STRIPTEASED (Roommate Reverse Harem Romance)

Denver’s eyes gleamed and the other guys grinned as I thought about how that had sounded. “Do I look like the kind of guy who would kick a woman like you out of my bed? And be good, Austin.”

It took me a moment to realize that he was warning his brother not to say something crass.

As I tried to think of another way to explain to them how crazy this was, Tonio spoke up. “You need a home base for a few days.”

“Yeah, but I can’t just stay here, free of charge.”

“You can if you’re invited to,” Austin said, and Knox nodded.

“If you’re hung up on payment,” Tonio began, “how about we give you a job to earn your keep?”

“You’re already offering to let me stay, I can’t also expect you to find me a job.”

“Not find you a job, give you a job. We could use some help around here,” Tonio said. He and the others traded looks, and again it felt almost as if they were engaging in some kind of telepathy again. “I know the perfect place to start, too.”

In spite of my hesitation, I was curious. “What’s that?”

He rose to his feet and crossed to the fridge. “Take a look.”

As the door swung wide, I looked inside. There was beer. Water bottles. Lots of condiments in the side door, but not a lot of food.

“See the problem?” Tonio jerked his head toward the twins. “Those two burn thousands of calories every night.” He let the door shut as he moved over to put his hand on Knox’s massive shoulder. “And this one could eat a small village and still be hungry.”

Knox frowned at that assessment, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m not a really great cook,” I began, but Tonio cut me off.

“Not cook, shop. I’m fine with cooking but I hate shopping.”

Next to me, Austin snorted. “You wouldn’t believe that if you saw his closet.” Denver laughed with his twin.

“That’s an entirely different kind of shopping,” Tonio said. “How about it? Each of us has two jobs, so there’s not always time to run to the store. And between the four of us, we need a lot of grocery runs. Will you help us?”

“I can’t earn my keep by grocery shopping.”

“There are other things around here we can find for you to do,” Austin said. “And for once, I mean that in a G-rated way.”

“So how about it?” Denver said, almost as if on cue. “Are you really going to leave four growing boys with an empty fridge?”

When he phrased it like that, it almost made it sound as if I would be doing him a favor. These were the nicest, most generous men I’d ever met. Still… I couldn’t impose on them like this, could I? It didn’t seem right. Then again, what Clint did to me last night wasn’t right, either. “I, um, don’t have a lot of spare cash right now. For the groceries, I mean.” Almost every penny in my bank account had been used for the moving truck even though it had mostly been filled with Clint’s possessions and furniture. My stuff probably could’ve fit in the trunk and backseat of a mid-size car.

Tonio waved this objection off. “Not a problem as long as you don’t have an issue with a hundred sweaty bills that have been in the twins’ G-strings.”

My jaw dropped slightly as I took in that image. Then Denver sniggered.

“Ignore him,” Austin said. “He’s kidding. It’s a bit hard to tell because he’s not very funny.”

That was a relief, but still, my mind was throwing up all kinds of arguments. Not because I didn’t want to stay, but because I didn’t want to take advantage of these guys. “I don’t have a car, either. I was going to get one, but—”

“Four cars and five people—seems like we can work something out,” Denver observed.

“And a motorcycle,” Knox’s deep, gruff voice said. He didn’t always contribute to the conversation, but when he did, I found myself captivated by his deep, slow voice.

“That’s right,” Tonio nodded. “Austin’s got a bike in the shed out back, one that, due to his outstanding mechanical skills, works one, maybe two days a month.”

“Fuck off,” Austin said lazily, and I laughed. Even with all that had happened in the last twelve hours, it was fun to see the camaraderie these men had. I wondered how long they’d been friends.

Tonio smiled, not at all put off by Austin’s comment. “I don’t have any classes today, so I can drive you the first time.”

First time? How long were they inviting me to stay? Then I was distracted by something else he’d said.

“Classes? Do you teach?”

“I learn. I’m working toward a business degree, but there aren’t any classes on Saturday. I can take you to the store and show you where everything is. There’s this cute brunette who works the meat counter—she gives me the freshest cuts and all I have to do is flirt a bit, flash her a smile now and then…” Tonio trailed off. “Though I suppose that might not work as well in your case.”