Just Roomies

"Well, hopefully you'll find someone," I said as I bit into a juicy slice of pork. It was so good, I actually closed my eyes and moaned, realizing how hungry I was, as I savored all the different textures in the nearly overflowing bowl of tasty, steaming noodles.

"I know this place looks like it would be expensive, but lucky for me, my company subsidises the rent, and even picks up the utilities. So, I don't really pay that much to live here."

Once he said that, I glanced around his gorgeous kitchen and wondered just for a minute, what it would feel like to come home to the splendor of something like this every night. Especially compared to where I lived now -- in a tiny, drab little flat, that sadly, hadn't seen a lick of paint in years.

Looking across at him, I smirked. "But I doubt very much you'd want to share your flat with a woman, would you?"

He shrugged. "Don't see why not. I mean, we'd just be roommates. The bedroom off the living room was my buddy's room. And it's got a lock on the door, if you feel you need it. It's also got its own ensuite bathroom and a nice big walk-in closet."

Once he said that, my breath actually caught in my throat, and I couldn't swallow, and started coughing. Holy smokes! Just the thought of having an actual walk-in closet to fit all my clothes and shoes was enough to make me choke on my soup.

Looking slightly alarmed, Andrew reached over and started patting me on the back. "Are you okay?"

After I managed to catch my breath, I laughed, though I could feel my cheeks burning. "Gee, you really know how to tempt a girl. Just the mention of having a walk-in closet, was enough to make me forget how to eat. Though I seriously doubt on my salary, that I'd be able to afford even half of what it costs to live in a place like this."

He stood, and held up a finger. "Be right back."

A moment later he was back with some papers, along with his business card, that he set in front of me. "Feel free to google me, if you want. I doubt you'll find anything weird about me. At least I hope not," he said with a grin. "That's the receipt from last month's rent, and you'd only be paying half of that," he explained, pointing to the bottom line.

I could feel my eyes pop, as I realized it would be less than what I was paying now to live out in the middle of nowhere, in a place that was ready to be torn down. "You've got to be kidding." Turning my head, I checked to see if he was trying not to laugh, sure that he had to be pulling my leg.

"No." He shook his head. "I really don't pay that much to live here. Maybe you can decide while we wait out the storm together, what you'd think of living here with me. If you have to get out of your place soon, you could even stay here until you find something else, if this place doesn't suit you."

He had to be joking. I didn't even have to think. I was already head over heels in love with this place. And from what I could tell, he seemed pretty nice, too. Actually, nicer than a lot of guys I'd dated back at home, if I was going to be honest.

"Let me think on it," I said, deciding it might be a good idea to sleep on it till morning. Although I didn't have much time left to find a flat, and couldn't really afford to move into a hotel. Still, I didn't want to jump into something that I might live to regret, if it turned out that everything wasn't as it seemed.

Andrew held up his hands and promised, "Of course, it would be strictly platonic. We'd just be roomies. I shared a house in college with two girls and three other guys, and we all got along just fine, no problem."

I nodded, thinking yeah, but there were six of you, and this would be just us two, alone every night in this big gorgeous, sexy flat.

I was so tempted to throw caution to the wind and just say yes. My gut told me he was the type of guy I could trust, despite the fact that we'd only just met.

He picked up his white porcelain soup spoon and chop sticks, and after adding a little more hot sauce to his soup, before he started eating again, he nodded at his business card. "After you finish dinner, go ahead and look me up online." As I read his card, he mentioned, "I've got a friend who's thinking of moving in here, but he wants to bring his girlfriend. I thought it might be a little complicated with his lady living here, too, especially since she's uh... kind of loud and likes her drink. Which is why I thought I'd offer it to you, since you need to find something soon. But no rush, take your time. And if you decide against it, I'm sure I can find someone else who'd like to live here."

I was sure he could too - in a heartbeat. I decided I'd better have an answer for him come morning, or I might be losing out on living in probably the nicest place I'd ever get a chance to lay my head. Sure that I'd never get another opportunity like this again, I had a feeling I already knew what I was going to say - that I'd be more than happy to try living with him.

