{Kayla}

I’m still awestruck at Jake’s heroicness so much that I’m staring—and I don’t care. “Really? You live in a building you know is a fire hazard? Is that like fireman code or something?”

“Or something.” He shrugs and grins almost sheepishly, like he’s embarrassed at being discovered. I return the grin, and we stand there, lost in our dreamy little moment.

“I’m so glad I got to know you,” I practically purr.

“Twice.”

I smile.

“Are you seriously shitting me?” Shannon’s outburst breaks our spell. She’s no longer slurring. It’s funny how a scare like almost burning down a building and having to stand outside in the freezing ass cold and drizzle sobers a person right up. “You banged the sexy-as-shit neighbor again? Did we not already have this talk? It took you months to get over him the first time.”

“Months?” He lifts his eyebrows.

“No, it didn’t.” Kill me now. My cheeks are on fire, the shame burning me on the spot. I come to my senses. “It was just a stupid mistake that shouldn’t have happened.”

“The hell you say,” he fires back.

“Shut up, fire boy.” Shannon isn’t done.

“Fire boy?” When she nails him with a lethal glare, he steps back. “Shutting up.”

She returns her attention to me. “What the hell, Kayla? You’d better have one hell of a good reason for having sex with him again.”

I shake my head but know better than to lie. She’d figure it out in a heartbeat. I’m not a very good liar anyway. “It was rebound sex,” I defend, like that somehow makes it okay I slept with the player next door in an act of lonely desperation.

“I prefer make-up sex over rebound sex, myself.” Jake drapes an arm over my shoulders. “Unfortunately, it’s never going to happen. Not only will we never be anything that requires making up, she also has this weird three-tap rule.”

“Do not touch me.” I jerk out of his reach, mortified he’s talking to my friends as if he knows me. We slept together, not lived together.

“What?” He brings his hands up like I’m holding him at gunpoint. When I glare at him, he grins. “I love it when you get feisty. It’s one of your best qualities.”

“This is you shutting up?” Shannon pushes me behind her and faces Jake. She’s almost as tall as him. “You suck at it.”

He opens his mouth to say something just as the captain barks. “Swanson!”

Jake stills and nods at him as he approaches. “Sir?”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

“Not within ten minutes of the station.”

“Goddamn it.” The captain shoots us girls a look. “Sorry, ladies.” He then nods. “Actually, this could be a blessing in disguise.”

I don’t see how any of this could be considered a blessing, in disguise or right out in the open.

He pulls a card from inside his giant, reflective coat and hands it to Jake. “This is the address to my son’s apartment. It’s just on the other side of campus. A nice little two-bedroom place he rented when he went to BU. When he deployed, he asked us to hold onto it for him. If you’re willing to cover the rent and utilities, it’s yours until he gets back.”

Jake grins ear-to-ear as he sneaks a look at me. I can’t control my breathing and stare at the captain in the hopes he has another of those magical cards in his coat. When he doesn’t whip one out, I suck in another breath to stop myself from bursting into hysterics. Homeless. I’m three weeks from graduation and I’m now homeless.

“Why not let Kayla have the apartment?” He hands me the card. I’m too shocked to do anything but blink at him. “I’ll stay at the firehouse until I can find a place.”

“Even better,” the captain says with a smile. “You’re a hell of a cook. The team loves it when you’re on shift.” He faces me. “What do you say?”

“I’m grateful, sir.” I want to throw my arms around him and, yes, even Jake, but hold myself back. I don’t understand Jake’s sudden burst of kindness, but I’m not about to question it. I’m not going to be homeless after all.

I glance at the address on the card and almost swallow my tongue. Now I know why he doesn’t want it. It’s the Lynx, the apartment complex every student wishes they could afford. I’ve been on the waiting list for a year for the smallest studio apartment, and even that is barely within my budget. I don’t want to know how much a two-bedroom apartment will cost. I lose my smile as I literally feel the color drain from my face.

“What’s wrong?” the captain asks.

“I, uh… A two-bedroom, you say?”

“That’s right.”

“How much is rent on that, exactly?”

“Fifteen hundred.”

I almost swallow my tongue again. That’s more than I make at my crappy job at the diner. If I took the apartment, I’d have to dip into savings just to make rent and wouldn’t have anything else left for, well, anything else. The blood slows in my veins as the disappointment threatens to crush me. I’m back to being homeless. With a heavy heart, I hand the card to the captain. “I wish I could, but I can barely afford this place.”

