I come in through the back door because I finally got Lauren to give me a garage door opener for my car. I step out of my shoes, head out of the kitchen, through the dining room to the family room where I find Lauren with a spoonful of cookie dough in her mouth. She’s in a pair of sweatpants with a tight cami and an unzipped sweatshirt. I know she’s sans bra since her nipples greet me first. Her hair is in a high bun revealing her slender neck that I’ve wanted to bite and nibble my way up and down.

She spots me from the corner of her eye and scrambles for the remote. The spoon falling into the bowl of cookie dough in her lap. I wait patiently because it’s a funny scene.

She flicks the channel and an announcer talking stats turns my attention to the television. I’m fairly sure that’s not what was on when I walked in.

It’s been a whole week since I almost confessed my feelings to her. We’ve been able to co-exist in this house because I’ve had a million things on the go this week and she has, too. Other than Sunday dinner, I’ve seen her once on the way out of the shower and another time in the garage. Having nothing else to do today, I wouldn’t mind falling down next to her and sharing that spoon to indulge in a little cookie dough.

“Good morning,” I say, sitting next to her.

“You want the TV?” she asks, already collecting all her things. I notice that one of those things is the crumpled tissues next to her.

“What were you watching?” I reach for the remote, but she grabs it off the cushion before I can. “You’re hiding something,” I slide closer, reaching over her body for the remote.

She tries to hold it up higher. “No, I’m not. I’m watching the highlights from last night. Speaking of which, when do I get to go to the next Blackhawks game?” She raises those perfect eyebrows at me while moving the remote under her leg since she knows I have her beat in height.

“I’ve had to work most of their play days and then Saturday…” I leave it hanging because Saturday were my tickets but I swapped so I could go to her party.

“You gave up your Blackhawks tickets for my party?”

“Of course. That was a stipulation for you to act like my fiancée, remember?

“Yeah but… I’m sorry.” She puts the bowl of cookie dough on the table.

“Don’t be. I had a lot of fun.”

Just as I have her feeling bad about me missing the Blackhawks game I move my hand over her and under her thigh to grab the remote.

“You sneak!” she yells, her hand gripping mine, nails digging into my skin.

“Ouch!” I retract my hand and she stands up, hiding the remote behind her back. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“No.” She shakes her head.

I’m sure she’s gripping it pretty hard behind her, but I stand, towering over her and putting our bodies flush so I can wrap my arms around her.

“You play unfair,” she says, wiggling around in my arms.

I could tighten my grip, but this is way too much fun, so I let her flail in my arms like a fish out of water.

“Come on.” My hands feel the metal and plastic but she pushes her breasts right into me, and her nipples poke me through my thin shirt. My dick stirs to life in my pants.

“Why do you care?” she asks, escaping my hold.

I knew I should’ve tightened my arms. She jumps up on the couch, barely getting the height advantage now. I could step up on the couch, but her tits are in my face now and what heterosexual man wouldn’t want that?

Her arms are held up straight in the air and she’s shimmying back and forth giving me a tease I’m quite enjoying, but I need to keep playing this game of keep away, otherwise, she’ll be on to me.

I pick her up by the waist and this time I do tighten my arms.

Her fists nail my shoulder blades and I figured this would go no other way. Laying her down on the couch, I lean over her, searching for the remote. Her one leg winds around mine, her body like a python. How do I continue to underestimate her strength?

“Luca!” she yells when I try to tickle her and she dodges my fingers.

“You’re ticklish?” I go after her again, but she shifts her weight farther into the couch.

I have no idea where the remote is now.

Her hips shoot off the couch, her leg gripping mine. “Oh my God.”

She’s got a smile on her face, laughing. And it’s beautiful.

Her hands grab mine, jarring me from my thoughts and I lose my balance, falling on top of her. We both hold still.

Our eyes meet and everything disappears except her lips. They’re all I see. Her tongue slides out of her mouth and she licks her fuller lower lip and it feels like an invitation. Does she mean it as one? All the reasons this won’t work evaporates from my thoughts, leaving me with one subject on my mind—how good would it feel to kiss Lauren Hunt? Are her lips as soft as I’ve imagined? Will she try to take the reins or let me control the pace?

I can’t pull my vision from her lips. The shine from where she licked them teases me and I can practically taste the cookie dough she was eating when I walked in. Shifting, she opens her legs and I fall between them. My athletic pants and her sweatpants leave only the thinnest layer between us and I can feel the heat between her legs calling to me. It has to be a sign that she’s into this.

My neck strains and I lower down, my resolve vanishing into thin air.

“Luca,” she sighs, the tone of her voice stalling me a millimeter before our lips meet.

“Yeah,” I say, not moving.

“Is this a mistake?” she asks and I look back up to her eyes. The lust from moments before has been replaced by wariness.

Sliding off her, I sit up, running a hand through my still sweaty hair. “Do you think it is?”

She gets up and tucks her legs against her chest. “Are we doing it because we’re here and we’ve been shoved together for the past few weeks?”

I hate that I can’t answer her question with certainty. I have no clue. Usually it’s ‘do I like you enough to sleep with you? Okay, let’s go back to your place.’ After the night, I leave and it’s over. I’ve never seen anyone more than a few times and even then it’s usually just a mutual let’s have some fun, screw around with each other for a bit, then move on. Feelings were never involved unless you count horniness.

But being with Lauren is bringing up all those old feelings from way back in the day, and that’s some serious shit. What if she’s right and it is just because we’ve been together so much and neither of us has slept with anyone else since we started this.

“I don’t know,” I admit, albeit with reluctance.

“Then I’d say this is a bad idea. We should keep this platonic. No matter what, we’re going to be at a lot of events going forward with your brothers dating my best friends. We don’t need to end up hating each other more than we already do.” She stands and reaches for her cookie bowl.

My gaze falls to the remote on the cushion.

“Lauren,” I say to draw her attention back to me. “I don’t hate you. That I can answer with absolute truth.”

She smiles. “Same. You have a way of making people warm up to you.”

“Is that a compliment?” I ask with mock astonishment.

“I guess it is.”

I smile and snatch the remote off the couch. In a last-ditch effort, she jumps me, but I click the last channel and I find out Lauren’s little secret.

“Hallmark Christmas movies?” I chuckle.

Her body lays limp in my lap.

“You tell anyone and you’re dead.” She pokes my chest and I grab her finger.

“Another secret in the L & L vault, huh?”

“Yes.” She pushes up off of me and I miss her body immediately. Grabbing the cookie dough bowl again, she grabs the remote that’s now limp in my hand. “Now that you know, move on with your day because my Saturday is going to be this.” She props her feet up on the table and spoons a heaping mound of cookie dough onto the spoon.

I reach for her wrist and direct the spoon into my mouth.

Lauren’s eyes widen.

“Me, too, then. Roommate bonding day it is.” I smile and wink.

She points the spoon at me. “No talking. Do not ruin my vice.”

I laugh, grabbing the blanket from my chair—which has once again found a place in the house—and bringing her feet over my legs. “Let’s see what the hype is all about.” I turn my attention to the television.

Maybe it’d be easier for me to just admit the truth to her, but that’s just another area where I differ from my brothers.