Was there an altar I was supposed to pray at so I could thank some god for gray sweatpants season?
I mean, I didn’t have enough in the size department to enjoy firsthand knowledge of the experience, but I could definitely appreciate them.
But even as I ogled and tried not to get caught, I had to wonder…who wore gray sweatpants and no underwear to an interview? Sure, it was just to see if he could rent a bedroom in my house, but still, everyone else had clearly put some effort into their choice of clothing.
No, nothing in the ad had given anything away about me. I’d been careful with that. I wanted to at least get to know someone a little before I talked to them about anything personal.
Well, no matter what the reason, he was playing it up now because no one spread their legs that wide unless they wanted attention or had a horse-sized dick.
Both seemed to apply to him.
“Right?”
Shit. He’d said something.
There was no playing off the fact that I’d been staring at his dick, so I just acted dumb. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about a problem at work. Can you repeat that?”
The ridiculously sexy smirk Declan was wearing said he knew what kind of problem I was having, but he must have really wanted the room because he nodded and didn’t say anything about my wandering eyes. “The ad said the rent covers utilities?”
“Yes.” Grateful it was an easy question, I kept going. “There is a clause in the lease that says if the utilities increase by more than fifty percent while you’re here, your rent will go up to cover the difference.”
I could see his face tighten, so I explained. “That’s just in there because my first roommate was…let’s just say he liked taking showers and my utility bill doubled, and some months it was higher than that. By the end, I was basically paying him to live here with all the extra costs. I’m not trying to screw anyone over.”
But I wasn’t going to get screwed either.
I might be a sub, but most of the time I wasn’t a pushover.
Most of the time.
I just had to treat this like work.
I could do that.
I smiled at Declan and managed to keep my eyes focused on his face. “If you’d like, I have all the utility bills for the past year for you to see.”
That had him relaxing and the smirk slipped. He looked almost boring for a moment. Still sexy, of course, but more neutral instead of someone that made me trip over my words constantly. “I’ve had some crazy roommates in the dorms. I can understand wanting to make sure you don’t get screwed.”
His past wasn’t my business really, but it kind of was.
“Is that why you’re looking for a new roommate now? I just ask because the only time I get college students looking to rent is when I’ve had the ad up in the summer.” I knew people could be assholes, but I needed to make sure he wasn’t the asshole in the situation.
He gave me a long look and waited several seconds before answering. “I caught my now ex-boyfriend in bed with the guy who lived across the hall. Going back isn’t an option.”
Oh shit.
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” I pushed back the idiot prick in the back of my head who was doing the happy dance that he was gay and focused on how hurt and angry he had to be.
Something about my reaction had him relaxing. “It happens, but it means I need a new place ASAP. I’m not worried about the fees I’ve paid, although I’m not happy about that. But if I don’t find something reasonable quick, I’ll be living out of my car until the end of the semester.”
His tone was flat, like he was telling me what kind of insurance he wanted.
“Will you be able to pay the rent?” I winced. “That sounds very mercenary, but I need to make sure I’m not going to get myself into a difficult situation.”
He nodded, not seeming to be offended. “Yeah, I can manage what you’re asking as long as you’ll let me pay half the security deposit now and the rest when I get paid again.”
At the beginning of our conversation, Declan had mentioned working part time for a local lawyer, but I wasn’t sure how much that paid. “I can work with that.”
He was sexy as fuck and the smirk said he was going to distract me