Roommating (Preston's Mill #1) (10 page)

Everything felt good. So good. But she was still surprised
when she felt the momentum of an orgasm tighten inside her after not very long.

“Oh God,” she gasped, her eyes flying open and her hands
clutching at his shoulders.

“Yes,” Chris muttered, still staring down at her face,
perspiration starting to bead on his forehead.

“Oh God! Gonna come again.” She tightened her legs around
him, trying to chase the feeling.

“Yes.” His voice was low and thick and possessive. “You’re
so good. So responsive. Come for me again. I love that you’re so eager.”

This briefly distracted her. “Eager?” She tried to huff and
articulate how wrong this word was, but he was taking her harder and faster
now, and it felt so good she couldn’t stop herself from babbling, “Oh, God,
yes! Make me come. Please, please, Chris, I’m so close!”

His motion had built up until it was almost rough, but it
was exactly what she wanted. She clawed her fingernails into his bare back and
stifled a scream as the sensations finally peaked.

Chris let out a guttural exclamation as pleasure and release
twisted on his face. Then he was letting go completely too, and both of them
were gasping and shuddering as their climaxes worked their way through them.

When she’d finally come down from what might have been the
best orgasm of her life, she was smiling like a fool.

Chris raised his head so he gazed down at her, stroking her
cheek gently. “Definitely eager.”

This time, she managed a real huff. “You were pretty eager
yourself.”

“Guilty as charged.”

They smiled at each other, and Heather felt incredibly good
all over—body and mind—until Chris pulled out of her at last.

It was only then she started to feel awkward, kind of achy.
Naked.

She reached for the covers as Chris got up to take care of
the condom and clean himself up some. She didn’t know what to say when he came
back to the bed.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to say anything. He crawled
back into the bed with her and took her in his arms, so she felt good again.

So good, it wasn’t long until she drifted into sleep.

***

Heather slept surprisingly well. She
didn’t wake up at all until she heard Lucy whining from the floor beside the
bed.

Blinking her eyes open, she realized it was morning. Sunlight
was starting to stream in from the edges of the blinds, and the clock said it
was after six.

Lucy was ready to go outside.

When she rolled over, she realized she wasn’t alone in bed.
Chris was still beside her, his eyes closed and the covers pushed down to his
waist.

He looked softer in sleep—like the hard edges of his body
and soul weren’t really as hard as they seemed. When she felt her heart
melting, she jerked her eyes away from him.

She had been so incredibly stupid.

But she wasn’t going to overreact. It wasn’t the end of the
world. Yes, it had been a mistake. Nothing had changed between them. Chris
still could never be a long-term partner. He would leave her—just as surely as
he’d left her father three years ago.

She couldn’t let herself be hurt like that.

But she wasn’t going to act like this was the end of the
world. It was one night of sex. It didn’t have to mean anything. Chris would
probably be relieved that she wasn’t taking it seriously.

When she heard him make a throaty sound, she turned to see
he was waking up. He smiled at her as he opened his eyes, looking young and
almost sweet.

She couldn’t help but smile back, but she soon remembered
her resolution and pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts as she sat up.

“Don’t hold that sheet up on my account,” he said, a smile
in his voice.

“We need to get up.”

He seemed to wake up a little more and was peering at her
face closely. “You’re thinking last night was a mistake.”

She sighed. “It was. It wasn’t the worst mistake in the
world, but it was probably kind of stupid. It’s just going to complicate things
between us.”

“Why does it have to?”

“Sex tends to do that.” She straightened her shoulders and
reminded herself to be mature and reasonable about this. “But I’m sure we can
deal with it. We just need to agree it’s not going to happen again.”

“Why not?”

She blinked. “What do you mean, why not? Because we’re never
going to be in a relationship, and we don’t need things to get messier between
us.”

“So that’s it?” There was no real expression on his face, so
she couldn’t tell what he was feeling. He didn’t look upset or annoyed, though,
so that was a relief.

“What else is there? We need to work together as business
partners. Partners with benefits is totally out of the question.”

“That’s really what you want?”

