five-star hotel to five-star hotel, but since he was based in the Bay Area, he spent a majority of his time at the Z Hotel San Francisco. She still had to do more digging on the guy’s current investments, but the ache in her eyes alerted her it was time to shut off the computer and resume her investigation tomorrow.
“You’re home late.” Sammy sat at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of noodles and watching as she off slipped her shoes and placed them neatly on the shoe rack by the entrance. The kitchen was the one room that offered a view of all other parts of the house—the entryway to the right, the hall of bedrooms straight across, the dining and living area to the left.
“Not that late for finance people.” Olivia hesitated, wondering if she should make small talk before beelining to her room for a change of clothes and a shower.
She’d spent all of yesterday moving in, and the task had taken her mind off how weird it would be for her to live with her ex. Now that she had no boxes to unpack or clothes to organize, she was at a loss as to what to do.
How would their relationship work? Would they be roommates who made small talk in passing? Would they eat meals and binge-watch The Bachelor together, cackling over how cheesy but addictive the show was?
She couldn’t imagine the latter happening, but it seemed wrong to treat Sammy as just a roommate given their history and the fact that he’d gone out of his way to help her. Regardless of how much he’d hurt her back then, she owed him, and that threw a whole new wrench in their dynamics.
Not that she could complain. She’d chosen to accept his offer, so it was up to her to figure it out.
“Have you eaten yet?” Sammy asked, interrupting Olivia’s silent debate. “I made extra noodles, if you want them.”
“No, thanks. I already ate.” Olivia had a list of the best restaurants that delivered to her office and planned on rotating between them in the upcoming months. Honestly, she wouldn’t have minded a second meal—Sammy’s noodles were amazing, and her sushi dinner hadn’t filled her stomach as much as she would’ve liked.
But she didn’t want to eat dinner with Sammy. Didn’t want to sit in close proximity to him while those dark eyes of his caressed her skin, and the rumble of his voice stirred things inside her that she hadn’t known still existed.
They stood across the room from each other, their tones casual and their conversation mundane, but a strange charge danced in the air between them, twisting the molecules into a rope of tension that sizzled and tugged at Olivia’s stomach.
“If you change your mind, the leftovers will be in the fridge.” Sammy shifted, and his muscles bunched under his shirt.
Gulp.
“Sounds good.” Olivia ran a nervous hand through her hair. “It’s been a long day, so I’m just going to shower and call it a night.”
She might’ve imagined it, but she thought his eyes flared with heat at her words, and the charge in the air danced faster.
An inane part of her wondered if he was picturing her in the shower. The possibility shouldn’t have thrilled her as much as it did.
Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no sexual attraction between us. It’s...static. Like the kind you find on sweaters during winter.
Olivia admired him the way she’d admire any good-looking man, but that didn’t mean she wanted to sleep with him. Or kiss him. Or do anything else of that nature.
As for the way Sammy was looking at her...well, that was her overactive imagination playing tricks. She read too much erotica.
“Good night,” Olivia blurted before he could say anything else.
She practically ran out of the kitchen, holding her breath until she was within the safe confines of her room.
She leaned against the door and closed her eyes, her heart pounding for no discernible reason. Sammy hadn’t said or done anything untoward since she ran into him at Ishikawa, and she had no reason to be this nervous. But even though he’d been nothing but pleasant—almost suspiciously so—Olivia couldn’t shake the sense that she was prey trapped in a house with her hunter.
Chapter Six
Olivia and Sammy had their first roommate argument less than a week after she moved in.
“I can’t believe you did this.” Sammy’s head pounded with anger as he stared at his kitchen. “What were you thinking?”
Olivia planted her hands on her hips. “I