Playing a Player (Sweet Cravings Book 1) Read online

  "Oh, God no. No. I mean yes, don't do that."

  Rory laughed. "I mean, as long as we're not attracted to each other, it really shouldn't be a problem."

  He's not attracted to me? That's kind of a rude thing to say. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "Right, of course. I mean, I'm definitely not attracted to you. I like...glasses. I mean, guys with glasses. And the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing is really overrated. I should say tall, dark, and not handsome, am I right? Gross. Ugh." I laughed awkwardly and shoved the rest of my sandwich in my mouth. What the fuck?!

  He lowered his eyebrows slightly. I hadn't meant to offend him. And it was a lie. He was dreamy.

  "Okay. And we can just make a pact," he said.

  "Hmm?" I had a mouth full of food.

  "To just be friends. To not start liking each other."

  I choked on my bite of sandwich. It took me an agonizingly long time to swallow. "I don't like you," I lied.

  "So what's the problem then?"

  "I guess there isn't one." Because there's a million!

  His eyes grew bright. "So the room is mine?"

  "Um...yes." What the hell am I doing?

  "Thanks, Keira, I really appreciate it." He got up, walked around the table, and wrapped his arms around me.

  I could feel his muscles pressed against me. "You're welcome." My whole body felt tingly. I had a strong urge to kiss him, but instead I patted his back awkwardly. He released me from his hug. He was all smiles.

  "Does tomorrow evening work for you?"

  He does like me! "Yeah, I'm free tomorrow."

  "Great, me and a couple friends will move my stuff in then."

  Of course. Geez, I'm already acting like an idiot. "Sounds good."

  Rory picked up my plate. "Thanks again, Keira." He headed back behind the counter. I quickly grabbed my purse and fled the restaurant.

  Chapter 4

  "You're not serious?" Emily stared at me in disbelief. She was my oldest friend. Ever since we had been randomly assigned as roommates in college, she had been my biggest confidant. And I needed her advice now more than ever.

  "I didn't mean to agree to him moving in. It kind of just happened."

  "You were doing that thing, weren't you?"

  "What thing?"

  "Where you just keep rambling because you're nervous."

  Oh, that thing. When did I ever not do that? "He does make me really nervous. Emily, I've never been so instantaneously attracted to someone before. He's so handsome."

  "Which is why you shouldn't live with him."

  "Well, we agreed to just remain friends. So..." I shrugged. "There isn't really anything to worry about."

  Emily stared at me skeptically.

  "I was kind of hoping you'd tell me that it was a good idea."

  "Why on earth did you think I'd tell you it was a good idea? It's actually a really terrible idea, Keira."

  "How is it that bad of an idea? All the other candidates were awful. He was the only one who I could actually see myself living with."

  "So put out another ad."

  "I need a new roommate before the end of the month. He's moving in just in time. Anyone else would take too long."

  "Well then, it seems like you already made up your mind." She smiled at me.

  "So you think it is a good idea? I mean, you live with a guy. And you're so happy."

  "You mean my husband?" Emily laughed.

  I couldn't help but start laughing too. If that was the only argument I could come up with, then maybe letting Rory live with me really was a bad idea.

  "Are you sure you don't want to just call him and tell him you made a mistake?"

  "Geez, I can't do that."

  "Of course you can. It's not like you have to ever see him again."

  "But I don't want to not see him. I'm actually kind of excited about getting to see him every day."

  Emily smiled at me. "I don't know what you want me to say. I feel like it's a bad idea. But you were my only roommate before I got married. So what do I know?"

  I laughed. "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this."

  "I know. What if he's a serial killer?"

  "Emily! Why would you even say that?!" I tossed one of the pillows off the couch at her. She knew that was my biggest fear of living with a stranger.

  "I'm just kidding. You're going to be fine."

  "Yeah. I'll definitely be fine." I bit my lip. "What's it like living with a guy, by the way? It's pretty much the same as living with a girl, right?"

  Emily started laughing again. "No, not at all."