She frowned. “Yes. What do you want?” She was suddenly
worried that he thought she’d fallen for him and he was trying to be sensitive
about it. “We’re never going to be in love, and casual sex isn’t really my
thing. And on top of all that, it’s not like you’re looking for a commitment or
anything permanent.”

“Okay.” He glanced away from her for a moment, down at Lucy
who was still scuttling back and forth on the floor. “Okay.”

She had no idea why she felt bad about things, but she did.
“Okay. Good.” She got out of bed, dragging a throw blanket with her so she
wouldn’t be naked. She glanced back at him. “It’s not that I didn’t enjoy last
night. You’re great and all. It’s just that…”

“We can never be in love. Got it.”

He sounded basically matter-of-fact, so Heather sighed in
relief. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“I’ll take Lucy out.”

Heather stayed in the shower longer than normal, trying to
wash away the memory of Chris’s hands and lips on her last night, his body
above, against, inside her. She should be relieved that they’d dealt with the
situation as maturely and painlessly as they had.

But she wasn’t.

We’re never going to be in love,
and casual sex isn’t really my thing.

That chant went on and on in Chris’s head all day. Even now,
as he was lending a hand hanging drywall, he couldn’t think of anything else
but Heather’s words that morning. More than anything, he wanted to force her to
talk to him—to figure out why she felt that way about him. About
them
. But
he knew her well enough to know that the harder he pushed, the faster she was
going to run.

It’s not like you’re looking for a commitment or anything
permanent.

That was where she was wrong. Not that he’d thought much
about it in the past, but now that he was back and was getting to know Heather
again, Chris knew what he wanted. He was going to pursue this—of that there was
no doubt—but he had to do it carefully.

He just wished he knew how.

How the hell was he supposed to show her that they could be
in love and that he
was
looking for something permanent?

With her.

Patience wasn’t his strong-suit, and his gut was telling him
to not let this go. What they had—even before the mind-blowing sex—was worth
it. Heather had always had a piece of his heart. When she was younger, he’d
always thought she was one of the sweetest girls he’d ever known. Coming back
to Preston and seeing the woman she’d become, just made her all the more
appealing.

By the time five o’clock rolled around, Chris was exhausted
and feeling more than a little anxious about going home. Maybe he could go to
the office and kill some time there or…damn. Chances were Heather would still
be there too. Groaning, he took off his tool belt and walked out to his truck. He
tossed his stuff onto the passenger seat and slammed the door, still unsure
about what he was going to do.

He drove around aimlessly for a little while. There was no
way he could face Heather right now while his mind was still reeling. He knew
she had a point about last night—he had purposely sabotaged her date. And he
didn’t regret it for a minute. Janet was a nice enough woman, but he’d known
fairly early on in their date—like the first ten minutes—that she wasn’t for
him. So when Heather had walked in with her date, it seemed like divine
intervention.

Someday, hopefully, she’d see that too.

That still left him no closer to knowing what to do or where
to go right now. He was on the outskirts of town when he saw a piece of
historical property they had bid on about a week ago. It was a residential
building that was vacant, and the town was looking to have it rehabbed. This
was the kind of stuff Chris loved the most—the historical homes and properties.
The chance to bring something like that back to its original splendor was a
major high for him. There was a town truck parked out front, and he decided to
pull over and see what was going on.

Climbing out, he was about to call over to see who was
walking around when his neighbor Jace Foster appeared around the side of the
house.

“Jace!” Chris said, walking over and holding out his hand. “What
brings you around here? I thought the town kept you chained to your desk.”

Smiling, Jace shook his hand. “Occasionally they let me out
to see what’s going on.”

Chris chuckled. “Glad to hear it. But seriously, what brings
you to this site? Is the town ready to make a decision on who they’re going to
let do the work?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Jace replied. “I can sit and look at
all of the proposals at my desk and run numbers—which oddly enough, I love—but
on a job like this, where it’s a renovation, I needed to see it for myself. All
of the bids were so different in price that I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”

“Really? They were that off?”

Jace nodded.

“Any chance of you being willing to tell me where we stand
on the short list?”

With a laugh, Jace shook his head. “Believe me, I’m pulling
for you. But on a job like this, it will all be presented to a committee for
final approval. And it’s not a matter of who comes in the cheapest.”

