Room Mated: Standalone Reverse Harem Romance

“I can’t. I have a test coming up,” I said, moaning again as he rubbed the arch of my foot.

“Not a break from school, but from the conversation club.”

“Oh.” It was pretty time consuming, but it was also fun. I thought of something and laughed.

“What?” Mason asked.

“Remember those Korean students last week?”

Mason and Parker laughed, but Jude didn’t.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Oh, right. It must’ve been the night you were at the Dancing Horse,” I said. “Anyway, a couple of Korean graduate students, who are studying biology, heard we ran a conversation club. So they decided to come so they could brush up on their English conversation skills and meet some new people at the same time.”

Jude chuckled. “What happened when they got here?”

“Nothing. They drank, they chatted with people, and they had a good time. But in the future, they’ll probably think that all conversation clubs in the US involve a great deal of alcohol.”

“I like that story,” Jude said. “But I still think we should take a break. Shut things down for the weekend and take it easy—like when you spent the weekend with your movie star friend. You came back all refreshed and upbeat after that.”

“Which I liked to imagine was because you had an orgy with the hot actress,” Mason said.

“Ew. Your sister was there.”

He winced. “Shit, I forgot about that. Okay, no orgies.”

“He’s got a point,” Parker said.

“About the orgies?” I asked.

“No, Jude’s got a point. Let’s put a sign out saying that there’s no conversation club this weekend. And then let’s do something special.”

“Like what?” Mason asked.

“We could go out to a nice restaurant tomorrow night to get the weekend started on the right note,” Jude said.

“Yeah,” Mason said. “And Kylie can wear something slinky and sexy.”

“She’s always slinky and sexy,” Parker said, and I giggled.

“Thanks for the sexy part,” I told him. “Not sure if being slinky 24/7 is a good thing, though.”

“It is,” he insisted.

“But let’s get some takeout—some good takeout, not pizza—and eat in tomorrow night. We can still get dressed up. It’ll be like a date except we don’t have to go anywhere or see anyone else. I wouldn’t mind a break from people who aren’t us for the weekend,” I said.

“Me either,” Mason agreed.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. We don’t need to leave here to get away from everything—we’ll stay here and shut the rest of the world out,” Jude said.

“Like a staycation,” Parker said. He had his eyes closed, but he opened them when no one responded. “What? It’s a thing.”

“A thing that girls say,” Mason muttered. But then he changed his tune. “But it’s a good idea. I could use a break and a decent meal. Plus it might be fun to dress up and make Kylie drool over me instead of Jude.”

“Which will only happen if you lock me out on the balcony,” Jude said, with amusement in his voice.

“I can do that. I’m an engineer, you know.”

We chuckled, but I was so sleepy, I was ready to drift off right there on the couch. But there was something I needed to say first. “I’m really looking forward to spending the weekend with you all.”

“Us too,” someone said. Then the combination of drowsiness and Jude’s sinfully decadent touch eased me into slumber.

27

Kylie

“Are you guys almost ready?”

Unlike the party we’d gone to together, this time it was Mason, Jude, and Parker who’d taken forever to get ready. I’d been dressed for our dinner for at least five minutes. My hair was up in a loose updo and I had on a gorgeous evening gown I’d borrowed from a friend. The shiny gold and bronze material hugged my body like a cocoon. The neckline in front was revealing, and my back was bare almost to my waist. The strappy sandals I’d put on were extra visible due to the high slit along one leg.

There was a knock at the front door. “Is that the food? I can get it.”

“No,” several voices shouted.

“Stay out there,” Mason added.

Jeesh. They were really being divas tonight.

Abandoning the amazing mountain view, I went back to my bathroom for one last look. I was pleased with how the updo looked, but I’d toned down the eye makeup for once, and I wasn’t used to seeing myself like that. But the whole reason I’d used so much eye makeup in the first place was to help disguise the heterochromia, and I didn’t need to do that with my guys. I’d still worn some mascara, though. There was no way in hell I’d go on a date without it.

The smell of pasta filled the air—we’d ordered from a local Italian place. My stomach rumbled. What was taking the guys so long?

Jude emerged from the bedroom and my heart skipped a beat. He was wearing a suit. A black, fitted, fancy, gorgeous suit. His shirt was the color of dark steel, and his tie was black. It made him look every inch the tall, dark, and handsome man he was, and it reminded me of another man as well. “Shall I make you another vodka martini, Mr. Bond?”