Hollywood Roommates

10

Footsteps sound behind me and I turn to see Luke emerging from his room. He’s not wearing a shirt, just a pair of boxers hanging low on his well-defined hips, and my jaw falls open at the sight. It’s impossible not to stare at his naked chest. He’s the most ripped guy I’ve ever seen, like a Greek god come to life, with a fully developed six-pack and all sorts of definition on his chest that my eyes want to linger on. And the rest of me? It wants to trip and fall all over him in the hope he catches me, throws me over his shoulder, and carries me away like some kind of caveman.

Okay, Allie, those are seriously not feminist thoughts right there. But my body does not give a crap about any of that. It wants to be taken hard and fast on this kitchen counter, thank you very much.

I force myself to turn away from temptation. He’s off-limits, as are the other guys in this house. Just because Parker and I were in a bit of a dry spell—and now I know why, that prick—and even before then things weren’t that amazing between us in bed, doesn’t mean I can jump on the first hot guy I see and dry hump his leg like a dog.

Even if he’s really, really hot.

“Hey,” Luke says, while opening the fridge. “Smells good in here.”

“Thanks.” I sneak another peek at his broad, sexy back as he grabs something, then shuts the door.

He leans against the counter next to me while he drinks a greenish smoothie that looks disgusting. His hair is perfectly tousled, his eyes lazy in a sultry way, like he just got out of bed after having the best s*x of his life. “What are you making?”

“Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and gluten-free coconut muffins.”

“Those sound lovely, but we’re all pretty strict about what we put in our bodies. I haven’t had sugar in a year.” He runs a hand over his hard stomach. “Takes a lot of work to stay in this kind of shape.”

“Oh. Of course.” I try not to sound disappointed. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

He raises his nasty-looking green smoothie. “Protein shake.”

“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose and he laughs. I’ve heard his laugh in movies before and in YouTube clips from interviews, but it’s completely different in person somehow. Maybe because it’s genuine. His presence seems to fill the room, his sheer charisma demanding my attention. It’s no wonder he’s the hottest movie star in the world right now.

Matt appears at the top of the stairs, blinking his eyes, looking adorably sleepy and sexy. He’s wearing a shirt unfortunately, but underneath it—hot damn—he’s only wearing tight black boxer briefs. They show off the whole very large package, and I’m pretty sure the temperature just went up in here by about ten degrees. I almost start to fan myself.

Are they purposefully taunting me with their forbidden hotness? Or do they always walk around like this?

Matt plucks a coconut muffin from the tray. “Ignore my brother. I will gladly eat your muffin.” He flashes me a dirty smile. “And anything else you’d like to offer.”

Luke snorts, then grabs one of the pumpkin muffins and throws it at his brother. Matt catches it in the air and takes a big bite out of it.

“Mmm…delicious,” Matt says.

I shake my head, trying to hide my smile. “You two are trouble.”

“The best kind,” Luke says, with a wink, then turns to Matt. “You’re up early today.”

“Audition.”

“Ah. Good luck.”

A stern voice interrupts our fun. “What the hell is this?” Shane asks, standing at the top of the stairs and staring at the kitchen in horror. Unlike the others he’s completely dressed, wearing black slacks and a white button-up shirt that somehow makes him just as sexy as the other two. “It looks like a bakery exploded in here.”

“I made muffins,” I say, my cheeks turning beet red.

“Did any of the ingredients actually make it into the muffins, or are they just all over the counters?”

I put my hands on my hips. “I was going to clean it up!”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s always cranky in the morning,” Matt says. “Also these muffins are amazing, you should totally try one, Shane.”

Shane gives Matt a withering look and storms off, toward his office. A door slams a few seconds later.

Luke shakes his head. “It’s not the morning that makes him cranky, it’s having to go to work with his ex.”

“That would put anyone in a bad mood,” I say, softening a little. I don’t know much about what happened with his co-star Nadia, but last season on the TV show Talon their characters finally got together. If they aren’t actually together in real life anymore I can see how that could make for an awkward work environment.

Which also gives me an idea.

While the other guys wander back to their rooms to shower and get dressed, I pack up my muffins in two containers I find in a drawer. Then I march them over to Shane’s office and knock on the door.

“Come in,” he calls out.

I step inside, but am stunned speechless by the sight of the room. It’s more of a library than an office, like something out of Beauty and the Beast with floor-to-ceiling shelves completely stuffed with books. There’s even a reading nook in the corner. It makes my little English teacher heart thump faster and faster.

“What is it?” Shane asks, from where he sits at a desk.