“Sometimes that’s a red flag in and of itself,” Chris
quickly said.

“Exactly. We want to make sure that the materials being used
are in line with the era of the home, and that everything being done is going
to work with what the town is looking for. This particular home—when it’s
finished—will serve as a museum for Preston. We want everything to be nice, but
also be able to stand large crowds and reasonable maintenance.”

“All while looking good.”

“Yup.” Jace looked over his shoulder, toward the house. “Any
chance you have time for a quick walk-through with me to answer some
questions?”

“Won’t that be a conflict of interest? I mean, I could use
that time to sway you toward making a decision in my favor.”

“Well, shit. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Sometimes it sucked being honest, but it was something Chris
prided himself on. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we go and grab a beer, and
should you happen to casually ask a question or two, I’ll try and answer it to
the best of my ability.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jace replied. “Flanagans is just around
the corner. Want to walk?”

“Sure.”

They walked and talked about some general work topics, and
Jace only asked a few questions about structural concerns for the house. By the
time they grabbed a booth at Flanagans, Chris decided that maybe the key to
figuring out what to do with Heather could be found while asking for a little
advice from a friend.

“This place is like an institution,” Jace said, taking a
pull of his beer. “So, how are you liking being back in town and living in
Preston’s Mill?”

“Preston has always been home. And really, living in the
building has been great. Tom did a fantastic job on the apartments. Can’t ask
for a nicer place to live.”

Jace nodded. “Hell, yeah. I was lucky to get in when I did. It
was like a frenzy when they were being renovated. Everyone wanted in.” He took
another sip of his beer. “And you’re still living there with Heather, right?”

Chris nodded and gave him the abbreviated version of how
they ended up living together.

“So it was her dad’s idea?”

Nodding, Chris took a drink of his own beer.

“Was he trying to set you two up or something?”

Chris blinked. He’d actually never considered that before.
“You know, I have no idea. But I guess it is strange for a dad to arrange
something like that for his daughter. Maybe he…” He trailed off, caught up in
the new thought.

“And how’s it working out for you?” Jace asked, after a
moment. “It’s gotta be a little bit strange.”

Chris hesitated, just enough for Jace to figure out that
something was up.

“So are you like…
in
to her?”

That made him laugh softly. “You could say that.” He paused.
“I’ve always been kind of in to Heather. But she was younger, and back before I
left town, it seemed like she was too young. But now…”

“Now she’s all grown up.”

“And things were incredibly awkward in the beginning. She was
holding a grudge for me leaving town and leaving her dad in a lurch, and then…I
don’t know. It’s clear that we’re both attracted to each other but she’s, um, she’s
not really…”

“She needs a little convincing? Is that what you’re trying
to say?”

This had to be the most awkward conversation ever, Chris
thought. Guys weren’t supposed to talk about this shit, were they?

“Heather thinks that I’m not capable of committing—no doubt
she’s still holding that grudge because I left town. Not that one has anything to
do with the other, but I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m some sort of flight
risk.”

“And are you?”

Shaking his head, Chris said, “I hope not. I don’t think so
anymore. Three years ago…hell, I don’t know. Leaving seemed like the thing to
do. There was nothing really tying me here to the town—at least, I didn’t think
so at the time. My mom was my anchor, and even though I was close with Tom, it
wasn’t the same. I needed…I needed time to just get my head together. It was
too hard being here without my mom.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “Not exactly
the most masculine thing to admit to.”

“Your mom was a hell of a woman.” Jace began cautiously, “but
I seem to remember you taking off a time or two when we were younger.”

The memory of some of his teenage antics hit him hard and
fast. “Yeah, I know. I never stayed away long.”

“No, but you can see where it’s been a pattern. So again I
ask, are you sure you’re staying?”

“I’m here and I’m staying. And I’d like to stay with
Heather. I just don’t know how to prove that to her.”

Jace settled back against the seat and studied him for a
minute. “Is she the romantic sort? You know, flowers and candlelight…that kind
of crap?”

That had Chris laughing because it was obvious Jace was no
better at this stuff than he was. “I have no idea.”

“I hate to say it, dude, but you’re gonna have to do a
little bit of fishing and figure out what her love language is.”