  Chapter 5

  I just finished moving the rest of my bathroom stuff to my bedroom when I heard a knock on the door. My heart was beating fast. I glanced in the mirror. I was wearing my nicest pushup bra with a low cut tank top and a pair of jean shorts. Maybe I could change Rory's opinion of me. I didn't really want that stupid pact.

  A few seconds later I opened the door. Rory was holding a large box and his two friends were hidden behind boxes of their own.

  "Hey," Rory said as he made his way into the apartment. He put the box down in the middle of the living room floor. "Keira, this is Connor and Jackson." He gestured to his two friends.

  "Hey," Connor said. "Rory, you didn't tell me that your new roommate was smoking hot."

  I could feel myself blushing. "Do you guys need help with anything? I cleared space for you in the kitchen and bathroom cabinets."

  "We have a lot to bring up. Maybe you could help me unpack?" Rory asked.

  "Sure, of course."

  I walked over to the boxes and sat down. I pulled the tape off the first one and opened it up. It was full of boxers. I lifted up a pair. A box of condoms was underneath of it. A huge box. Does he buy them in bulk? Who needs this many condoms?

  Rory cleared his throat.

  Shit. I threw the boxers down on top of the box of condoms.

  "Maybe the one marked kitchen?" Rory suggested before heading back out of the apartment.

  I quickly closed the box and pulled the tape back over it. Why did I touch his boxers? What is wrong with me? I found the box labeled kitchen and started to unpack the glasses.

  ***

  By the time they moved the rest of Rory's stuff in, my apartment had been transformed into a bachelor pad. My small couch had been pushed to the side and dark leather furniture had replaced it. There were beer mugs lining the counter and a dartboard hung up on the wall.

  I turned my head when I heard the door creak back open. The three guys were carrying a case of beer and a few pizzas.

  "Did you want to join us, mademoiselle?" Jackson asked. He had a kind smile. The three of them sat down in the living room.

  "No, that's okay, guys. I'm just going to hang out in my room."

  "Don't be ridiculous," Connor said. "We're going to be over a lot. We need to get to know you better." He tapped the seat between him and Rory on the couch.

  "Um..." I looked over at Rory. He was smiling at me. He had such a sexy smile. "If you're sure I'm not imposing."

  Connor popped the top off a beer and held it up for me. I walked over to the couch, sat down, and took the beer bottle. Jackson was sitting in a chair across from us.

  I could feel Connor's eyes on me as I leaned over to grab a slice of pizza. "So you guys are going to be over a lot, huh?"

  "Well, Rory always hosts poker night on Tuesdays," Jackson said.

  I looked over at Rory. He shrugged his shoulders.

  "And he throws a hell of a party," Connor added.

  "He forgot to mention that." What had I gotten myself into?

  "Actually, we were thinking about doing a kind of housewarming party. If that's okay with you, Keira?" Connor asked.

  "Sure. When were you thinking?"

  "Friday?"

  "Do you need me to do anything?"

  "No, we've got it covered. Just wear something sexy." Connor's hand brushed the side of my arm.

  I gulped. I didn't want
Rory's friend to like me. I wanted Rory to like me. I shifted slightly closer to Rory on the couch. But Rory responded by scooting away from me. Jackson smiled at me. I could tell he wanted to laugh. He had seen me move away from Connor and then Rory move away from me. Geez, why is this so awkward?

  "So, Keira, tell us about yourself," Jackson said.

  I finished chewing a bite of pizza. "I'm a freelance writer for The Post."

  "That's a stimulating job. Do you enjoy it?" Jackson asked.

  That was a strange way to describe my work. Stimulating. "It's actually a lot of fun. I basically write about whatever I like and sometimes they'll pick up the story."

  "That's considerably better than pushing paper all day." Jackson smiled. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

  "And what does your boyfriend do?" Connor asked.

  "Really smooth," Jackson laughed and leaned back in his chair.

  "Um...well...he isn't, I mean, I don't..." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm not seeing anyone right now."

  "Single and sexy? Rory, you were really holding out on us," Connor said.

