The American Roommate Experiment (Spanish Love Deception #2)(55)

Another scream.

Pivoting, I tried my best to carry her to the other side of the studio while she squirmed in my arms and left me with no choice but to place one of my palms on a perky and rounded ass I promised myself I wouldn’t think about. “Hey, Ro?” I told her, holding back a groan when she wiggled right against my crotch. “I’m going to put you to safety, okay? But it’s going to be easier if you stop moving. Please.”

That seemed to put a stop to all her squirming because she froze in my arms. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Lucas.” She tried to hop off from my embrace, but I didn’t let her. “Am I too heavy? I’m such a jerk. Let me—”

“Stay right where you are,” I told her as I carried her the rest of the way with only a light limp and placed her on the counter very gently. “It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not.” Her expression was remorseful, pained. “I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that.”

And yet, I hadn’t even cared about her doing so. I hadn’t cared about the tightness gripping the now weak muscles under her weight. Or the soreness I’ll suffer in a few hours after our dancing session. To be honest, I was sick and tired of paying attention to any of that. I was sick of not being able to do whatever I pleased because of this goddamn injury.

Swallowing, I answered the only way I could: “Don’t worry about it. I don’t.”

She nodded her head, and one more time, she shocked me by not pressing. Pushing me to talk about it. Instead, she lowered her voice. “I’m terrified of rodents.” She lifted both legs and placed her bare feet on the counter. “And now I can’t stop thinking about that…”—she shivered—“that creature eating away at my toes.”

Her expression was of pure disgust, and it made me smile. “It won’t eat your toes.”

“It could,” she hissed.

“I mean, sure, it could. But you’re high up now. It won’t reach you here.”

Rosie groaned. “You’re not making it better. I’m going to have nightmares now, Lucas. We’ll have to sleep with the lights on and I might have to wake you up to bring me water to my bedside table because I’ll be scared of something biting my feet if I step on the floor. You’re digging your own grave here, really.”

I sighed, but it was more for show. “I’ll do that if you need me to. That’s who I am. A good roommate and an even better friend.”

Rosie’s lips fell and she muttered something under her breath.

“Now stay put, okay?” I told her before she lost it again. Then, I moved back to the record player, located the rodent, and not without effort, managed to corner it and shove it back into the empty box with a magazine that had been lying around.

Once ready, I held the box—with the rat—and started making my way back to Rosie.

She stopped me with a hand. “Do not move one more step with that thing in there, buddy.”

“Buddy? Really?” I feigned outrage. “How about ‘Oh, Lucas, my sexy and skilled knight in shining armor’? Now that’s a nickname that suits me and I can get on board with.”

She shot a threatening glance in my direction.

Before I could say anything, a knock on the door came.

“Oh my God,” Rosie whispered. “What if that’s another one of them?”

“Well,” I said, heading for the entrance. “Then, I hope they brought snacks.”

Leaving a fuming Rosie on the counter behind me, I opened the door with the box under my arm and I was welcomed by a face with features I recognized from a much older woman.

“Hi,” a brown-haired woman with one of those edgy haircuts I’d seen around said. “I’m Adele’s daughter, Alexia. I hope I’m not…” She trailed off, her gaze falling behind me. “I hope I’m not interrupting something.”

“Oh no. Don’t worry,” I told Alexia with an easy smile. “She just likes it up there. Right, Ro?”

Rosie’s answer didn’t come for a few seconds. “Yeah,” she called. “Right. I love climbing on furniture. It’s really a pastime of mine.”

I chuckled before returning to Alexia. “It’s very nice to meet you.” I offered my free hand. “I’m Lucas. And the pretty lady on the counter is Rosie.”

“Nice to meet you… both,” Alexia said, shaking my hand. “I wanted to come by to introduce myself and thank you for looking after my mom. Either my wife or I come by every evening, and God knows how hard we’ve been looking for full-time care for her, but it’s proving…” She seemed a little overwhelmed for a moment, leaving that statement unfinished. “Anyway, you’re really good to her, and you absolutely didn’t need to check on her, so I appreciate it. More than you know.”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” And I meant it. It really was nothing.

“It’s not nothing.” Alexia reached out and patted me on the arm. “The last time she talked about Dad this way was right after he passed.”

Dad.

So, Mateo had been Adele’s husband, like I’d suspected.

Alexia stared at me for a long time, a heavy emotion filling her eyes. Grief. Clear as the day. “God, you look so much like his old photos. He was Argentinian, mi papá.”