STRIPTEASED (Roommate Reverse Harem Romance)

“What do you mean? You said he’s nice.”

“He is, and he’s really good to her, but… it kind of feels like he’s hiding something.”

“Like what?”

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. “I don’t know. He’s not on social media—that’s a little strange, isn’t it?”

“I’m not either.” Well, I had a few accounts, but I only remembered to check them about once a month.

“And Gina hasn’t even met his family. They live on the West Coast, but that’s no excuse. They’re engaged, and he’s met our parents.”

That sounded a little too close to home for comfort. Clint and I had gotten engaged before he introduced me to his family. I hadn’t met them until we moved here and look how that had turned out.

Maddie seemed to realize that she was dredging up old memories. “I’m sorry, Emma, I shouldn’t talk about that kind of thing… especially here.”

God, that was right. This was the place where I’d been when I got the text from Clint. I glanced over at a table in the middle, ignoring an older man with a comb-over who smiled as if I’d flirted with him. I stared at the table at which I’d been sitting when my life changed.

Until Maddie started talking about engagements, I hadn’t even thought about that. I only associated this place with my guys. If you’d told me back then that I could have positive associations with this club, I wouldn’t have believed you.

The stage lights dimmed and women cheered as the previous stripper’s act ended. Eagerly, I turned toward the stage, not wanting to miss the beginning of the twins’ act. Women were still cheering and shouting. Some were even pounding on the tables.

And then a single spotlight illuminated a small patch of the stage where Denver stood perfectly still. God, he looked handsome. Seeing him every day hadn’t exactly made me take the twins’ looks for granted, but I’d mostly grown used to them. But now it was like I was seeing Denver in a new way. He had on skin-tight black jeans and a gray hoodie over a white undershirt—providing lots of clothing for him to shed during the routine.

Music started, softly at first, and Denver stretched his arms up over his head, as if he’d just woken up. Then suddenly, he appeared to have two sets of arms, and I realized that Austin was standing directly behind him. The music swelled and more spotlights came on. And then they started dancing.

If you could call it dancing, that is. It seemed to be a combination of dance and gymnastics, complete with leaps, splits, and even handstands.

“God, they’re good,” Maddie said with a note of longing in her voice.

“Damn straight, they are.” There was a note of pride in mine.

“Are you ladies enjoying the show?” a masculine voice said—but it wasn’t any of my guys. I looked around and saw that the older man at the next table had scooted his chair closer to mine.

“Yes,” I said and turned toward Maddie, hoping he’d get the hint and leave us alone. Did he really think women came to strip clubs to get hit on? We came here to watch the magnificent male bodies up on the stage and imagine that we had men like that in our lives. Except I didn’t have to imagine it—I did.

My attention returned to the section of the stage on our side of the room. Austin was working up a sweat as he jerked his body in time to the music. It was clear that Denver had put a lot of the kinds of very physical, acrobatic moves that his brother loved into the routine.

“They’re amazing,” Maddie said. “Are they that hot when they’re at home?”

“Yes,” I said honestly. “Though perhaps they don’t showcase their talents quite as much when they’re sitting on the couch watching TV.”

She laughed. “If I found one guy who looked like that on my couch—let alone two—I’d never leave home. You must be tempted to jump on them all the time.”

“What’s got you tempted, baby?”

Oh crap. The comb-over guy had edged even nearer. Why couldn’t he take a hint?

Maddie caught my eye and then looked over at him. “You’ll have to excuse us. I have something important I need to talk to my friend about.”

He nodded, waving a hand as if to give us permission. “Sure, sure, you gals chat it out.”

I moved my chair closer to Maddie’s. “Thanks.”

She scooted toward the wall to make room. “You’re welcome, but it’s actually true. There is something I need to talk to you about.”

“There is?” Surprise had me turning my gaze from the stage to look at her instead. “What’s up?”

“Well, talking about Gina’s wedding—if it ever happens—reminded me about that veil you gave me.”

It took me a second to realize what she meant. “What about it?”