After we'd finished dinner, and loaded the dishwasher together, he smiled nodding towards the living area. "I usually watch a movie to try and ignore the sound of the wind whipping around outside, when it gets bad like this. So, how about a little mango ice cream, while we decide what to watch."

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed, smiling right back. Already, I had a feeling we were going to get along just fine, though I didn't expect him to feel like he had to entertain me, if I did decide to move in with him. I had my e-books, tablet, phone and my little TV to keep me occupied at night, so I could keep out of his way in my room, and he wouldn't even know I was here.

After going through the movie list, he had on his wall-mounted big screen TV -- cleverly hidden behind what looked like an antique Chinese cabinet -- we decided we'd watch 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'. A comedy classic about con-men getting conned, starring two of my all-time favorite actors, Steve Martin and Michael Caine. Though I'd never seen it, Andrew swore it was really funny.

And he was right. Some scenes were so hilarious, I was laughing out loud, and had tears rolling down my cheeks, with Andrew laughing just as hard, nestled in beside me on the couch.

Still, as funny as the movie was, it was hard to ignore the sound of the storm raging outside. Peering out into the darkness, as the wind picked up and the howling grew even louder, the way things were starting to crash around outside, I wondered how safe we really were.

I slid over a little closer to Andrew, glad now that I wasn't on my own, experiencing my first major storm.

As I gradually inched a little closer to him, out of the corner of my eye, I kept taking peeks at the pitch-black sky through the wall of glass, hoping that nothing would come sailing through the windows while we slept - or even crash in on us now. Although we were up pretty high, I knew things could still fly through the air, even as high up as we were.

I guess noticing how tense I looked, Andrew patted my thigh, and asked, "You okay?"

"I've just never heard wind roaring like that before, and it sounds a little scary."

He nodded at the glass. "The glass is really thick in those windows, so we'll be fine, no worries."

I had to take his word for it, because right now, it sounded like it was only getting worse. The way that things were getting smashed around out there, as the storm began to pick up speed, I imagined everything in its path was getting flattened.

I tried to focus on the movie, but I could feel the hair on the back of neck standing on end as each gust grew even scarier. Like a sinister high-pitched whirl, followed by an even more unnerving low, threatening growl, it wasn't easy to concentrate on something that was meant to be funny.

I guess seeing the anxious look on my face, and noticing how tense I was, Andrew reached out and pulled me into his side and slid his arm around my shoulder. No hesitation, I just curled right in, happy for both the comforting warmth of his body, along with how solid he felt, like an anchor against the raging storm.

I noticed, looking a little more closely, as he stretched out his legs and put his feet up on the coffee table, that he had amazingly sexy feet, long and lean, with nice muscular legs, too, covered in a fine dusting of golden-brown hair. I had a feeling by the looks of him that he worked out, and the results had sure paid off.

I felt so comfy curled up against him, I think I must have dozed off. I was having the naughtiest dream, and I could actually feel him running his hands all over me, as he gently brushed his hand up and down along my arm, to try and wake me up. When I opened my eyes, the movie was over, and so was my dream.

"Looks like someone's ready for bed," he murmured, smiling into my eyes as I blinked, peering up into his.

The dream had been so vivid, I could feel myself blushing just from looking at him.

Fighting back a yawn, as I remembered where I was, I nodded and let him lead me into what would be my bedroom, if I decided to move in with him.

Holy smokes! I woke up pretty quick the second we stepped inside, barely able to believe that such a big, beautiful room could actually be mine. With the most enormous bed centered right in the middle, and a gorgeous white tiled bathroom beyond, it was absolutely perfect. Definitely the nicest bedroom I'd ever seen. The way the door to the walk-in closet stood slightly ajar, felt like it was taunting me to say no, and tell him that I had no interest in living in this kind of splendor. Who was I kidding? I already knew I had to say yes -- because I'd have to be crazy to turn down a once in a lifetime opportunity like this.

My eyes going everywhere at once, Andrew got my attention when he pointed to the bathroom. "I think everything you'll need for tonight should be in there. But if you need anything else, just let me know."

