He’s an asshole. I don’t fall for those, no matter how good-looking they are. Heart-stopper as he may be, I’m not going to succumb.
“Right,” I say, hating how feeble I sound.
My knees are weak, and if he keeps staring at me with that hungry gaze, I might combust on the spot.
I run back to my room and lock the door. I have to do something to make Troy forget any ideas about me. I’m not sleeping with him, and he needs to stop wanting that.
Chickens in his bedroom it is.
11
TROY
Rooted to the floor, I run a nervous hand through my hair. My heart is beating furiously inside my chest as I stare at Charlie’s closed door. My junk still hurts like a mother, but that didn’t stop my cock from standing at attention. I got a hard-on watching Charlie vent her frustrations. I must have gone insane. But her furious red face and wild arm gestures made me want to pin her back to the wall and crush my lips to hers.
“Oi, Troy. Everything okay up there?” Andreas asks from the bottom of the stairs.
His voice brings me back to the situation at hand. And then I get fucking angry. I practically run down the stairs just in time to catch the idiot who used Charlie’s bathroom before he can sneak out.
I grab him by the back of his shirt and yank him away from the front door. “What the hell were you doing in my roommate’s bedroom?”
His pale face turns ashen, and sweat dots his forehead. “I-I had the shits and didn’t want anyone to know.”
His friends snicker, but one pissed-off glance from me has them shutting their pieholes in an instant.
“I warned you to stay clear of the second floor, didn’t I?” I glower at the guy in my hold.
“Y-yes. I’m so sorry.”
“Troy, come on. He didn’t do it on purpose.” Andreas tries to help, but I’m not having it.
“You shut your mouth too. I should never have listened to you.”
“Man, all that fuss because Charlie is pissed at you again. If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you have a major crush on the nerd.”
His statement makes me see redder.
I shove the pledge forward. “Get out of my house. All of you!”
The guys don’t waste any time, hurrying out the front door. Andreas doesn’t move a muscle, just keeps staring at me with a knowing smile on his stupid face.
“You’re wrong about me. I don’t have a crush on Charlie.”
He raises his hands. “Sure you don’t. It’s cool, man. I’m not judging.”
“The hell you aren’t.”
He holds my stare for a couple more beats before turning his attention to the living room. “At least they finished cleaning the place.”
I fleetingly look at the living room before my cell phone pings in my pocket. I welcome the interruption; if I continue the conversation with Andreas, I might use him as a punching bag for my frustrations. It’s a text from Jane, asking if I want to hang out this afternoon. Damn, if she’d asked me an hour ago, my answer would have probably been no, but considering my mood and the situation with Charlie, I could use the distraction.
“So, what do you want to do?” Andreas asks.
“I don’t know about you, but I have plans.” I veer for the door.
“Really? I thought you said you wanted to do nothing but veg out in front of the TV.”
“Well, that was before the clusterfuck with the pledges and Charlie.”
“Who texted you?” He nods at my phone.
“Jane. She wants to hang out. And no, you can’t come.”
Andreas flattens his lips. “Charlie was right. You’re an ass.”
He strides out the front door with his shoulders tense and a storm of bad emotions hanging over his head. I pissed him off—something that’s almost impossible to do. Whatever. I’m too wired already; I don’t want to worry about Andreas flirting with my sister on top of it. Even if he swears he’d never cross that line, it’s in his DNA to chase pretty girls.
After Jane tricked me into going shopping with her, we headed to our favorite restaurant in Manhattan Beach. The sun is shining, and the temperature is mild, so we grab a table outside. Perks of living in California. I’m almost over my hangover, but I still order a beer. I need to take the edge off.
“Are you finally going to tell me what was eating you when you picked me up?” Jane plays with the straw in her drink, watching