Jake snags the card in the handoff. “You know, there’s a way we could both afford to live there. It’s a two-bedroom.”

“What are you saying? You want to move in together?” I stop breathing at the thought.

“I’ve always had my eye on that building. Sleeping in my own bed when I’m not on shift sure sounds a lot better than sleeping on those uncomfortable cots at the firehouse. They smell like mold.” He grins. “What do you say? Want to be roomies?”

Not just no, but oh my God no. I don’t even want to live next door to this man. I couldn’t stand living in the same apartment, even if it is the Lynx. He’s got girls coming in and out at all times of the night, slamming the door and waking me up. He doesn’t pay me any attention unless he can’t find someone from his harem to come over. I hate he thinks of me as his backup booty call. God only knows what he’ll consider me if we live together. I refuse to go there, despite the flutter in my stomach at the thought.

“It’s better than a hotel,” he points out and flashes another one of his grins that irritates and makes me weak in the knees at the same time.

“Get it to work,” the captain orders and walks off, leaving me stunned and mute. Get what to work? I’m not going to live with Jake. I’m just not.

“I don’t want to share anything with you,” I snap. “That includes an address.”

“Fine.” He shrugs easily and glances around at the other residents staring up at the now-condemned apartment building. “I’ll find someone else willing to share an address with me.”

I grab the card. “You told your captain to give it to me. I’ll find another roommate.”

He grins, but there’s something about it that doesn’t quite fit the gesture. It’s his eyes. They seem sad. No, not sad. Disappointed. “You really don’t like me, do you?”

“Not right now, I don’t.”

“So, you do like me sometimes.” This time, the smile is real. His grin widens when I groan at the slipup. “Three weeks, Kayla. We both graduate and can move on. That way I can keep my eye on you.”

“Why would you need to keep your eye on me?” The thought of him wanting to keep anything on me has me fighting a grin.

He shrugs. “To make sure you smile once in a while.”

“No.” I drop what little grin I had.

“We’re talking one month’s rent. You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

“No.”

“Kayla,” Shannon says, pulling my attention to her. “You should totally do it.”

“No, I totally shouldn’t.” I’d kill Jake the first week and probably take out some of his harem in the process. Collateral damage. “Besides, you hate him. We all do.”

She doesn’t respond and whips around to face Jake. “Do you really think you can get her to smile more?”

“Shannon!”

He looks at me. I glare at him in return. “Absolutely.”

“There’s no way—”

“Give her some memories,” Shannon cuts me off, her focus still on Jake.

He snaps his brow into a frown. “Uh, what?”

Ciara joins in and moves to Jake’s other side. “Kayla’s college experience has been Saturday nights at the library and only going out when we drag her. Give her some stories to tell the three kids she plans on having after marrying Mr. Boring and moving into her ridiculously perfect house with the little white picket fence.”

I’m completely insulted and catch myself before I drop my jaw. “You make it sound like my goals are…are…” I thrust my fingers through my wet hair to push it off my face. Apparently, Ian isn’t the only one who has a problem with my life goals, as average as they are. Awesome. As if this night couldn’t get any worse. “What’s so wrong with what I want?”

“It’s boring,” Mel points out.

“Thank you for making me feel better.”

Shannon locks one arm in mine and the other in Jake’s. “You have the rest of your life to be ordinary. Let Jake give you some stories to tell. One wish from each of us who know you best.”

Ciara and Mel both nod enthusiastically.

“Three wishes?” Jake moves away. “You’re all crazy. I’m not a genie.”

Shannon grabs his shoulders. “No, but you can still grant a few wishes.”

“Hey, I’m not looking for anything—”

“We aren’t asking you to marry her.” She shakes him. “Just show her a good time.”

I bury my head in my hands. This is such a disaster. “Can we please not do this? I’m already under enough stress without you three trying to get him to agree to something you know he’ll never do.”

Jake nails me with a smoldering glare. Despite the cool night and rain coming down, my cheeks catch fire. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me, like I’ve just challenged him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s who you are. You’ll say anything to get what you want.”

He narrows his eyes further. “Obviously, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“Or maybe I already know you too well,” I counter and cross my arms in front of me.

“I think you’re scared.”

I drop my jaw. “Of what? You?”

