Adjusting the strap of the camera bag on my shoulder, I walked into the gym, instantly perking up at the sound of an upbeat tune coming from the speakers.

"Sky, I'm glad you're here already." Jeff approached me almost immediately. "What's the plan for today?"

"Hey," I greeted him. "I was going to take pictures of the girls for a change."

Jeff chuckled. "Tired of too much testosterone?"

"Pretty much." I winked. "Have you told your clients I might take pictures of them at some point?"

"Yeah, they know it. Don't worry; nobody will find it weird. Just do your thing. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

Nodding, I left my jacket on a hanger and made my way to the back of the gym.

Several girls were doing stretches on a mat, and I decided to start from there.

Just like Jeff had said earlier, nobody paid attention to me and my camera. The music drowned out the sound of the shutter.

I focused the camera on one of the girls. With her dark hair and the perfect body clad in nothing but a pair of tiny shorts and a sports bra, she'd definitely catch Jeff's prospective clients' eye if he uploaded her photos to the website and the gym's social media profiles.

Doing my best to focus on the task at hand, I made an effort to stop thinking about Liam and our dinner yesterday.

He called me sweetheart and kissed my cheek. Again.

Although those kisses were absolutely normal in France, Liam's kisses felt different. Yesterday, as we stood in the dark kitchen and he pressed his lips to my skin, I almost wished he'd move them to my mouth and kissed me senseless. For a short-lived moment, it seemed as if Liam was holding back. As ridiculous as that was, I thought he wanted something else from me, and I didn't get much sleep last night, replaying every moment with him in my head.

Looking at the same girl through the viewfinder, I adjusted the depth of field and was about to snap a picture when my phone buzzed with a text.

Paul: Have you thought about what I said? When can I see you again?

My fingers hovered over the screen, unable to decide what to type.

Finally, seeing that it wouldn't take the girls much longer to finish their routine, I decided to reply and focus on work.

Me: I'm busy. Talk to you later.

I didn't care much about his answer. Shoving my phone in my pocket, I took a series of pictures.

"I think I'm done," the dark-haired girl said, sitting on the mat. "I've been here for ages."

"That's because you wanted to see him." Her friend giggled before opening a bottle of water and taking a sip.

"He's a God in bed," said the brunette. "Liam is the only guy I didn't mind doing things for if you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Her friend winked at her. "The thing is, when was the last time? He's unavailable, girl. I wouldn't get my hopes up with that guy."

"I know. I was thinking about asking him out on a date. You know, to spend time together, not only meeting to fuck, although I'd do that, too."

"He's that good, huh?"

The brunette sighed. "The best. I swear he knows how to make the girl feel wanted. And we shouldn't forget about the size."

The sound of giggles filled the air around me, but I hardly paid attention anymore.

The weight of what I'd overheard was already crushing me.

Liam didn't deny that he slept with girls, but I didn't think he did it with someone who went to his gym.

Could I blame him, though? He was hot, and so was the girl he hooked up with.

I was sure she knew how to make him lose his mind. She surely didn't have any of my stupid insecurities, and I was positive the girl could reach the climax without a problem.

I dragged my feet to where the rest of the gym equipment was and took more pictures before saying a quick goodbye to Jeff and going home.

Ellie was going to visit me in the afternoon. We needed to discuss the gala, and I was going to show her what accessories I chose. Hopefully, spending time with my best friend would be enough to distract me from the thoughts about my roommate.

The feeling of guilt was a bitch.

The inability to tell Sky the truth yesterday made me lose my sleep.
Although if I was honest with myself, my insomnia had more to do with the way Sky looked in her tiny shorts, drinking water in the kitchen with the blush coating her cheeks.

What the hell was going on with me?

I'd never lost control. When I needed to figure things out, I went to the gym and worked out until my muscles felt sore. I never made impulsive decisions, not since I was legally an adult who had to take care of a kid.

I didn't recognize myself now. Yesterday, all I wanted to do was press her up against the wall, slide those tiny shorts off her legs, and show her how good I could make her feel. I wanted to make sure she'd forget that the bastard who hurt her existed.

It would be my name she whispered, and my hands on her body and my lips on her skin.

I was dying to show her that not all guys were selfish assholes. She deserved someone who would respect her, not a scumbag who ran his dirty mouth in front of his colleagues.

By the time I was done with her, she wouldn't even recall that bastard's name.

Too bad I couldn't do any of that.

Idiot.

Whatever was going on needed to stop. I couldn't deal with one more mess in my life.

Slamming the door of my car shut, I made my way to the elevator, hoping that the overstuffed grocery bags wouldn't break before the machine got to our floor.

Tim was at his soccer practice, and I was lucky to leave the office earlier and buy groceries before the supermarket got crammed with people.

Sky would already be home. I knew she finished her classes early. Maybe if I talked to her today, while we were alone, I could sleep well and feel less guilty. Perhaps those thoughts about her would stop eventually. I hoped they would.

The elevator door slid open. I stepped out of it and grabbed my key.

"Sky, I'm home!" I yelled, alerting her of my presence.

