Jock Romeo (Jock Hard 6)

Er, maybe not—that information can wait until the day Jack finds me geeking out to the Hamilton soundtrack.

“Will you decorate the house?” I ask, despite already knowing an answer. She is definitely going to decorate the house, especially if she’s already watching scary movies in preparation.

“Um, obviously.” She says it with a delightful little laugh. “In fact, we’ve been sitting here kind of discussing what we want to dress up as for Halloween. There’s a big party at the end of the month, and of course we have to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters.”

Jack puts his hand on her thigh, and I can see him squeeze it. “Babe, you’re discussing what you want to be for Halloween. I’m trying to watch the telly.” He shakes his head when our eyes meet.

“Fine, I’ll stop talking about it.”

They’re funny and get along well.

I made a good decision to move in here.

Stretching my legs out in front of me, I prop one up on the coffee table since I’m not wearing any shoes and have socks on. It feels good, and I put my arms behind my head as I lean into the sofa cushions.

“Sorry about that whole thing with your award breaking today,” Eliza finally says. “Lilly felt terrible.”

“It was not Lilly’s fault I dropped the box. In fact, the box only weighed about five pounds.”

“What happened?”

Jack pauses the show.

“I’m not sure. One second I was walking through the door, and the next second the box was on the ground. I’m the one who feels like a complete jackass—she shouldn’t feel bad. Not at all.”

“Well, you’re in for a real treat, because she is a great artist. I know you probably wanted to throw the entire box out, but when she has her mind set on something, there’s no stopping her.”

“Yeah, I probably should have thrown it out or insisted that she not take it—what if she cuts herself?”

Shit, I hadn’t actually thought about that part of the equation. What if she is at home partying and crafting and hurts herself on the glass? One hundred percent not worth it, not worth any of the trouble she’s going to go through because she feels culpable.

You dropped the box the second she winked at you, loser.

“Can you text her for me and tell her to toss it in the trash?”

Eliza grinned at me. “Yeah, no. That’s not happening. Once she decides on something, that’s it—specifically if she’s looking for a project.” She probably has something on her mind and needs a distraction, which is why she was so adamant about taking it home. “Let it be. She wanted to do it or she wouldn’t have taken it. Trust me.”

My new roommate winks at me the same way Lilly did.

I’m unaffected by it.

“How long have you known her?” I ask Eliza.

“We met when I was a freshman so it’s only been a few years, but I really love her.” Beside her, Jack takes her hand then lifts it to his mouth for a kiss. “Aw babe, I love you too.”

They are a bit mushier than I was expecting them to be, but a little PDA can’t be considered a bad thing. We need more love in this world, as Aunt Myrtle always says. Every chance she gets, especially when she gets busted dating multiple men at once.

Which happens more often than one would expect.

“Lilly is one of my best friends—she has a heart of gold and wouldn’t hurt a fly. That’s why I’m so pissed off that Kyle is such a scumbag. I mean, I knew he was a scumbag, but it’s not like you can tell your friend that, right?” She turns to face Jack for confirmation. “Right, sweetie?”

He agrees. “I’ve never met the bloke, but based on how you’ve described him, he sounds like a fine arsehole. Probably wouldn’t use the word scumbag to describe him though, love—that seems a bit harsh.”

“And calling him an arsehole isn’t?” Eliza pouts. “Lilly is my friend—of course I’m going to be protective. I should’ve known something was up with him. He just was way too charming.”

She narrows her eyes.

Jack looks down at her, tilting his head. “Did he ever flirt with you?”

“No, but still.”

I study both of them.

Eliza truly looks like a nice girl, if you know what I mean. The girl-next-door-with-brunette-hair vibe, all sweet with a sincere smile and honest eyes. She has a few darker freckles on the bridge of her nose that make her look more trusting if a person was stereotyping solely based on looks, so I highly doubt she gets hit on very often—just not the flirty type.

“I worry she’s not going to trust anyone after this. You know how it is, once someone has completely abused your trust? She told me she is going on a guy detox, and I just don’t want that to affect future relationships.”