Thrilled, not only at the prospect of living in such a gorgeous flat, but also touched that he was being so kind, impulsively, I framed his face in my hands, pushed up on my toes, and brushed a sweet little kiss to his lips. Stroking my hand across his jaw, I gazed up into his big, green eyes. "Thank you so much for taking me in, Andrew. I don't know where I would have wound up tonight, if not for you."

With his hands resting on my hips, his expression softened as he looked into my eyes. "Well, I couldn't leave you out there in this storm." The way he stared down at me, eyeing my lips, I could feel my heart starting to pound. Watching his eyes turn to an even darker shade of green, I wondered, kind of hoped actually, if he might be planning to kiss me back. Until finally, he shook his head, like the spell had been broken, took a step back, and heaved a sigh. "Well, I hope you manage to sleep okay, Ava. Just try to ignore the wind. Once the eye of the storm passes, hopefully sometime tomorrow, it should start to quiet down."

I could feel my mouth fall open and my eyes pop, when he said that. "Are you seriously saying that all that howling going on out there, isn't even the worst of it?"

He shook his head, chuckling. "No. It's just starting to get bad. I don't think those are gale force winds yet. Maybe if we close the curtains, it'll help block out some of the noise." I watched him walk over and draw them together, hoping that nothing would come flying through and hit him.

After he'd said goodnight and walked down the hallway to his room, I brushed my teeth, got into bed, and buried my head under the sheets. Blinking into the darkness, all I could hear was the storm raging, along with my heart, nearly beating right out of my chest.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I bunched the sheets over my ears, to try and drown out the what had to be the scariest sounds I'd ever heard, as I wondered how I'd ever be able to fall asleep.

I winced as what sounded like tree after tree crashing to the ground, hitting who knows what, as they fell. As the howling grew even more threatening, sounding like a freight train coming straight for us, I imagined everything that wasn't tied down was being blown around pretty fiercely out there.

I'd finally begun to doze off, when my eyes shot open as I heard something big and hard come slamming up against the window. Letting out a gasp, I flew out of bed, dragging the sheet behind me.

Tangled up in the sheet, my pulse racing, not even sure what I was doing, I rushed into the living room, looked around and kept going. Until I realized that I was standing in front of Andrew's bedroom. Seeing his door stood open a few inches, I peeked inside and saw that he was in bed.

Still awake, he sat up, turned his head and asked, "Ava, what's wrong?"

Trying to control the tremor in my voice, and ignore the way my legs were shaking, I tried to explain why I was standing in the hallway, wrapped up like a mummy. "Something flew up and hit the window, and it really got me spooked. Would you mind if I slept on the floor beside your bed?"

He threw back the sheet. Though I couldn't see much, I could tell that he was only in his boxers and his chest was bare, with a trail of golden hair running down over his chest to his abs.

"Or, you can just get in here with me."

Right now, crawling into bed with him sounded like an excellent idea. From the way he'd behaved tonight, I already knew I could trust him. And at least his bedroom didn't face a hillside full of trees that could come crashing into his room and flatten us both like pancakes.

My legs still felt pretty shaky, as I crawled in with the sheet wrapped around me.

Andrew slipped his arm around my waist, and tugged me against him. Dropping a kiss to the top of my head, he assured me, "Don't worry, we're safe in here. We'll be okay." I believed him, too. He'd been through this before, so at least he knew what to expect.

Gradually, I began to feel more comfortable and a little safer, being curled up tight against him. With his chest pressed to my back, relieved to have the feel of his nice, strong arms wrapped around me, I just hoped that he was right. I'd never experienced anything as terrifying as a full-blown typhoon wreaking havoc on a city, and had no idea what to expect. At least tucked in close with him, luckily, I wouldn't have to face whatever was going to happen on my own.

ANDREW

For the past hour I'd been on my back, staring up at the ceiling, and not because of the mother of a storm I could hear raging outside. But mostly because I was conflicted about the fact that I'd done something totally out of character and offered Ava a place to stay, especially considering the fact that I barely knew her.

When I saw her in front of the market waiting for a cab, with all that long blonde hair curling down her back, standing out like a golden beacon in a sea of black hair, I was tempted to offer to hold her bags, since I could tell from the pained look on her face that they were heavy.