It wasn't Sky's voice I heard as soon as I turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

Puzzled, I made a few steps into the apartment.

No guy wanted to be greeted by the sight of a well-endowed dude getting a blowjob.

That was what I saw on Sky's laptop screen.

Sky and Ellie sat staring at it with their mouths hanging open.

"Oh, shit. Oh, fuck," I said when the very characteristic and deafening sounds filled the room.

"Liam!" Sky's squeal scared the shit out of me, making me drop the bag of oranges to the floor.

"I'll just hang out with Aiden or...For fuck's sake, " I muttered, exiting the apartment filled with the girls' laughter.

"Since when are you a supermarket delivery guy?" Aiden grinned, giving me a once-over as soon as he opened the door to his place to let me in.

"They are my bags." I scowled.

Shrugging, the guy stepped aside. "Come on in, then. Have you seen my girl?"

"She's with Sky," I mumbled. "I'll wait here with you until they are done."

"Be my guest," Aiden said. "By the way, dude, we need to go pick up our suits for the gala tomorrow morning. It's a fucking black-tie event. Victor was kind enough to call a place he knows. They are waiting for us."

Victor was my boss, but to Aiden, he was family. Victor's son Thierry lived in Aiden's hometown and was dating Ellie's mom Louise. Victor was the one to take Aiden under his wing when my friend moved to Paris last May.

"Fuck, Aiden. I already hate that shit." I groaned.

Aiden sighed. "You're such a pain in the ass sometimes, you know. We'll have fun, dude, and your brother will stay at his friend's. Loosen up."

The front door opened, and Ellie rushed to her boyfriend.

"Baby!" She squealed, drawing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his.

Then, the little minx gave me a freaking wink, making me blush at the recollection of what I'd seen earlier.

"I'll be going, guys. Have fun."

"You too," said Ellie. "Sky is waiting for those oranges."

Suppressing the desire to cuss, I grabbed the bags and went home.

Sky was sitting on the living room couch, painting her nails.

"Thanks for buying groceries." She smiled. At least she didn't wink.

"It's okay," I said, retreating into the kitchen to put away the food.

Tim was home by the time I was done.
I left him in his room and settled on the couch with my laptop, determined to do some work.

I couldn't focus for shit.

Why was Sky watching that crap? Was it for that asshole? Was she going to do that to him? More than that, was she seriously considering getting back together with that dickhead?

Unable to help it, I went to the kitchen, made two cups of tea, and then knocked on Sky's bedroom door.

"Come in," she said.

"Hey. I thought you might want some tea. I also have éclairs."

"You've been upgraded to the best roommate ever." Sky grinned, sitting on her bed.

I handed her the pastry and the mug and sat opposite her.

"You're not eating?" Sky asked me.

"I'm good," I said.

The stunning girl in front of me hummed, biting off a chunk of her dessert. My mind went straight to the gutter, but I needed to focus.

"Why were you watching that shit earlier?" I blurted out.

"Curiosity." Sky shrugged. "Girls also want to learn things."

"Girls like you are not supposed to learn those things."

Not for the entitled good-for-nothing pricks, at least.

"Girls like me?" Sky mumbled. "Well, you know what, not every girl is a dark-haired goddess who knows how to do stuff in bed. Some of us need help."

"You're not fucking supposed to watch it," I snapped.

"And why is that?" Sky sipped her tea with so much calm I wondered what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. Talking about heads.

"Because it's up to the girl to decide whether she wants to do it to the guy or not. Guys who make girls do that to them are assholes, Sky. I might be dying to get a blowjob, but I would not force anyone to do it to me. That's what pricks would do."

"Of course you wouldn't force anyone. I bet girls are doing things to you without you even asking. I mean, look at you."

Puzzled, I eyed her. "Excuse me?"

"I heard you have quite a reputation." Sky shrugged. "Girls are talking, you know. And now you're here, lecturing me. I already have a dad, roomie. I don't need another one."

"Your dad should have explained a thing or two about guys to you, then. Maybe this way, you wouldn't feel the need to watch shit for some asshole."

Sky crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you guys also have those days each month, or something? For your information, roomie, I can watch whatever the hell I want, cause my ID says I'm a big girl."

"Then act like one," I said.

"You know what? I'm going to watch it again now because I still have a thing or two to learn. And you're a hypocrite because I'm positive you enjoy it when girls do things to you."

"Fuck, Sky, don't push it. I don't make girls do anything to me, got it? And you can watch whatever you want, just do it for the right reasons."

"I think the roommate bonding time is over." Sky huffed, hopping off the bed and giving me a view of her ass in those goddamned shorts as she strolled to the door and threw it open.
"Get the hell out of here, roomie, but leave the éclair. I have a dick flick to watch."

"You're maddening," I muttered, turning around. Sky slammed the door shut, barely waiting for me to be in the hall.

I pivoted to go to the living room. Screw it. I also could watch something. Who the hell did she think she was? I was looking out for her stubborn shorts-clad ass.

I barely made a step when my eyes registered my little bro leaning against the wall.

"What is a dick flick, Liam?"