  I looked at Rory out of the corner of my eye and saw him shrug. He didn't mention it because he doesn't think I'm sexy. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I was alone in my apartment with three men I barely knew. I stood up. "I've never played darts before."

  "I can show you how," Connor said quickly, and got up off the couch. He walked over to the dartboard and picked up the darts off the table.

  I sighed and walked over to him. He handed me a dart. I threw it toward the board and the dart sunk into the wall. "Oh, shit."

  Connor laughed. "Here, let me show you." He placed a dart in my hand and got behind me. He put one hand on my hip and the other around my hand that was holding the dart. I glanced over my shoulder at Rory, but he was talking to Jackson. If anything could come out of this, I was hoping to make him jealous. But he wasn't even looking at me.

  "I'm going to put the rest of the beers in the fridge." I shimmied out of Connor's grip, grabbed the case, and walked into the kitchen. I opened up the fridge and let the cool air hit my face. I took a deep breath. I needed to get a grip.

  "Ahem." I looked up and Rory was leaning against the side of the fridge.

  "Oh. Hi." I put the carton of beers down in the fridge. "Your friends seem...nice."

  He leaned in close. I could feel his warm breath in my ear. It made chills shoot through the rest of my body. "Connor only does one night stands, Keira. Just a heads up. One friend to another." He leaned back against the side of the fridge and regarded me. I wanted his warm breath against me again.

  "And what do you do? I mean, just one friend curiously asking another."

  He laughed, grabbed a beer out of the carton, and headed back over to his seat.

  He really doesn't like me. He was looking out for me, one friend to another. Or was he trying to make me avoid Connor? I closed the refrigerator door. I was now even more uncomfortable. And I suddenly remembered Emily joking around about Rory being a serial killer. A chill ran down my spine.

  "You know what, I'm pretty tired," I called to them from the kitchen. "I'm going to go to bed."

  Chapter 6

  I sat down at the kitchen counter with my bowl of cereal. The pizza boxes were still on the coffee table and beer bottles were scattered around the living room. I wasn't used to living with a guy. And Rory's friends would be back tonight for their weekly poker night. Emily had been right. Living with a guy was very different than living with a girl. I was a little sloppy, but at least I didn't leave trash all over the apartment.

  The bathroom door creaked and Rory walked out. He was wearing boxer briefs. And nothing else. I spit out my bite of cereal.

  Rory looked over at me. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, this milk has gone bad. It's rancid. Don't drink it. I'll throw it out." I had just bought it yesterday afternoon. I grabbed a paper towel and wiped off the counter. Then sat back down and took another bite of cereal.

  "I thought you said it was bad?"

  I hadn't realized that Rory was still standing there. God his abs are amazing.

  He walked over to the fridge and brought out the half gallon of milk. He opened up the top and sniffed it. "It doesn't smell bad, Keira."

  "Yeah, I know. I lied. I don't know. I was just surprised to see you. I've gotten used to living alone, I guess." I looked down at the bulge in his boxer briefs and then back at my cereal. My cereal didn't look nearly as appealing.

  "Did you want me to wear more to breakfast?" He was smiling at me. He was clearly enjoying my reaction to his half naked body.

  "What? Psh. No. Rory, I mean, wear whatever makes you comfortable. That wasn't it at all. You're not bothering me. I'm cool. Totally cool. Heck, maybe I'll start walking around in my underwear. It's just so comfortable in here. Between us, you know?"

  "I'm going to go put on a shirt." He walked back into his room and reemerged as he pulled a t-shirt down over his head.

  He made himself a bowl of cereal, walked over to me, and sat down beside me at the kitchen counter. I quickly took another bite of cereal. I hadn't realized that I'd been staring at him.

  "So, I take it you don't do one night stands?" he asked, without looking at me.

  "Oh no, I do them. I do them all the time."

  Rory laughed and looked over at me. "Oh, you're serious?"

  "Why is that thought so funny?"

  Rory shrugged. "I don't know, you just don't seem like the type."