Then, before I could get to her, I saw that smug asshole rip off her ride, and I wanted to shove him aside and tell her to get in. But before I could worm my way through the crowd, he'd slammed the door shut and the cab pulled away and he was gone, waving his stupid little hand in the air, just to rub it in.

Noticing how she'd glared him down, stamping her foot, I imagined she was just as pissed. And I had a feeling, mad enough to contemplate throwing something at him. That actually made me laugh, thinking of her hurling a bag full of groceries after the jerk, imagining how they'd splatter on the window, pissing off the driver. Obviously, the woman had a backbone, which I admired.

Though, I noticed she managed to pull herself back together pretty quick, I still felt bad for her. I decided that I'd better try and get in beside her, so when the next cab came, I'd make sure she got it.

Oddly, it wasn't just that she was pretty, though she really was. Actually, quite stunning, with a perfect profile, lean and tall, maybe 5'8'', to my 6 foot two. With that beautiful hair and those blue eyes, and such an amazing, tight little body, that was enough to take my breath away when I got up close enough to see her head on. No matter what she looked like, I just hated men that treated women like that. I was raised to be civil and respectful towards women. And that kind of shit really burned my ass.

Of course, when our cabbie changed his mind about taking her home, I knew I had no choice but to invite her up. But never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined, within an hour of meeting her, that I'd be inviting her to move in with me.

Not sure why, there was just something about her that brought out my protective side. Maybe it was a combination of those big, innocent sky-blue eyes, and the fact that she looked pretty young, probably somewhere in her early twenties, if I had to guess. Which I thought was awfully young to be living out here on her own. Which was probably why I'd decided, since I had all this space, that I didn't see why she couldn't stay here, too.

I realized now that she never mentioned where she worked. Of course, if I'd been thinking clearly, I probably should have asked for her card, and checked her out her online, like I'd suggested she do with me. Though, I already had a gut feeling that I could trust her, and she wasn't the type to do anything to drive me crazy.

Well, unless you called already wanting to kick my ass for promising that things would be strictly platonic between us crazy, when I could almost feel how amazing it would be to have that warm soft body wrapped around me - naked of course.

I'd slide that Seven's jersey up, till I was filling my hands with those perfect breasts that I'd already got a peek of, through her wet clothes.

I could feel myself growing hard as I imagined the way she'd kiss, if she were as aroused as I'm getting right now, as things began to get hot and heavy between us.

Though, I'm sure she meant nothing by it, but just that tiny brush of her lips against mine was enough to make me nearly forget about being nothing but roommates.

Sliding a hand down over my abs, cupping my erection through my boxers, I was tempted to take care of myself, so I could finally get some sleep. I couldn't believe how hard she'd got me, though she wasn't even in the room.

Then I turned my head and saw her in the doorway. Wrapped in a sheet, looking so unbelievably sweet and vulnerable, all I could think of was pulling her into my arms and holding her close, till the worst of the storm blew over.

And that was exactly what I did - once I'd let go of myself, of course.

She surprised me when she didn't hesitate, and crawled in right beside me. I guess she knew I'd never do anything to betray her trust. No matter how tempted I was to step over the line and slide between those long, shapely legs to show her how good we could be together.

Once she'd tucked herself in close, it felt so good just to be able to hold her in my arms. Even as the storm was starting to sound more ferocious with every gust, doing who knows what outside. All I could think of was how good it felt to hold her tight as eventually, both of us began to drift off.

When I woke up in the morning, I was happy to see that Ava was still tucked in beside me, with her tight little backside pressed right up against my morning wood. No surprise, just the feel of her warm, soft body cradled against mine, had me fully erect.

So she wouldn't wake up, wondering what was poking her in the ass, I decided I'd better bunch up the sheet and carefully squeeze it in between us.

Finally, she yawned and turned to face me, and gave me the prettiest smile I think I'd ever seen. God, she really was gorgeous. And despite what was going through my head last night, I was starting to think that offering to let her stay here with me, had to be the smartest thing I'd ever done.