ROOMIES (Strangers-To-Lovers Romance Novel) Read online

  “Baby, don’t you ever think something like that,” I said and pushed her chin up to raise her downcast eyes. “Em, look at me. I would never ever cheat on you. You think I want to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to me? Emily, I love you.”

  I had no intention of confessing my feelings for her, but it was high time she found out. I accepted the feelings I had for her were so deep they were there to stay. What would I do with them but show her and tell her?

  “You mean it?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears. She seemed to cry a lot these days.

  “Yes, I mean it.”

  The words had barely left my mouth when she threw her arms around my neck and her laughter was mashed against my lips. I squeezed her to me and kissed her back until we withdrew from loss of breath.

  “It sure would be good to hear it back,” I murmured.

  “Of course I love you!” she cried and kissed me again.

  I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where I loved every inch of her until she panted and begged that she couldn’t take any more before I joined our bodies. In the aftermath, she curled up in my arms, and the whole experience was so beautiful, I had to blink back tears. She was beautiful, and I felt so loved, my heart was tight.

  “Liam…” The way she said my name was so sexy.

  “Hmm?”

  “You know my vacation starts this weekend, right?”

  “Yeah. Why? Is there something you want to do?”

  Her fingers brushed against my sensitive, flat nipples, and I swallowed a groan. My cock was hardening again, still inside of her. I draped one of her legs over my hip and started to thrust slowly into her, stealing her breath and her focus.

  “Hmm, that feels so good,” she moaned, and when her eyes fluttered to a close, she scowled and shot them open. “You’re making me lose focus.”

  “Do you want me to stop?” I teased.

  “Don’t you dare,” she moaned again. “God, how does it always feel so good with you?”

  “You were saying?” I cocked an eyebrow and stopped moving. “Talk or I’ll stop moving.”

  “Well, then, let me get it out,” she stated, and her face was a mural of emotions. “I plan to visit…uh, God, yes…Liam!”

  “Continue.”

  “You’re so not playing fair right now,” she complained.

  I reached out to pinch her nipples. “Tell me, Em.”

  “I want you to go with me to meet my parents this weekend,” she gushed and plastered her lips to mine without waiting for me to respond. As shocked as I was at her announcement, she undulated her hips, and I groaned into her mouth, incapable of denying us what our bodies craved.

  Sooner than expected, I could feel her inner muscles clenching around my cock. I pulled her on top of me, thrusting upward into her warm enclave, holding back my own climax so I could focus on the emotions playing across her face—the way her eyes bored into mine before they closed, her head back, golden hair cascading about her naked shoulders, and the twin perfection of her ivory breasts beckoning to my hands. I palmed them and let go. My cock twitched inside her tightness, and her walls, clenching from her climax, sucked me in until, with a gasp, I found release in her tender flesh.

  She collapsed on top of me, her arms wrapping under my neck. She planted kisses on my jawline, and as I fought to catch my breath, I contemplated how much I enjoyed her cuddling and affectionate gestures.

  “Will you?” she asked hopefully.

  “I’m going to be honest,” I responded carefully. “I don’t want to because I think your family may be disappointed when they meet me, but I’ll go because you’ll be disappointed if I say no.”

  And for the days leading up to that event, I almost worked myself into an ulcer trying to figure out how to get out of it. I thought of coming up with an excuse, but she was so excited when the day finally came, I volunteered to drive the first leg of the trip.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Saturday morning. She was flushed and chewed on crackers.

  “You should think about seeing a doctor.” I frowned at her. “Are you still throwing up?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied and grabbed the bag she’d packed with snacks for the road.

  The drive would take us a little over two hours, which I didn’t look forward to. Still, I had promised her. “Let’s go.”

  As she passed by me, she raised herself on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to my chin. “It means so much to me that you’re doing this, Liam.”

  She made me feel like the most valuable person in the world to her. I took the snack bag from her and locked the apartment, and we headed on to the road. I was right, the journey was brutal. I’d never seen a hotter day. We had to roll up the windows and crank the AC.

  Throughout the drive, we talked about her childhood and what her parents were like. The way she talked about them was very different from the way I would have answered had she asked me the same questions. I relaxed a little. She told me hesitantly about her parents disagreeing with her for moving in with a man without marriage, but they had respected her decision.

  That was the opposite of my parents, who would have ranted and applied a guilt-trip tactic until they got me to cave in to what they wanted. Still, I couldn’t be completely at ease. What would I say if her parents asked about my family or my job? I was embarrassed about both. Emily had been right. She was a sales girl, but she was doing something about it. I felt better that I had done the right thing in sending off those demo tapes to potential record labels. I wasn’t sure I would be successful, though. Hell, established singers went through several rejections before they were discovered.

  Halfway through the journey, she fell asleep, and I frowned at her. I would try to remember to get her to book a doctor’s appointment. She insisted she was fine, but she seemed anything but. She was unusually tired and still threw up at odd times. I hadn’t pressed her, wanting to believe her words that nothing was wrong with her. I couldn’t bear to think she might be sick.

