Happiness filled me as I noted how deeply he was breathing. Hopefully, he’d sleep for longer. He had a lot of lost sleep to make up for.
I took a hot shower, and when I was done, Jude and Mason were seated at the table and dressed in shorts and t-shirts.
“Morning, sweet cheeks,” Mason drawled, giving me a wink as he looked me over from head to toe. Of course, his checking me out was tame compared to what we did—and what he’d heard—last night.
“Did you sleep well?” Jude asked.
“Oddly enough, I did,” I said with a grin. “Do you guys want to get breakfast?”
“We’re going to hit the gym,” Mason said. “I don’t have a class until eleven.”
“Want to join us?” Jude asked.
“Maybe later,” I said, not meaning it. I wasn’t really the gym-going type. My preferred form of exercise was hiking through the woods. Though I had to admit, writhing on my bed, gasping with pleasure like I did last night seemed like a pretty fun cardio workout to me.
That event seemed to be on Jude’s mind, too. He touched my arm as I passed by, stopping me. “Are we okay after last night?”
“Last night was fucking awesome,” Mason said.
Jude ignored him. “I meant about that little bedtime story.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. “I just thought it might help Parker.”
“It did,” Jude said. “But when I took over, I added your name, which changed it from some anonymous woman to you.”
“That did surprise me, but…”
“But it was necessary,” Mason butted in. “Because otherwise, every time one of you said ‘she,’ Parker would’ve been picturing Aubrey.”
“Yeah,” Jude said. “That’s why I did it.”
Mason smirked as he looked at me. “I was picturing you all along, though.”
Jude shot him a look and then focused back on me. “I apologize if that made you uncomfortable.”
His concern was appreciated. “Thank you for saying that, but I started the story to get Parker’s interest, so I guess it’s not too shocking.”
“It was a good instinct on your part,” Jude said. “I doubt he would’ve got there if you hadn’t.”
This was a strange conversation to have first thing in the morning—or, you know, at all—but we’d had a lot of unusual discussions since I moved in. “It did feel a bit awkward, but also, it felt really, really good.” I smiled at that last admission. “I like that I can explore things but also feel safe around you guys. I trust you.”
Jude’s smile made parts of me that had gotten a workout last night tingle. But Mason responded with his usual sarcasm as he and Jude headed out. “Safe? Trustworthy? Has she even met me?”
I grinned as I watched them leave.
I ate breakfast in the cafeteria by myself and was happily reliving the super-hot events of last night as I walked down the sixth-floor hallway to the suite. At least until I heard a voice behind me.
“Excuse me, that’s not your room.”
Startled, I nearly dropped the keycard in my hand. A middle-aged woman was coming down the hallway. She had on slacks, a button-down shirt, and a blazer. A university name badge identified her as Rita from the housing office.
Crap.
“My boyfriend lives here,” I said. Was she just passing by or had someone told her about our living situation?
“It’s fine that you visit, but you shouldn’t be using his card. Only residents are allowed to use those.”
“Oh, sorry, I—”
Rita pulled out her phone and swiped a screen open. “Can I see your student ID, please?”
Double crap. If she found out my name was Kylie Mills and then learned that there was a Kyle Mills assigned to this room, the jig was up. As I tried to think of what to say, the door opened and Parker was suddenly there, filling the doorframe. He had on faded blue jeans and no shirt.
Wow.
“Hey babe.” Parker’s arm slid around my waist and he gave me a quick kiss. “We’re going to be late for class.”
Rita’s eyes ran up and down Parker’s body with apparent interest. I leaned against him, enjoying the way his hard muscles felt against my side, but I was still worried.
“You’re not allowed to share your key with anyone, Mr.—”
“Parker Stanton,” he said with an easy grin as he reached out to shake her hand. Then he gave me a mock-stern look. “Did you swipe that from my dresser? Someone’s getting a spanking later.” My skin heated at that thought and my face turned red.
Then Parker turned back to Rita. “Thank you for letting me know, officer. I’ll take it from here.” He sent her such a charming grin that she almost looked bashful, even though she had to be almost twice his age.
“Yes, um, see that you do,” she said, sounding flustered. But then she turned and walked away, forgetting that she’d asked to see my ID.