“Say yes already, Tucker.”

“No.”

“Wait, like ‘no’ no or ‘no I won’t say yes’ no?” Maura asks on the other line.

She would think to ask that. “No, I won’t say yes,” I tell her.

“Well, then that’s basically saying no!”

For the past ten minutes, Maura has been trying to get me to agree to go apartment hunting with her. After everything that happened with her parents and us making that promise, she decided she needs to be more independent, so she’s going to try and find a place on her own.

“Please?” she begs.

“Fine. But you have to tell me I’m awesome at least five times today.”

“Deal. Meet you at Perk in twenty?”

“Deal.”

She lets out a loud cheer. “Ah! Thank you! You’re awesome! There’s number one. Bye!”

I toss my cell phone down and bring my arm up over my eyes. For someone who works a late shift, she sure as hell gets up early. Especially on a Saturday. She’s worth the lack of sleep, and I do owe her for going with me to meet that dickwad of a label manager on Wednesday.

I must admit that I haven’t been very cheery these last couple days because of how it all went. AKA, horribly. I’d hoped for so much more than it was but was sorely let down.

Last night, as I was tossing and turning about, I promised myself I wouldn’t let that one shittastic experience soil my dreams of “making it.” Guess Maura making my lazy ass get out of bed today is helping.

Throwing off my dark green covers, I swing my feet to the chilly hardwood. I glance around my small bedroom, and my eyes land on something shiny on the floor by my door. Walking over and squatting down, I realize that it’s a bracelet. Maura must have left it here last night.

And no, that’s not as naughty as it sounds. We’ve been spending just about every day together, but the only way this could have gotten in here was from when she stayed over. But if I remember correctly, she wasn’t wearing a bracelet.

Then who in the hell’s is it?

Wait. Did Gaige have a girl over last night? Gaige? Quiet, handsome bastard, who I’ve hardly ever seen talk to a woman before? No way.

“Yo, penis breath!” I holler to my roommate, walking out of my bedroom and down the hall to his, not bothering to knock on the door.

“Dude!” he shouts, tripping over the tan cargo shorts he’s putting on and falling face first to the floor as I swing open the door.

Naked.

Naturally, I laugh. And then I laugh harder, because in his rush to get his bare ass covered, he trips again.

“Motherf—! You are such an asshole!”

“You love me. But question: why are you not wearing any underwear? I know it’s not laundry day.”

He finally manages to push himself off the floor and wrangle his shorts over his hips. “Sometimes you gotta freeball it.”

Leaning up against the doorframe, I cross my arms and shrug. “Good point.”

Gaige pulls on his navy Harold’s shirt for a shift at the pizza parlor. Standing at the foot of his bed, he puts his hands on his hips and raises his expertly groomed eyebrows at me. “Did you just barge in to find out if I was wearing underwear or what?”

“Oh, yeah,” I say. I hold up the bracelet for Gaige to see. “Is this yours?”

His eyes widen as he quickly strides over to me and snatches it out of my hand. He stares down at it, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Where’d you find it?”

“It was on the floor in the hallway beside my door. And I’m guessing by that look on your face you know exactly who it belongs to.”

A scowl replaces the smile with lightning speed. “None of your damn business.”

I smirk. “You know, you’re a lot more handsome when you smile. You should work on that.”

“Ugh! Go away!” he barks.

I duck away from the shoe he throws and head toward the bathroom, making sure to lock the door because I don’t trust him not to retaliate for falling over naked.

And I’m glad I do, because I’m not even two minutes into my shower when I hear him twisting at the knob. I smother a laugh at his attempt at revenge. The knob stops clicking as Gaige gives up at breaking in.

Turning off the water, I step out of the tub and dry off. Realizing I forgot my clothes in my bedroom, I wrap a towel around me, cautiously opening the door. I make sure to look both ways and listen intently, checking to be certain the coast is clear. Everything seems innocent enough, so I take a tentative step into the hall.

Big. Mistake.

My feet fly out from under me and my ass hits the floor. In the process, I lose my grip on my towel, leaving me butt-ass naked. Then, to make matters worse, Gaige comes barreling down the hall, snatches my towel, whacks me with it, and leaves me lying there.

“Got ya, fucker! Thank you, buttered cooking spray!” he shouts from the safety of his locked bedroom.

Bastard.