  "Yeah." I pushed my cereal around with my spoon. "I'm not."

  "You lie a lot, you know. I have no idea what to believe and what not to believe."

  "I don't lie. I just sometimes don't know what to say when I'm nervous. Not that I'm nervous around you. You know what, I'm going to finish my breakfast in my room. I have a lot of work to do today." I grabbed my bowl of cereal and slid off the stool.

  "So you work from home?"

  "Yeah." I opened up my bedroom door and quickly closed it behind me. Why am I so awkward?

  ***

  I finished up the article I was working on. I was holding my bladder, hoping that Rory wouldn't be in the kitchen anymore. I opened up my door a crack and looked out. The coast was clear. I tiptoed past Rory's door and quietly opened up the bathroom door.

  "Um, excuse me," Rory said calmly.

  "Oh my God!" I shrieked. Rory was standing there peeing. "Oh my God!" Stop staring at his penis!

  I turned around and ran out of the bathroom. I started pacing the hallway. This was not going well at all. This wasn't working. How am I going to get the image of that out of my mind? Geez, do I even want to?

  When Rory emerged I started yelling, even though I knew he was the one that should be upset with me. "You said you wouldn't walk around naked! You can't go walking around with your huge penis everywhere! I mean penis. Normal, average penis." My face was turning scarlet.

  He looked amused. "Keira, I wasn't walking around. I was taking a piss...in the bathroom."

  "With the door unlocked!"

  "You should have knocked."

  "But..."

  "Let's finish this discussion later. I'm going to be late for work." Rory walked past me and out the front door. Before he closed it he put his head back in. "Huge, huh?"

  "I said average!" I ran back into my room.

  Chapter 7

  I watched Rory as he flirted with a girl on the couch. I hadn't realized that poker night wasn't just for his guy friends.

  "Hey, Keira."

  I looked up and saw Jackson standing next to me. "Hey, Jackson. So, I was wondering. Is that Rory's girlfriend?"

  Jackson started laughing. "No."

  "Why is that so funny?"

  "Rory doesn't do the whole girlfriend thing."

  "Oh."

  "You like him, huh?"

  "What? No." So Rory didn't date and neither did Connor. I looked away from Rory and turned my attention back to Jackson. "Do you do the whole girlf
riend thing?"

  Jackson rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "I actually just got out of a relationship. I only just started hanging out with Rory and Connor again recently. My ex hated them."

  I laughed. "So what are you guys? Like the wolf pack or something?"

  "You mean like from the Hangover?" Jackson started to laugh.

  "You're all a bunch of sluts," I hissed.

  Jackson laughed again. "Is that what you think? Well, I heard that you're kind of a peeping Tom."

  "What?"

  "Rory told me about the bathroom incident this morning."

  "Oh God." I was completely mortified. "Who doesn't lock the door? If I had any idea that he was in there, I wouldn't have gone in. It's not like I was being discreet about it."

  "He said you tiptoed in."

  "It was an accident!"

  "Mhm."

  I looked over at Rory. He was smiling at me. He knew exactly what Jackson and I were talking about. I needed to change the subject. "I thought poker night was like a guys thing?"

  "Rory didn't tell you?"

  "Tell me what?"

  Jackson smiled down at me. "This is going to be more interesting than I thought. Come on. It's time to get started."

  My brow furrowed as Jackson walked over to the table that they had set up earlier. It was nice of them to ask me to join, but was I missing something? What had Rory not told me? I followed Jackson over to the table and sat down in the last seat, which was between him and Connor. There were two other girls at the table that I didn't know. And no one bothered to introduce us. Which was fine, because they both had huge breasts, way too much make up, and I instinctively didn't like either of them. Especially the one that Rory was staring at.

  "Okay, winner chooses the person and the article of clothing for each round," Connor said and winked at me.

  I swallowed my sip of beer. "What?" I looked over at Rory, but he was too busy staring down another girl's shirt.

  Jackson put his elbows on the table and leaned over to me. "I told you it was going to be interesting," he whispered. "We're playing strip poker, Keira."