Room Mated: Standalone Reverse Harem Romance

And now I was surrounded by them.

They seemed like good guys, though. Sure, Mason had been against my staying at first, but it was rather out of the ordinary. I doubted it would’ve even occurred to me without that amazing view. But when I saw the majestic mountains, I just knew that this was the room for me. It was like knowledge that was set in stone.

And now I had to figure out how to act like a visiting girlfriend when I wasn’t. While I mulled over that, my thoughts grew hazy. I was exhausted, from the drive, from the late night yesterday, and from the events this evening. My mind drifted and I was almost asleep when the bedroom door opened and light from the hallway poured in. That was probably why this lower bunk hadn’t been claimed… the light shone right into my eyes.

“Sorry,” a low voice said. It was Jude. Before the door shut, I noticed that he was wearing boxers and an undershirt. I also noticed that he had leanly muscled legs and a cute butt. Hmm, maybe that wasn’t the kind of thought I should be having about my new roommates, but then again, it might be the kind of thing a girlfriend would think.

Ignoring his looks became impossible when he stood directly in front of my bunk. His dark boxers were inches from my face. Then he placed one foot on the bottom rung of the ladder and swung himself up to the top bunk. It made the whole structure wobble a bit, but it wasn’t too bad. If I’d been asleep, I wouldn’t have even noticed.

Then again, I would’ve missed seeing him in his underwear.

I fell asleep before the others came to bed, but when I woke up in the middle of the night, I could see Mason on the top of the other bunk bed. I could also hear Jude’s gentle snoring—it didn’t sound like a freight train at all. I’d suspected they were messing with me before when they said all those things about each other.

Just as I was about to roll over and go back to sleep, I noticed that the bunk across from me was empty. Was Parker out in the living room? Or still on the balcony? That poor guy was sure nursing a broken heart. I vowed that tomorrow, I’d try to talk to him, to see if I could draw him out of his shell.

But for now, what I really needed was sleep.

6

Kylie

I woke up feeling refreshed, well rested, and completely clueless as to where the hell I was. The room was dark and the lower bunk across from me was empty. Then I raised my gaze and spotted Mason’s large form on the top bunk. Then it all came back to me. The long drive. The wrong room assignment. The guys.

While I took a minute to process, my gaze traveled over the only one of my three roommates I could see. Mason was a side sleeper, and had he been awake, he’d have been staring right at me. His head and muscular arm were all that were uncovered. He must work out or play some kind of sport to keep in shape like that. He was kind of hunched forward, and his knee jutted out from under the white sheet that draped over him.

Then the blue eyes opened, and I gave an involuntary squeal.

Mason blinked a few times, yawned, and then said, “Morning to you, too.” His voice was hoarse and gruff, as if sleep hadn’t fully deserted it yet.

Part of me was embarrassed to be caught staring, but hello, it wasn’t like there was anything else to look at in this small room. Especially since Parker’s bed was empty. The covers were rumpled, though. I couldn’t remember if they’d been that way last night.

“Do you know if Parker slept at all?” I whispered to Mason, in case Jude was still asleep. Then again, for all I knew, he’d already gotten up.

“Don’t know,” Mason said, sounding unconcerned.

Didn’t he care? He was supposed to be Parker's friend.

Mason yawned again and then sat up, pushing the sheet aside. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and paused. He seemed like the kind of person who woke up in stages. I couldn’t help looking at him as he sat there with his feet swinging underneath him. He was wearing black boxers and nothing else, and wow—it was a pretty awesome view. Not as amazing as the mountains, but still…

His chest was incredibly chiseled, and he just had to play a sport. I couldn’t quite guess which one, though. Baseball? Swimming? But he didn’t strike me as a team player. Mason’s legs were well-muscled, too, and covered with light brown hair. All in all, he was super hot. Why couldn’t a guy who looked like him have come into the bar over the summer?