“Of me showing you a good time. Of you liking it. God forbid you break a few rules and actually enjoy yourself for a change.”

“I don’t need you to have a good time.”

“Oh, really?” Jake looks at me with that wicked glimmer flashing in his eyes. I shake my head. That look never leads to anything good. Memorable, yes. Good, no. “When was the last time you brought a guy home from the bar?”

“Aside from you?” As soon as I say it, I want to turn back time and have a do over. The collective gasp from my friends has me so mortified I’m ready to die.

“Yeah, aside from me.” He delivers the affirmation with a grin, the son of a bitch. He’s enjoying this way too much, the asshole. He addresses my friends. “We did shots of tequila. A lot of shots. She did this thing with my hand—”

“Stop!” I push his chest. It’s like pushing a building. “Jesus, Jake. What is the matter with you? Why would you tell them that? I can’t. I just…”

Tears swell in my eyes in my anger. I fight my chin from quivering. I could so die right now, I’m that embarrassed. And pissed. Him telling my friends anything about that night only makes it worse.

“Kayla.” He reaches for me. “Hey, come on. I was only playing around. Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.” Damn it. I’m crying. I put a hand up and turn my back to him to pull my emotions back in.

“I’m sorry.”

I shake my head. I’ll never be able to face any of them again. I’ll just finish the last three weeks of school online. From another continent. While hiding in a fort made of blankets. “Go away.”

“What about the apartment?”

“Take it.”

He rests his hands on my shoulders. I stiffen and try to shrug him off, but he won’t let me go. Instead, he turns me to face him. The sincerity in his gaze, the softness in his expression, causes my breath to hitch. “I’m sorry. It’s no wonder you hate me. How about this? I promise I won’t make you cry while we’re living together.”

“I never agreed to share the apartment with you.”

“Look, neither one of us have much of a choice. It’s either the apartment—together—or a moldy cot at the firehouse for me and a hotel for you—if there are any rooms left.” He nods at all the residents on their phones, no doubt booking up all the available rooms within commuting distance to the college.

I hate the choices. I hate everything about this. I don’t want to live with him. I don’t even want to talk to him. Closing my eyes, I contemplate my decision, giving Jake the opportunity to continue his attempt to convince me this is a good idea.

“I like your friend’s idea. Let’s live a little while we’re living together. Why not? One wish for each week we have left in school. It’ll be fun.”

“No,” I say and shake my head vehemently. It won’t be fun. It’ll be torture. My friends downplayed how long it took me to recover after we slept together the first time. I thought he’d call. Stop by. Something to show me he meant the words he’d said, that I wasn’t some pathetic last choice or a pity bang.

But he never did any of those things, solidifying my fear I really was his last choice. That I’m anyone’s last choice. Ian reinforced that belief ten-times over when he cheated on me before sending me a list of things wrong with me.

“I see that doubt in your eyes,” Ciara says gently. “Quit trying to overanalyze it. We aren’t arranging a marriage, here. You’ll just be…” She looks to Shannon. “What’s the saying?”

“FTFs. Frenemies that fuck.”

“FTFs,” Ciara repeats and smiles at me. “And, because we’re arranging them, they don’t count against your three-tap rule. You need a place to live. So does Jake. It’s win-win. He promises to stay out of your hair when you aren’t FTF’ing. Right, Jake?”

“Absolutely. You won’t even know I’m there. Come on, Kayla. I’ll even do all the cooking.” He grins, weakening my resolve that much more. I hate to cook, mainly because I can’t.

The more they all gang up on me, the more this stupid idea makes sense. Still, I can’t allow him to be a distraction, not with finals and me trying to figure out what to do after graduation. “Finals are—”

“Driving me crazy, too. We have to let off some steam or we’ll both suffer mental breakdowns before graduation. I know you, Kayla. I know you need to break things down and find the logical reason behind it all. This makes the most sense.”

I hate how he knows that about me. “And you have to do these three things? Why can’t we just live together?”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I don’t want to have fun,” I whine. It’s the only thing I think of. My defense is crumbling.

“I don’t believe you.”

I hate how he challenges me, and I hate that he’s right. I need to lighten up. I know that. Still, I don’t need this right now. I’m too close to achieving my goals to let this derail everything. I want to tell him no. I want to tell them all to stick their wishes up each of their cute little asses. “Can I have a say in the fun?”

