Opposites Attract - Jessica Prince Page 0,15

in the apartment of two women who had somehow managed to escape their padded cells at the psych hospital. As I tried to ignore the whispers coming from the kitchen, I stared around the living room, noticing it had a warm, cozy feel to it. It was the exact same floor plan as mine, but where my place felt cold and unlived in, theirs was to complete opposite. The built-ins on either side of the brick fire place were crammed with books and picture frames. The walls were covered in art work. The furniture, while not new, was still in good shape and had obviously been bought for the soul purpose of comfort. For two people from the loony bin, they’d managed to make the apartment feel pretty inviting. Maybe that was how they captured their prey, lulling them into a false sense of comfort before they attacked.

I was just starting to consider making a run for it when something from the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked down into black, beady little eyes and let out a curse.

“Fuck me!” I shouted, jumping from the couch and shaking the piss from my foot. As I glared down at the demon dog/rat, I could have sworn the little shit smiled, happy to have gotten me twice in one day.

There was no doubt about it.

I was officially having the day from hell.

I WASN’T GOING TO think about his chest.

I wasn’t going to think about his… sexy, muscular, well-tanned, naked chest.

I wasn’t!

“For the love of Buddha, Del,” I whispered to myself as I paced the length of the kitchen, “stop picturing him naked. Stop it!”

“What have I told you about talking to yourself?” Devon said as she walked into the kitchen.

I pointed at her accusingly. “I know what you’re doing.”

Her eyebrows shot up as she innocently asked, “What did I do? All I’ve done is introduce myself to the guy!”

“I know that look on your face. It’s your I’m-gonna-meddle-in-shit-that-isn’t-my-business face.

She looked off to the side, unable to meet my eyes as she muttered, “I know not of what you speak.”

“Liar!” I smacked her in the arm. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s the same face you got when you decided to tell Tyler Litner that I’d had a crush on him since the fifth grade. And you remember how well that worked out,” I finished sarcastically.

“How the hell was I supposed to know he was gay?” she whisper-yelled. “I was just trying to help you out! You’d been pining after the guy for five freaking years!”

I stared at her with wide, bewildered eyes, my mouth hanging open in shock. “You twisted his arm behind his back and refused to let go until he agreed to take me to the Homecoming dance! You basically forced the poor kid to come out of the closet in front of the entire lunch room. He was traumatized! He had to be homeschooled for the remainder of high school.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and shot me a killing glare. “And you’re welcome for that, by the way. Way I look at it, I saved you. What girl wants to tie herself to a guy who’s so weak a simple wrestling move has him almost pissing his pants in fear?”

Squeezing my eyes closed, I reached up to push my glasses up the bridge of my nose before rubbing at the pain forming in my temples. “I feel like we’ve gotten way off topic here.”

Devon’s head fell back on a groan. “Gah, why does that always happen with us?”

“Because we’re crazy,” I responded drily, then suddenly remembered why I’d dragged her into the kitchen in the first place. “Oh! I remember now,” I snapped before shoving my index finger in her face. “You’re not going to tell Richard that he and I had a one-night stand three months ago.”

“What? Why? Come on! Now that you know you’re not a harlot that slept with a soon-to-be-engaged man, you should totally get back on the horse… and ride it until you fall off in a sweaty mess,” she added with a lascivious grin.

“No!” I barked as quietly as I could before slapping her arm again. “And that’s for calling me a harlot.”

Devon stepped closer and lowered her voice even further. “I think you’re being ridiculous, Del. You said it yourself, that guy in there is a freaking sex God. And he just so happens to be your neighbor. How’s that for a coincidence? Shit like