* * *

I’m greeted by a confusion-marred face when I show up almost ten minutes late to Perk.

“Why are you walking so funny?” Maura questions as she walks out carrying two medium coffees. She hands one over to me. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I take a generous sip and then answer her. “Let’s just say it involves two naked dudes, buttered cooking spray, and the promise of revenge.”

“Kinky.” She waggles her brows, not even stopping to think it could indeed be something kinky. “Come on. You can ride with me.”

We climb into her silver luxury SUV and hit the road.

“Have you talked to him?” she asks when we come to the first stop sign.

“No. Have you?”

“Unfortunately.”

I turn toward her, and my brows slam down in concern. “What happened?”

“Well, I tried calling him on Sunday after the party and got no answer. So I tried again once a day until Wednesday just before your appointment. I left a voicemail saying that it would be my last call. He called back that night. Drunk. And then proceeded to tell me what a whore I was.”

She stops talking, but I know that’s not all that happened. I can tell by the disgust in her voice that there’s more to it.

“And then what, Maura?” I press.

She exhales a breath. “Then he put the phone on speaker, and all I heard was moaning and bodies slamming together.” She flicks her eyes toward me momentarily, gauging my reaction. “He was screwing someone while I was on the phone with him.”

“Jesus, Maura!” I explode. “I cannot believe that asshole! He’s…fuck! He’s fucking dead to me.” I slam my hand on the dash in aggravation. “Fucker!”

“Don’t say that, Tuck. That’s something you can’t take back,” she says calmly. “What he did, it’s okay.”

“It’s not,” I say, seething. “It’s far from okay. Don’t try to take whatever happened with us and use it as an excuse to allow him to be a total dick. That’s never okay. If he wasn’t tucked safely away on a damn Army base, I’d go beat his ass for that shit.”

“Shouldn’t he be allowed to hurt us like we did him?”

I look over at her and see that she believes that’s the way it should be. “No. Not at all. What happened with us was unintentional. Hell, a few may even call it inevitable. What he did was intentional and unfuckingcalled for. There’s no other way to put that.”

We don’t say a thing for a mile or two. Maura is the first to break the silence.

“Fine. You’re right. Can we forget our past with him? Can we only think about now and not then?”

“I think that’s probably best.”

“Then that’s what we’ll try.”

“You’re awesome,” she says quietly, causing me to laugh again.

The rest of the ride to the first apartment is short and quiet. And the answer of whether or not it’s a good place for Maura to live comes just as quickly.

The car is still in drive when I say, “No. You’re not living here. Next.”

She screws her nose up and stares out the windshield. “What?”

“You have to park too far away for comfort. I’m not leaving you to walk these streets alone at night. Not with the time you get off work.”

After a moment, she agrees. “Fine. You win. Next.”

We check out two more apartments, and one is almost a winner, but Maura insists on trying one more. The instant we pull up, I have a good feeling about it. The area is nice, and the parking is in front of the apartment building that appears newer and clean. We’re greeted by a friendly middle-aged woman in dress clothes, who introduces herself as the landlady.

“Hi, Darcy. I’m Maura, and this is—”

“Her fiancé, Tucker,” I interrupt with a devious smirk, slinging my arm around Maura, who elbows me in the gut.

“Oh, how sweet! You two are adorable together!” Darcy exclaims.

“Thanks,” Maura says through a forced smile.

“Well let’s go have a look, shall we?”

Immediately after Darcy turns around, Maura smacks my arm and glares at me. I shrug and stick my tongue out at her. Despite falling on my ass and bruising the shit out of myself, topped with finding out my brother is total fucking tool, I’m in a playful mood today. I love it when she gets sassy, and that’s what I’m aiming for with the whole charade.

We follow Darcy down a small hill toward the main apartments, and I fall back to pull out my phone, finding a way to drive Maura even crazier in about twenty minutes.

Maura lets out an excited squeal when Darcy invites us inside the empty apartment. It only takes her five seconds to decide this is the place she wants.

“It’s perfect!” she declares. “Absolutely perfect! Does it come furnished?”

“Not typically,” Darcy answers. When Maura’s shoulders slump, Darcy adds, “But I’m sure that’s something that could be worked out.”

“Excellent!” Maura says, clapping her hands together and bouncing on her heels. She looks to me, “What do you think, honey?”

