The Room Mate (Roommates #1)(2)
Yep . . . the new Cannon Roth was going to be levelheaded, in control, and most importantly: celibate. I’d just have to settle for swabbing the insides of seventy-year-olds like Mrs. Thurston with a giant Q-tip. Not nearly as satisfying, but it was about to become my way of life.
Sitting down on the stool across from my patient, I typed a few notes into the laptop. “If only all patients could be as easy as you, Mrs. Thurston.”
“Did you just call me easy?” She winked.
“I did have my hand up your skirt after barely a hello.” I grinned back at her.
The attending physician’s eyes widened but Mrs. Thurston merely laughed, a deep, throaty sound that made me grin.
“Thank you for that.” She reached one wrinkled, age-spotted hand toward me, and when I placed my hand in hers, she squeezed. “I haven’t had a doctor take the time to treat me like a regular person in a long time. You’ll make a great physician one day.”
I accepted her compliment with a smile. It wasn’t the first time I’d been told my bedside manner put people at ease. And if I couldn’t have fun with my patients, there was no way I’d survive the twelve-hour shifts and lack of sleep. It could be brutal sometimes.
As I walked into the hall after Dr. Haslett, he said something about running cultures for a preventive screening, and I nodded. Then a cute nurse winked at me, her gaze dropping to the front of my scrubs where I was certain the outline of my dick had her mouth watering. I was two seconds away from leading her into the storage room for a quick fuck when my brain snapped into action.
Shit. I’d made my celibacy vow not even five minutes ago and was already tempted to break it. What had I been thinking? Clearly this idea was doomed to fail . . . which meant I needed a replacement. Something I could actually stick to. I smiled and walked straight past the nurse as I started concocting a new plan in my head.
There would be three simple rules to follow if I needed to get laid. It could only last one night, no names would be exchanged, and no phone numbers either. Following those rules ensured it would be a one-time thing, and the woman couldn’t go falling in love with me after. That meant no fucking the pretty nurses at the hospital where I worked.
Feeling the tiniest bit more in control, I rolled my shoulders and checked my watch. Still two more hours until my twelve-hour shift ended.
Just then, my phone vibrated. I reached into my pocket and skimmed the screen as I continued following Dr. Haslett to our next appointment. It was a text from Allie, telling me she’d found me a place to live.
I smiled with relief. Thank God, at least one of my problems was solved . . .
Then I finished reading her message.
My smile crashed to the floor. Allie wanted me to share a house with Paige, her oldest and closest friend. Her hot-as-hell, totally off-limits BFF who I’d lusted after from the moment I hit puberty.
The gods had just laughed at my plan and thrown a curveball of their own. Something told me I was about to become very well-acquainted with my hand.
Chapter Two
Paige
At twenty-eight, a woman began to question things. Big, complex things like destiny, fate, and what I was supposed to be doing with my life. I was fairly certain my grand purpose didn’t include working fifty hours a week and never experiencing anything more exciting than splurging on spicy Thai takeout every Friday night. Surely there had to be more to life than that.
But lately life had been like a cheap pair of underwear—sneaking up, surprising you with discomfort at all the worst times.
Little did I know that destiny was about to smack me in the face with her irony.
My phone rang, and I grabbed it from the counter. “Hello?”
“I need your help, Paige,” my best friend said as soon as I answered.
Abandoning the stack of junk mail I’d been flipping through, I leaned against the dining table. Enchilada was snoring underneath it, dreaming about whatever tiny dogs dream about.
“Sure, Allie. What’s going on?”
She hesitated, making me wonder what kind of favor she had in mind. Allie was like a sister to me; she had to know there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
“Cannon needs a place to stay,” she finally said.
Except for that.
Suppressing a sudden twitch in my jaw, I slipped off my heels and took a sip from my water bottle. Cannon? Share my tiny place with her geeky little brother who I hadn’t seen or spoken to in years? Awkward much?
I was a private person, and I valued my alone time. It was why I chose to have no roommates and no drama. This was not the news I wanted on a Thursday evening after a hectic day at work. Allie, Cannon, and I had been pretty much inseparable growing up, but after we’d moved on and left for college, I hadn’t kept in touch with him at all.
“I don’t know, Allie. My place is pretty tight as it is.” I lived in a six-hundred-square-foot duplex, and while I did technically have a spare room, its only furnishings were a lumpy futon and a writing desk. Just thinking about sharing this sardine can with another person made me feel stuffy, so I wandered into the living room to open the window. “Why can’t he stay with you and James?”
Allie hesitated for a beat, and I knew I wouldn’t like her answer. “James doesn’t think that’s a good idea. He and I have only just started living together. It’s a big step, you know?”