“As long as you participate.” His grin shatters what’s left of my resolve. I don’t like the idea, but it really is the best option. I wouldn’t be able to study in a hotel, let alone live in one. I have nowhere else to go. My parents live in Portland, which is too far away to commute. I wouldn’t be able to find another apartment in such a short amount of time. Even if I did, leases are a six-month minimum and I don’t plan to be around that long. How much damage could three little wishes do?

“She’ll do it.” Ciara grabs the card from me and holds it out of my reach.

I hate how I’m the shortest one of the group. “Ciara!”

“One more condition,” Shannon adds, stopping a foot from him, her finger in his face. I don’t trust that dark dance in her eyes. “Your job is to take care of our Kayla. That means no other girls.”

Mel and Ciara snort at the way Jake’s expression falls slack. I would have joined them if I weren’t paralyzed by shock at this weird night.

“Well?” Shannon and Ciara ask at the same time and mirror each other’s stance of arms crossed, hip out. Shannon continues when Jake doesn’t respond. “Look, fire boy. It’s not that hard of an answer. You were all gung-ho to be FTFs a minute ago. What’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem. It’s just…”

“If you won’t do this,” Mel jumps in and joins the other two, stance and all. “We find a roomie who will fulfill our wishes for her. One who’s not afraid of a challenge.”

“Wait,” I break in, insulted. “I’m a challenge?”

“Duh.” Shannon gives me a look.

“Wait,” I say again when the rest of Mel’s statement hits me. “What do you mean, find a roomie who will? Who will what?”

Shannon gives me that look again.

“No.” I snap.

“No,” Jake barks at the same time. He loses what little smile he had as his gaze bounces between the three of them. His expression is a mix of shock and irritation. “Are you shitting me? You’d ask a complete stranger to come in and do God only knows what? You can’t do something like this to her. She’s already stressed enough. Bringing someone else in will send her into a panic attack. No way. I won’t let you do that to her. What kind of friends are you?”

My jaw is on the ground. I’ve never had a guy stand up for me like that. Like ever. Jake Swanson, a guy I thought only had two speeds—turned off and turned on. Who knew he had it in him? My friends all have their jaws as unhinged as mine. Clearly, they didn’t think he had it in him, either.

“Is that a yes?” Shannon recovers and crosses her arms.

“If I say yes, you three have to promise me something in return.”

They all exchange glances before nodding reluctantly. I don’t like that dark glimmer in his eyes. “What are you up to?”

And then he smiles. It’s beautiful. His teeth are beautiful. He’s just all-around beautiful. The way his dark eyes glimmer even more has me ready to melt right there. I love the way the strobes from the firetrucks flash in his gaze. Jesus, the stress of the night must be getting to me. He gives me a sideways wink that leaves me a little dizzy. How does he do that? “Not one more comment about how boring her choices are. Or how ordinary she wants her life to be. There’s nothing wrong with wanting normal. Quit making her feel bad for it.”

Again, I’m taken aback by his words. I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, but oh how I love when he does it. His gaze snags mine. We exchange smiles. I’m a little lost in those eyes, I’m not going to lie. And that smile. And the way he keeps sticking up for me.

Shannon shakes her head. “No way. You don’t get to tell us to leave her alone.”

“If I’m dedicated to her for the foreseeable future, then you’re damn right I do. She’s mine,” he adds when I take a breath to protest, “And I’m hers.”

I definitely don’t want to protest that. We’d be a couple, if only for three weeks. That’s three weeks longer than I ever thought I’d get with someone like Jake Swanson.

The rain has soaked everything, including all of us. I’m freezing. Mel’s lips are blue. Ciara’s teeth are shattering. Shannon is the only one seemingly unaffected. Then again, she’s from Montana, so she’s used to the cold.

“Can we decide on the three wishes tomorrow?” I ask and let out a jaw-popping yawn. “I’m exhausted.”

“Oh, no.” Ciara jumps between us. “You can’t have a say in them.”

Shannon joins Ciara. “In fact, you can’t even know what they are.”

They stare me down, so I turn to Mel. “Help?”

She shakes her head. “I’m not getting in the middle when those two join forces, especially when they have that look in their eyes. Talk about scary.”

“I’m so screwed,” I mutter.

Jake comes up and slips an arm around my shoulders. “I think we both are, babe.”