses the chlorine tang from my mouth. I strip the wet swimsuit from his ass, and it falls with a noisy plop. His tongue flicks mine as he drags my bikini bottom off me, his hands warming my damp skin. My heart kicks into overdrive as he grabs my chin, searching my eyes. "What?"

  "Are we—" I can’t even say the word.

  "I’m not fucking you tonight," he says. "At least, not with my cock."

  "Why not?"

  "We’ll take it nice and slow."

  Apparently that means shoving his fingers into my pussy. Grayson throws the towel aside and picks me up. He flips a switch on the side of the wall, and the pool lights dim. The glass door opens with a sigh as he slides me through.

  Oh my God.

  It’s quiet inside, nothing but the hum of air conditioning and Grayson’s soft laughs against my cheek as he lays me on the kitchen table. He spreads me open like I’m a feast. I lift my head, heart pounding. His hair tickles the insides of my thighs, and then a blaze from his mouth whispers between my legs.

  I gasp. "Are you crazy?"

  It’s too dark to make out his face, but I feel his chuckles against my skin. I stuff my fist between my teeth to keep from shouting.

  He strokes me with his tongue. Dips his liquid heat inside my throbbing pussy and shifts between my lips, back and forth.

  "What—what are you doing?" My whisper echoes through the kitchen.

  I’ve never had a man’s mouth on me, or felt his rough cheek graze my thighs. Grayson slides his hands under, lifting me higher.
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  "This is where everyone eats!"

  A violent shudder runs through me. He kisses my clit, softly sucking the swollen bud. "What do you think I’m doing now?"

  Eating me. Licking my most intimate parts. Making my back arch with pleasure.

  I’m blind to his movements, but every sting of his tongue lashes my skin. He dives in between my folds, deeper. His mouth closes around me and sucks.

  I want to sit up and tear his hair out. I want him to stand and guide his thick cock inside. My heart pounds. Desire stabs me with every thrust of his tongue. Why the fuck is he doing this—what does he have to gain from eating out my pussy? He can’t be enjoying this.

  His smile seals against me in the dark. My wetness glides up and down his cock as he strokes himself.

  He rubs my clit. My sigh splits the air, and he pauses for a second, laughing. "Careful, Saffie."

  "I can’t—keep quiet." I bite my lip hard when he presses down. "You feel amazing."

  "I can always gag you, I guess. You’d look sexy with a rubber ball in your mouth."

  He plants a wet kiss on my throbbing pussy. I’ll scream. There’s no way around it. My lips clamp shut. I blow air into my cheeks as he keeps fucking me with his tongue. His breath hitches as he strokes faster. I imagine his fist clenched on his cock, his biceps bulging as he masturbates to the sight of me spread open. A vivid image of him finishing over my body barrels through my head. The ache between my legs persists, growing with every soft groan that blasts into my pussy. I moan into my hands as he fingers me. Then he takes me into his mouth, flicking my bud, and I clench hard. My walls tighten over empty space, convulsing. A ragged moan escapes my throat, echoing through the house.

  I lift my head, searching for him. "Do it. Finish on me."

  I want him to be part of this, too. He grips my thigh with a growl, hand moving fast with the slickness gathered between my legs. I can hear him trying to keep quiet, but he can’t stop the buildup in his chest, and he groans. His fist still pumping, ropes of hot cum hit my body. Grayson gasps as the last drop squeezes from him. He lifts me up, to the door leading outside. My heart freezes.

  Were we too loud?

  He brings me into the cool air. The porch light flares with a flick of Grayson’s wrist. He sets me down on the steps, grabbing the discarded towel. His eyes rake my body. "I want to memorize the way you look right now forever. Naked. Just fucked. Covered in my cum." Grayson takes my chin, his breathing still frantic. "Tell me we’re doing this again. And again."