  I had to wake her when we passed the sign that indicated we were in Auburn. She looked beautiful in her sleepy state as she yawned and directed me through several turns to a two-story brick house. The lawn was immaculately manicured and flowers were planted at the front of the large porch. An old swing hung from a tree, and I could picture her laughing face as a child playing there.

  Everything about the house spoke of warmth and love, including the slightly rotund woman who had come out to the porch and stared at us with a bright smile. She was an older version of Emily with white-blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was the same height too. A man with salt-and-pepper hair joined her on the porch, and I swallowed. Her father was a big man, almost as tall as I was, and showing just a hint of belly.

  “Well, here goes nothing!” Emily announced. She bubbled with so much happiness, I expected her to run from the car and leave me to find my way alone. Instead, she came around to my side and took my hand. There went any thought I’d had that her parents wouldn’t know about us and would think of us as friends.

  “Hey, Mom, Dad!” she greeted her parents. They enveloped her in a hug.

  “Hey, pumpkin,” her father returned.

  “This is my boyfriend, Liam.” She introduced us, reaching for my arm again and propelling me beside her. “Liam, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Swanson.”

  I was stunned when she introduced me as her boyfriend, and I almost missed my cue. I knew it all along, but she’d said it for the first time. I wanted to grin wildly but didn’t want to scare her parents.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Swanson, it’s nice to meet you,” I responded, shaking her father’s hand.

  “Well, it’s about time we met the man who is manipulating all our daughter’s time, young man,” her father said, but his gruff voice held a note of affection that didn’t make me feel threatened by his words at all.

  Her mother didn’t even wait for me to offer my hand but enveloped me in a hug. I was surprised but pleased. She smell
ed of cinnamon and baking ingredients. I’d not been hugged like that by anyone except Emily in a very long time.

  “Call me Ellen,” her mother insisted. “You two must be exhausted from that drive. Come on in. Emily, I’m cooking and could use an extra hand. Liam, go put your feet up in the living room with Charles and relax.”

  I stared after Emily disappearing with her mother into what I assumed was the kitchen, and I almost panicked. She mouthed to me that it would be fine, which, not surprisingly, didn’t make me feel any better.

  “You like baseball, son?” her father asked me as we entered a spacious living room area with couches that had seen better days but were comfortable to sit in, I found out.

  “I’ll watch it if my friends are, but I’m not much of a fan,” I responded, looking at the huge flat-screen TV which looked new and odd in the otherwise worn but comfortable look of the living room.

  “Honest. I like that.” He nodded at me. “Honesty is an important part of any relationship, but I’m sure you already know this.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Emily is our only child,” the man continued. “And we had her when we thought we would never be blessed with a child. That girl has been a blessing since the day she was born. Did you know that last year, when she got her Christmas bonus, she bought us this TV?”

  “Sounds just like Em,” I commented with a smile.

  “Yes, she’s a sweet girl and deserves someone who will treat her well.”

  “I’m sure there are plenty guys out there who would love the chance to be with your daughter,” I said sincerely. “And I know I’m not the best. That’s why I’m honored she chose to love me, even though I’m not perfect and have a lot of growing up to do. She’s everything to me, and I would never do anything to hurt her.”

  Emily’s dad stared at me for a moment, and I didn’t flinch. I had nothing to be ashamed of or afraid of. I spoke from my heart and the older man would either accept it or not.

  “How about you get us two cans of beer from the kitchen,” he said to me, and I tried not to sigh my relief.

  “Sure thing.”

  I headed in the direction the two women had disappeared and stopped as I came upon a discussion between them. I was torn between not wanting to eavesdrop and, at the same time, not wanting to return without the cans of beer. Before I could clear my throat to announce my presence, I realized I was the topic of their conversation.

  “…seems like a nice young man,” her mother said to her. “And so handsome too.”

  “Yes, he is, Mom,” Emily agreed.

  “And what about Jake? Is that completely over? Because you know it’s not a good thing to enter a relationship with unresolved feelings.”

  “Believe me, Mom, I have no feelings for Jake. In fact, since being with Liam, I’m not sure what I felt for him was love or simply infatuation with the first guy I ever became involved with.”

  I decided I had heard enough and had better announce my presence before I was discovered. I cleared my throat and walked in. Emily looked at me suspiciously. Her hands were deep in dough and she had a speck of flour on her nose.

  “Your dad sent me for beer,” I announced.

  “Help yourself, dear,” Ellen responded. “There are cold ones in the refrigerator.”

  I pulled out a beer for her dad and a Coke for me then hurried back to the living room. I had a feeling it was safer with her father than in the kitchen as the two women gossiped about me.

  “There’s not enough beer in the fridge?” Charles queried.

  “Emily is supposed to drive us home,” I explained to him. “But I think I’ll cut her some slack and drive us since she’s slaving away at dinner. I try not to drink when I have to drive.”

  “Smart move.”

  I soon discovered where Emily got her nurturing spirit. Her mother catered to her father’s whims. She would pop her head inside and ask if we needed anything. After skipping through the television, her father announced we were grilling steak. When he realized I’d never done my own, he roped me into it, which I enjoyed.