“Love language? Did you seriously just say that?”

Jace laughed and looked away. “Trust me. I did.”

“You better explain where the hell that came from.”

“I saw the book over at Isabella’s and decided to check it
out.”

“Isabella, huh?” Chris asked. “You guys were always tight,
even when she used to date Brock back in high school.”

Jace just nodded.

“And so you read this book?”

Another nod.

“By any chance, did your reading it have to do with
Isabella?”

“Don’t ask. Let’s just say I’ve read about it, and it just
means you have to figure out what it is that she likes. Is it gifts? Words?
Acts?”

“So there’s no quick fix to this?”

“Sorry.”

Yeah…so was Chris.

He had to figure out Heather’s love language. Just great.
This might take forever.

***

After that one beer, Chris decided
there was no time like the present to get started. He knew Heather really well
and for a long time, but he realized there was a whole lot more that he didn’t
know about her. But he figured that starting out with the basics couldn’t hurt.
He texted her and said he was picking up some takeout and asked if she wanted
any. When she readily accepted, he took it as a good sign.

Pizza was what he’d been in the mood for, but he figured
Chinese would be a little more dignified, and they’d be able to sit at the
table and eat together. With the bag of takeout, a small bouquet of wildflowers
and a bottle of wine, he was fairly confident that it would look nice without
looking like he was trying so hard.

He was striding down the hall and was feeling good when…

“Christopher!”

Dammit. For an old woman, Estelle had bionic hearing.

“Hey, Estelle! No time to talk. Dinner’s getting cold!” He
held up the bag and tried to keep walking.

“But…but…”

“Have a good night!” he called over his shoulder and quickly
opened the door to his apartment and shut it behind him.

“Estelle get you too?” Heather said with a soft laugh. God,
she looked beautiful. Her hair was loose, and she was wearing a pair of black
yoga pants and a pink tank top. She looked relaxed and just…

Crap, he had it bad.

Lucy danced around his feet, and he had to be careful to
avoid stepping on her as he made his way across the room. When he reached the
kitchen table, he put everything down and reached down to pet her. “Hey, pretty
girl.” That seemed to please her, and she quickly pranced away to get some
water.

“What’s all this?” Heather asked, stepping closer. “What’s
with the wine and flowers?”

“I was in the mood for a little wine with dinner and the
flowers just seemed…I don’t know,” he shrugged and handed them to her. “They
reminded me of you, and I thought you should have them.”

Her eyes went wide for a second before she took the flowers
and smiled. “I…wow. Thank you.” The final word was a breathy sigh as she leaned
in and smelled the flowers. “They’re beautiful.”

Unable to help himself, he reached out and caressed her
cheek. “So are you.” His voice was gruff as he said it.

“Chris.”

He knew she was going to try and tell him that he was wrong
or remind him of their conversation from that morning, but he wasn’t going to
let her. So he quickly diverted her attention. “So I picked up the Chinese
food. I grabbed extra dumplings because I remember you saying how much you
liked them.”

Heather was only mildly flustered by the fast change of
subject, and soon they began working together to put the food out. When they
sat down, Chris told her about running into Jace and about the property.

“I know my father would love to have his name on that
renovation,” she said. “He’s been eyeing that property for years.”

“Jace was pretty tight-lipped about where we stand, but I’m
hopeful.”

Lucy was back around his ankles. He reached down to pet her
and then rose to go and get her something to eat.

“Oh, wait,” Heather said as she went to get up. “I’ll do
that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” he said easily. “Sit and eat. This
will only take a second.” Then he went about getting Lucy’s food and putting
fresh water in her bowl. He pet the dog one more time before sitting back down.
Heather was looking at him with an odd expression. “What?”

“It’s just…I mean…you didn’t have to do that. She’s my dog
and I don’t expect you to—”

“Like I said, it’s not a big deal.” He smiled at her and was
greatly relieved when she smiled back. The rest of the meal passed with great
conversation that was largely centered on the business. He loved getting her
ideas and found that she had more than just a general working knowledge of what
went into the kinds of renovations they did. He had a feeling that if given the
chance, Heather probably wouldn’t mind getting her hands a little dirty on a job.