The American Roommate Experiment (Spanish Love Deception #2)(88)

That was what she thought?

“Force me?” I spat out, stepping in her direction. “You think you had to force me to look at you? In the name of research?”

“You don’t have to explain anything. And I shouldn’t have phrased it like that, either.”

My teeth ground. My disbelief turned to frustration, because how could she ever think that I—

“Rosie,” I said, making sure I was coming as close as possible to her without touching her. Because if I did, I knew it’d be game over for me. “If we weren’t friends,” I told her, voice like gravel. “Good friends like we are, best friends”—I watched her eyelids flutter shut—“I would take you somewhere dark and rip your clothes off with my teeth without caring to have a good reason. Just so I could see you, have you to myself.”

Rosie’s lips parted, and when her tongue came out and wet her lips, it almost became physically impossible for me to hold back any longer. God, I wanted to touch her, lick her, kiss her everywhere.

I stepped away in a brisk motion. Then I moved forward again, and as if compelled, I grabbed her hand.

“Count the Halloween party as an experimental date if you like,” I told her, leading her forward with me. “But we shook on four. We agreed four dates.”

Her fingers tightened around mine.

“So, I already planned for the next one,” I continued. “I was going to tell you to keep your schedule free on Thursday.” I remembered Aiden Castillo’s great news. “Or if you want to pack on Thursday, I can help you and we could postpone. I guess—”

“No,” she finally said, and the way that word left her mouth made me look over at her. “Thursday night is okay. It’s a date.”

Nodding my head, I ripped my gaze off her and clamped down my mouth before I said something stupid, like how neither of us had called this fourth date experimental.

A few minutes later, we were climbing the stairs to the apartment, Rosie’s hand still in mine, when she called. “Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope… I hope this makes you happy.”

Puzzled by her words, I frowned. My mouth opened just as we entered the hallway and I spotted the door of the apartment, which was thrown wide open.

Shouting came from the inside and then, a blur of black fur was shooting in my direction.

“Pero qué cojones—”

I was toppled over, my ass landing on the cold floor, and a soft, energetic ball of warmth settled in my lap.

“?Te dije que lo sujetaras!” came from the apartment.

I looked down, the familiarity of this, of the furry ball currently curling around me hitting me like a freight train. “Taco,” I said, hearing the surge of emotion in my voice. “Taco, chico. ?Qué haces aquí?”

My Belgian shepherd jumped out of my arms and circled around me before returning to my lap and placing a wet kiss on my cheek.

I tried to mumble something, but words had really been knocked out of me. All I could feel was happiness at seeing my pup, at having him here with me.

Placing a hard kiss on top of his fur, I released him and let out a strange laugh myself.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” I patted his side. He whined. “I’ve missed you, too, chico.”

God, and I had. So much.

Slowly, I started making sense of my surroundings, and I wasn’t surprised when the first thing my eyes found was Rosie. She was standing a couple of feet to my right, her eyes watery despite the bright smile adorning her beautiful face.

“Taco’s here,” I told her, as if she couldn’t see that.

She nodded, that big smile widening.

Her eyes darted to my bad leg, as it stretched on the ground in front of me.

“I’m okay,” I whispered before she asked. “I’m more than okay.”

And she nodded again.

“Hermanito,” a voice I hadn’t been expecting called. “Este perro es incontrolable.”

Little brother, this dog is unmanageable.

“Charo?” I croaked. She was here, too, leaning against the frame of the door. Two new heads popped up behind her.

“Surprise!” Lina shouted, Aaron behind her. “Fine, we’re not a surprise. Charo and Taco are the surprise. We’re here just for fun and giggles. Also, to ask you for joint custody of Taco? Please? Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow?”

“But—” I started, then stopped myself. “How?”

Charo’s flaming red hair swayed when she shrugged. “I was feeling in the mood for a little adventure, and you know Tía Tere? Well, her best friend’s cousin is a flight attendant and—”

“Charo,” Lina chimed. “No te enrolles.”

My sister sighed. “Ay, anyway. We flew in to see you. Especially Taco, who will stay with you. I’m only spending a couple nights with Lina and Aaron and then I will fly to Boston, where my friend Alicia moved last year after—”

Lina elbowed my sister, making her stop again.

Taco, who had calmed down by now, was curled between my legs, nudging my leg, and my palm fell on his head without much thought. I petted him between his ears. “How did you fly him in? How—”

“Well…” Charo cut me off with a wicked smile. “It’s funny that you ask that.”