Glancing around the decent-sized two-bedroom apartment, I have to agree with Maura. A place like this is ideal for her. It’s open and bright with two white framed glass doors leading out to a moderately sized balcony, a small kitchen, antique hardwood floors, and a high ceiling. Among the standard white walls is a subtle green one where a small gas fireplace sits. The general feel is cozy but modern.

“How are the bedrooms?” I answer.

We make our way to the master and spare rooms. Both are larger than I thought they’d be, and so is the bathroom. Overall, it’s a fucking phenomenal apartment, and I think Maura would be crazy not to take it.

“Can you give us time to discuss a few things in private?” I ask Darcy, who has been hovering the entire time.

“Oh, certainly! Take as much time as you need. I’ll check back in shortly.”

She leaves an application and frequently asked questions pamphlet on the kitchen island and then makes her way out the front door.

The door clicks shut, and Maura gives me a pointed look. “First, you’re a jackass. Second, I’m getting this damn apartment no matter what you say. This is exactly what I was wanting!”

I know it’s insane, but getting her worked up gets me all worked up. Whenever I push her buttons, Maura gets this fire lit under her ass, and she isn’t afraid to push back at me when I do it. I think that’s why we work so well together.

I glance at my wrist, staring at a watch I’m not even wearing. “We’ll see. Five…four…three…two,” I count. “One.”

There’s a rapping at the door just as “one” leaves my mouth. Maura’s face scrunches, not sure what in the hell is going on. Smirking, I turn and cross the few feet to the front door. Pulling it open, I’m met with the familiar face of Gaige.

“Really, man? I was so confused when that order came through,” he says, handing me a large pizza. He pokes his head in the door and peers around with a satisfied grin. “Nice place, Maura. I think this is a good one.” He turns to me. “Twelve seventy-five.”

I laugh in his face. “No way, fucker. Payback for making me bust my ass and bruise my entire backside. This one is on you. Thanks for lunch!”

Slamming the door in his stunned face, I turn around to face Maura, who has her hands at her hips and is tapping her foot.

“Well?”

“Come on. You have to know if the best pizza place around can deliver promptly. That’s the only true way to know if it is, in fact, the perfect apartment.”

She shakes her head at my logic. “And how did you know it would be Gaige delivering it?”

“We have a code. Whenever an order for Mr. Apple Bottom comes in, it’s either Hudson or me.”

“Apple Bottom? For real?”

I shrug, heading toward the island in the kitchen. “What? We’re idiots.” I pull a stool out for her. “Sit. Lunch is on me.”

“You mean Gaige.”

I give her an incredulous look. “Traitor.”

We scarf down our pizza in fear of the landlady busting in at any moment, and I help fill out the residency application for Maura. When I reach the question regarding income, I pause.

“Do you have stable income?” I read aloud. Looking to Maura, I say, “Well?”

She swallows the bite of pizza she just ate, nodding. “I do.”

This is a rather nice apartment in a fairly upscale—or as upscale as it gets in Wakefield—part of town, and I’m worried she won’t be able to support herself on her tips from Clyde’s.

“Not that it’s my business, but do you make that much waitressing?”

She closes the now almost empty pizza box and raises a brow at me. “It isn’t any of your business, but yes. I do just fine at Clyde’s to support my living habits. But I do know that things will get far more expensive living on my own.” She glances down at the countertop, almost unsure of how to approach whatever it is she wants to say next. “I’m loaded, Tucker. It’s not just my parents who are rich. I have a rather massive trust left to me by my grandparents. Plus, it seems the only thing my own parents did correctly was teach me about investing. I gained access to my trust when I turned eighteen and began placing it in several different stocks. After I made a decent return, I pulled out and stashed it in an interest-earning account. My bank account is a little more than padded.”

My jaw is practically on the floor at this point. She’s smart as hell. Not that I didn’t think she wasn’t. I guess I never realized the grip she has on her finances.

“So you’re basically saying you’ll be my sugar momma one day?”

Maura doesn’t even hesitate to snatch the pen from the counter and toss it at me. “Jackass.”

“Mmm. I love it when you get sassy,” I say, abandoning the application and stalking around the island toward her. She squeals and takes off toward the living room. Chasing after her, I get a brilliant idea.

