Becca crossed her arms waiting for Travis. He was the team captain and had to stay behind to record the game with the club’s referee to make sure it was in the books.
“Bye, Becs.” I waved.
“Don’t forget to talk to AJ about the townhouse,” she yelled.
Damn it.
“What’s she talking about?” We walked through the parking lot. I couldn’t believe how quickly the snow started to coat the cars and lamp posts.
I duck
ed as he shuttled me into his car. I rubbed the palms of my gloves together and waited for him to turn on the heat.
AJ started the ignition and turned the heat to highest setting. “What was Becca talking about back there?”
“That townhouse on the end by Becca and Travis is for rent now. They want us to move in next door and be neighbors. A Four’s Company scenario or something.” I tried to laugh it off. My stomach was in knots. It wasn’t the way I pictured we’d talk about this.
“Really? That place I broke in to the night after their party?”
He backed out of the parking lot and soon we were on the roads, slowly being covered by snow. The windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the monster flakes.
“From what Becca said, someone bought it as an investment, did some renovations, and now it’s a rental.”
“What do you think?” he asked.
It was the moment my heart fell into my stomach. “Th-think?”
“Yeah. About the place. We were in there once. Seemed nice. Did it need a lot of renovations? I thought it looked pretty good. Want to do it?” He reached for his water bottle.
My head whipped in his direction. I followed a bead of sweat from his brow down the angular line of his jaw. If I focused on how irresistibly sexy he was instead of how he casually suggested we should move in together, I might be able to keep breathing.
“You think we should rent that townhouse? You’re serious?”
We pulled into the parking garage in the back of AJ’s building. He turned the ignition off and faced me.
“Not if you’re not. But yeah, I want to do it.”
I wasn’t cold anymore. Or scared. All of the reservations and fears dissolved.
I leaned across the seat as AJ moved toward me. His hands tangled in my hair, drawing me toward him.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Nineteen
A few weeks later, it happened.
“I think that’s it.” I spun around to face the room. I had successfully unpacked every item on my side of the closet. It was strange that on the left was a stack of jeans, men’s suits, and a collection of sports team T-shirts. They smelled faintly of AJ. I wondered when he walked in if he looked at my array of pinks and yellows and wondered what he had gotten into.
Did I have too many pairs of high heels? Too many handbags and sets of earrings? Did my belt collection take up too much space? There was no way to hide how much I shopped and how much I loved it. I could conceal my purchases in my own apartment, but now my dirty little secret would be exposed.
AJ kicked a cardboard box into the hall. “Last one of mine. I’m finished unpacking in this room at least.”
The expression on his face said everything. I was worried about nothing. He didn’t give a shit about my accessories or mini-skirts. He wanted this. He wanted me. He wanted us to live together under the same roof. Share the same bed. Split the groceries. Fight over the covers. All of the mundane stuff I was afraid would suffocate us, he was ready to dive into head first.
“How’s it going in there?” He tipped his head toward the walk-in closet.