  Emily came out to investigate and wrapped her arms around my waist proudly. “Aw, you’re doing just fine, babe,” she said and kissed me in front of her father. I couldn’t recall ever kissing a girl in front of her parents. I was sure I never had. Her father whistled and looked away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. One would have thought, from his causal attitude, that this was something she was used to doing, but her father had let on that she had never invited Jake to visit. And that was enough to make me feel good about the day.

  We finally got around to eating in the dining room. Her mother had set the small square table with china and glassware. Along with the steak, the women had made greens, cornbread, steamed broccoli, and baked mac and cheese tuna casserole. I didn’t contribute much to the conversation, mostly, and listened to the easy-going banter between Emily and her parents.

  We stayed longer than I thought we would and were given leftovers in plastic-covered dishes to take home.

  “It was good to meet you, Liam,” her mother told me. “I hope you come again, and don’t wait too long.”

  “I will do that, ma’am.”

  “Take care of my daughter.” Charles patted me on the shoulder.

  “Love you guys.” Emily hugged them and kissed them both on the cheek. “I’ll give you a ring when we get home.”

  We waved goodbye, and I got behind the driver’s seat. Emily snuggled in beside me and patted my thigh.

  “Thanks for driving us back. I know I promised to, but I’m so tired.”

  “Well, you owe me one.”

  She snuggled against her door and was fast asleep before I got on the highway. I would have to tell her thanks for reminding me what a family was supposed to be like, and that one day, I would like to have that with her.

  23

  Emily

  Why ruin a perfect moment, I asked myself as Liam and I walked into the movies and found the auditorium showing our movie. We sat in corner seats of the 6:15 show, but I wasn’t in the mood for a movie tonight. He’d wanted to see the new action film, but I knew the movie would be crowded. I disliked it when the theater was overcrowded, but worse, I disliked the movies when I was almost three months pregnant and my jeans pinched my sides. But I had to sit there and pretend everything was dandy.

  Every day, it got harder not to blurt out to him that we were expecting a baby. Each time we made love, I expected him to comment on the weight I’d put on. When I brought it up, he would grin and say that it showed I was happy and comfortable with him.

  I wasn’t. I was miserable. Granted, I was happy about the baby, but it hung over my head like a bad cloud ready to rain on our parade. I wasn’t ready to let go of the romance and steamy moments in Liam’s arms, and I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t bolt when he discovered my pregnancy.

  Nothing I’d done had encouraged him to start thinking about his future, and I was depressed thinking about him rejecting me and our child. But what I wouldn’t be able to live with was him feeling he was forced into assuming responsibility for us. I wanted him to want us on his own.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when I fidgeted one time too many.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll go get us some snacks,” he announced and caressed my shoulder before walking down the blue-lighted steps leading to the exit. The movie started before he returned bearing blue slushies, nachos with warm cheese for me, and medium popcorn for himself.

  I tried to focus on the movie, knowing he would want to talk about it afterwards and compare notes. He always did this—asked my opinion and my rating. It usually pleased me that he wanted my opinion, but not tonight. The last thing I wanted to do was chit-chat about a movie when we could chit-chat about our life and how fast everything would go downhill if he didn’t get himself together.

  A baby couldn’t be hidden forever.

  My hand fiddled in the pocket of my coat and rubbed against the edges of t
he two tickets—tickets to a local show where participants had a shot at winning a grand in cash. It wasn’t so much the money I was after—which we could use for buying items for the baby—but I wanted him to see he was good enough. I’d been to the talent show once with Miranda, and I believed Liam was of a higher standard than most and could win. If I could prove to him other people found his writing skills and his ability to strum chords and sing as entertaining as I did, maybe he would stop hiding his talent.

  I wanted to shake him but resisted the urge. Tonight, when we got home, I would broach the subject. If he refused to go to the talent show and participate…well, either way, I thought it was time to tell him he would be a father.

  Unfortunately, I was consumed with too many thoughts of our lives and missed much of the action from the movie. The night was cool when we walked outside the cinema and hurried to the car to turn the heater on.

  “It’s unusually cold for May,” he commented when he started the car. I grunted a noncommittal response, which prompted his next question. “Are you okay? You seem a little too quiet tonight.”

  “I’m just tired,” I murmured, my heart picking up pace. Was now a good time when we were in the car so he couldn’t walk out on me? He would be forced to listen. “Actually, there’s been something on my mind.”

  “Why do I feel like this is something big? You’ve been acting weird all week. Irritable.”

  “What?” He had been aware of my anxiety all this time? And I thought I’d hidden it well.

  “You don’t seem as happy as before,” he returned. “Is it something I’m doing wrong or not doing?”

  “Something you’re not doing.” I exhaled loudly. “I don’t like that you’ve not given much thought to your life beyond living day by day. I got us tickets and enrolled you in a talent exposition. It may sound juvenile, but it’s a great opportunity to expose your abilities, and the cash prize is a grand. The good thing, though, is that there are always local producers and agents searching for the next big thing.”