Channeling my inner child, I fall at just the right moment and pretend to smack my head into the coffee table. I roll to the floor and lie still, schooling my breathing to a bare minimum. Maura follows suit, falling to her knees next to me and shaking me by my shoulders.

“Tucker! OhmyGod, ohmyGod! Wake up!” Shakes me again. “Please, please, wake up. Tucker!”

Since she’s about in hysterics, I decide now is the time to pounce. In one split second, I shoot up, grab Maura, and roll until I’m on top of her. I press my body down on hers, caging her in so she can’t get anywhere.

The face I’m staring down at with a smug grin is one of shock, and maybe even a little disgust. But what’s giving it all away are her luminous blue eyes. They aren’t full of shock or disgust. They’re full of lust.

She’s loving this.

“Gotcha,” I gloat. “Can’t believe you fell for that.”

“You’re a terrible person, Tucker Cameron. I hope you fall and scrape your knee.”

“That’s impolite. You know I already bruised my ass today, and now you want me to get hurt all over again. Your mother should have taught you better manners, young lady.”

Maura doesn’t even try to suppress an eye roll. “What is up with you today? You’re so…giddy.”

“Does it bother you to see me happy?”

Her eyes grow serious. “If there is one person on this planet I want to be happy, it’s you, Tuck. You deserve it.”

My response is to kiss her. When I press my lips to hers, she immediately presses back. We’re gentle at first, taking our time. I tug at her lower lip, begging her to open up for me. She does. With our tongues now dancing together, our bodies gradually begin to move in a rhythmic pattern. Her hands move from my arms to my hair, grabbing on to my head and pulling me into her with a sense of urgency. I slide my hands down her body, grasping her legs and wrapping them around my waist to get a better angle on the friction that’s happening down below. She gasps when my dick slides against her sweet spot.

Tearing my mouth from hers, I kiss my way across her cheek and down to her neck, stopping briefly to suck at the tender spot below her ear, inducing another soft moan. Her feet drop from my hips as I drag my tongue lightly down her exposed neck, pausing when I reach her shirt.

I pop the first button and peer up at her. I can see she has her head thrown back, breaths coming out in ragged succession, and her cheeks flushed with the sexiest shade of pink. Damn, she’s stunning.

I flick open another button, and her breathing picks up even more.

“Is it hot in here?” she suddenly asks. “It feels hot in here.”

Another button and harsher breaths.

“It’s perfect,” I say, staring down at her white lacy undershirt, my already throbbing erection pulsing even more at the sight. It’s not a garment that should be sexy, but on Maura, everything is sexy. I can just imagine her in this and a pair of those lacy boy shorts. My brain goes into overdrive.

“You sure?”

A fourth button is popped open. Halfway there.

“Positive,” I lie, because it definitely is hot in here.

I blow a warm breath over the exposed swell of her breasts, causing her lower half to press upward into me. Her subtle movement spurs me to move faster as I swiftly pop open all the other buttons.

As I begin sliding her top off her, the front door flies open.

“Sorry about that,” Darcy says. “Got caught up on a phone call. How’s everything…” Her voice trails off as she walks into the kitchen, probably finding our pizza box still sitting on the counter.

I quickly move off Maura and attempt to push my boner down into submission. It doesn’t work so I roll onto my stomach.

Maura flattens her hair back down and stands up just as the landlady comes around the corner.

“There you are. I see you two have already tried the local pizza delivery.”

I can’t see her face, so I’m not sure if she’s upset or not.

“We did,” Maura says. “I hope you don’t mind. I always find it important to know if your favorite pizza place can deliver in a timely manner or not. It can make or break a great apartment find.”

I bury my face into the plush area rug to muffle my laugh.

“Is everything okay with your fiancé?” Darcy asks, this time the concern clear in her voice.

I’m guessing Maura senses I’m about to say something sarcastic, so she answers before I can.

“Oh, him? Yeah, he’s fine. When he’s in the doghouse, he doesn’t deserve the luxury of the couch, so I make him sleep on the floor. He’s there so often he finds it necessary to test it out. Isn’t that right, honey?”

Laughter bubbles up, and I begin shaking so hard I can’t even speak, so I just throw a thumb up in the air.

“You two are just the cutest!” Darcy compliments. “So, what do we think? Should we start the application process?”

I lift my head off the floor and look up at a now smirking Maura, who—despite what she said earlier—is waiting on me for an answer.

“We’ll take it.”