Blog Tour: Roommates With Benefits by Nicole Williams
Soren Decker. He’s the epitome of the
“bad boy, good man” persona. The best of both worlds. The worst
of them too. He’s the type of guy most girls would not mind sharing
a confined space with, except my new roommate isn’t all swagger and
chiseled abs.
He’s bossy. Messy. Cocky. Infuriating. Doesn’t
believe in personal space. Has no qualms about roaming the apartment
with a loincloth-sized towel cinched around his waist. Seems under
the delusion he’s my personal protector (refer back to
infuriating). He plays college baseball and holds down a part-time
job—I don’t know where he finds the time to get on my
nerves.
We’re got nothing in common . . . except for one
thing. Our attraction to one another. And in six hundred square feet
of shared space, the tension only has so much room to grow before one
of us gives in to temptation. But really, what chance do a couple of
young kids chasing their dreams in the big city have of making
it?
Since Soren claims I know squat about sports (he might
have a semi-point), here’s a stat for him—one in a million.
That’s our odds.
“Coming in,” I announced, opening
the door and stepping inside. A plume of steam rolled over me,
instantly coating my skin in a hot, dewy shield. “Hot
shower?”
“Hell of a lot better than the cold one I took a
couple of nights ago.”
His voice echoed off the walls as I
focused on squeezing a glob of toothpaste onto my brush. It was
difficult. I found myself quite distracted by the knowledge he was
naked behind that thin shower curtain, a whole three feet away.
Just
as I was about to stick my toothbrush into my mouth, the shower
cranked off, the curtain whipping open right after.
Soren. Wet.
Exposed.
Giant.
My eyes clamped shut, but it wasn’t
fast enough. From the low chuckle he gave, he hadn’t missed my
two-second gape.
“Soren!”
“Sorry. Water got
cold.”
I gave him a few seconds to cover up before I opened
my eyes and got back to brushing my teeth. He hadn’t covered up
though.
“What are you doing? Grab a towel.” My arm flailed
in the direction of where we kept our fresh towels hanging from the
rack. My eyes felt like they were about to go crossed from staying
focused on my reflection instead of his naked one in the same
mirror.
“Out of fresh towels. Haven’t gotten around to the
laundry.” He moved up beside me at the sink, reaching for his own
toothbrush. He was standing so close, his wet arm was brushing
against mine.
Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look
at the giant—
Crap. I looked.
He was grinning at me as he
brushed his teeth, my face crimson thanks to what I’d glanced
at.
“See anything you like?”
My body was still buzzing from
what I’d seen that I liked. I kind of hated him for calling me out
on it though. I kind of even hated him for having so much to like.
“I
know what you’re doing.” My eyebrow rounded as I got to work
brushing my teeth too.
He spit in the sink, somehow winding up
closer to me when he leaned back up. “Air drying?”
My eyes
narrowed in the mirror at him. “Trying to change my mind.”
He
stared back, brushing his teeth in all of his naked glory, a cocky
tenor to his expression. Once he finished brushing, he rinsed his
toothbrush and turned toward the door.
“I don’t need to change
your mind,” he said, pausing when he was directly behind me.
When
he turned, I swore I could feel his arms coming around me, pulling me
into the shelter of his strong body. An involuntary shudder spilled
down my back. He didn’t miss that either.
“I just need you to
speak it instead of lying about it.” His eyes dropped to the back
of my neck, where I knew he could see the raised flesh. I knew,
because one side of his mouth lifted.
Bracing my hands on the
sink, I didn’t blink as I locked eyes with him in the mirror. “It
takes a lot more than washboard abs and a giant . . .” Crap.
Something else. “Ego to get my attention.”
Soren leaned
forward, his hands framing around the outsides of mine, his arms
running the length of mine. His chest didn’t touch my back, but I
could feel its expanse hovering above it. “I’ve already gotten
your attention.” His eyes dropped from mine to my chest. Where it
was rising and falling noticeably hard, my nipples pushing through my
camisole. “I’m looking for something else.”
Another shudder,
this one spilling down my legs. “What?”
His crooked smile
changed into a cryptic one before he leaned back and opened the door.
“You’ll see.”
“Soren—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll
tell you when you give it to me.”
My fist curled around my
toothbrush as I turned toward him. “I’m not giving you
anything.”
“You’re giving me something right now.” He
didn’t glance back before leaving the bathroom. Did he really need
to have that nice of an ass when he already had a glorious package? I
was screwed. “This point goes to Decker.”
Nicole Williams is the New York Times
and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult
romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books
have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both
domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish
additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books
(a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the
sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of
their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans
on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own
personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all
nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too
long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and
daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too
many hobbies into too little time.
Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel,
of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.
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