My Ex’s Roommates: Chapter 12

The next night Silas appeared in my doorway like a dark angel, dressed in all black with his dark hair falling over his forehead and his gray eyes focused entirely on me. He had his playbook clutched in one hand and he was gripping the top of my door frame with his other. The black t-shirt he wore crept up to reveal the smallest sliver of tan stomach.

I looked up from my book and raised my eyebrows at him. I was still struggling to deal with the embarrassment of asking Dylan for a hug so I wasn’t exactly excited to see another one of them darkening my doorway. “Yes?”

He dropped his arm and moved into my room. Pulling my desk chair closer to my bed he sat down and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “We made the change you suggested to the play today.”

It was the one day of the week I hadn’t been able to attend practice because of a meeting with one of my professors. I’d been too nervous to ask if they’d tried the change I’d suggested but having Silas show up peaked my curiosity just too much. “And?”

“Pretty sure Hogan would’ve kissed you if you’d been there.” A smirk twisted his mouth higher on one side. “Look at another play for me?”

I couldn’t say no. I moved to the edge of my bed so I could look at the book with him. “Show me.”

He pointed to a play and opened his mouth but I cut him off.

“This isn’t right. It’s all jumbled.” I took the playbook out of his hands and pulled a pen from my purse. Without asking him, I quickly scribbled the changes and then looked at the play again. “There. It could still be better, though. If Dylan did a fake handoff and then carried out the rest, it would be good.”

Silas took the playbook, studied it, and then shook his head. Dropping it to the floor by his feet, he turned his haunting stare back at me. “How do you know how to read plays so well?”

“Was that a trick? Did you think I wouldn’t figure out what all was wrong with it?” I saw the answer in his smirk and rolled my eyes. “So, what? You came in here to test me and see if I knew what I was talking about, despite the change I made in the play yesterday working well today?”

“Answer me. How do you know how to read plays so well? Jake?”

I scoffed. “Seriously? Jake could barely read the plays. My brothers. They played as much as they could, whenever they could. I helped them work on their plays and I fixed them up afterwards when they were banged up from playing in a city league with shitty pads.”

“Is that why you’re doing sports medicine?”

I nodded. “I like taking care of people. I prefer football because I love the game but I just want to be on the sidelines of any sport, really.”

He was quiet for a minute and when he looked back at me, his smirk was gone. “I’m sorry. For judging you before. You were right to rip us a new one.”

Shocked at the apology, I just shrugged. “It felt good.”

He laughed and his whole face transformed from hard and broody to something just a bit too masculine to call beautiful but it was close. “I’m sure it did. You should do it more often.”

I groaned and shook my head. “Please don’t give me a reason. It’s been a hard enough year already.”

Sobering, he glanced over his shoulder at the door and then moved so he was sitting next to me on my bed. “We have more in common than I ever would’ve thought possible. My dad was never around and my mom ODed when I was five. I, uh, went through the system until I got adopted at fourteen.”

I turned so I was facing him. “No siblings?”

“Not biologically, no. I was thankfully the only kid my mom left behind. The family who adopted me, the McNeils, took in two more kids after me, so I have siblings now.”

“I was lucky to have my brothers. They’re five years older than me. They’re the only reason I didn’t end up in the foster system. It wasn’t always pretty but they made sure I was safe and fed. There were times I know they fed me and went without themselves.” I looked down, the same shame I always felt when I thought about how much they’d done for me hitting me hard. “They did everything for me.”

“If you ever need a ride to see them, I’d take you.”

I looked back up at him and leaned in so I didn’t have to say the next part very loud. “I’ve never been to see them. They won’t let me. I haven’t seen them in two years and it’s almost like a piece of me is missing.”

“Now that I know more about you, you don’t strike me as the type to follow all the rules.” He rested his hand on my knee. “If you decide to break that rule, let me know.”

“After all they’ve done for me, I can at least follow their rules.” I searched his face and wondered when we’d gotten so close. “Were the McNeils good to you?”

“Yeah, they were. Are. They come by sometimes. My little brothers are still in high school but they freak out every time they come. They’re another reason we have to fix the team. I think they’d riot if we had a shitty season.” A warm smile lifted his lips but it faded faster than I would’ve liked. “Why Jake?”

I blinked a few times, surprised by the change in topic. “What do you mean?”

“I mean Jake was a pompous asshole, the kind of guy who snapped at waiters. He couldn’t possibly understand any of the shit you went through.” His other hand rested on my other knee and it seemed like we were closer than ever, talking in our own private bubble.

“I’d just gotten finished being the poor kid with the holes in her clothes for eighteen years. I wanted to live like the other half for a bit. Not the money, but just… I wanted to walk into a room and not have people feel sorry for me. But no, Jake didn’t understand my life. He ended up using it against me. He threatened to tell everyone I was trailer park trash the night he left.” I blushed and covered my face with my hands while I said the next part. “I responded by telling him that I saw your… I told him I saw you that day and that he was like a kitten being compared to a great dane.”

Silas pulled my hands away from my face and held them in my lap as he grinned. “I’ve never been compared to a great dane before but I’ll take it. I especially like the part where Jake probably assumed that meant you’d cheated on him with me.”

My mouth popped open. “I didn’t even think of that.”

“I’m sure he did after. Even if he left you, I guarantee that he lost sleep that night, thinking of you spread out under me.” Glancing from my eyes to my mouth, Silas swallowed loud enough that I heard it.

The image filled my head and sent heat throughout my body. I could feel how red I’d gone but there was nothing I could do to help it. My body was buzzing and had a mind of its own when it came to Silas. I watched as he licked his lips, noticed the glisten on his fuller bottom lip, and felt myself sway closer. “That’s…quite-”

He closed the gap between us and pressed his lips to mine. Soft, warm, a little rough from his facial hair, his mouth settled over mine once, twice, and on the third time, I shifted closer and felt his tongue brush over my lips. Wetness pooled between my thighs and I let out a sound I’d never once made for Jake. It was a breathy little moan, a plea for more without as many words.

Just as fast as it happened, it was over, though. Silas stood up and was halfway to the door before I realized what had happened. He stopped in the doorway, both hands gripping the frame tight. “I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s o-” I cut myself off when he turned and walked away.

I didn’t know how to feel or what to think about what’d just happened. Getting up, I rushed over to the door to shut it tight. I didn’t understand the kiss that happened but I knew it couldn’t happen again. Silas was a jerk and I was… I was healing. I was focused on work and school. I was… I was so turned on by a simple kiss that I had to go take a cold shower.