What If You & Me by Roni Loren
Chapter Twenty
Hill stepped out of the bathroom after a quick shower and found Andi dressed again and sitting cross-legged on his bed as she scrolled through her phone. He would’ve invited her into the shower with him, but he didn’t feel comfortable having her see what he referred to in his head as his old man’s bathroom with the bench and handrails he’d had to install on the wall.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, so he stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her as she scrolled. She’d gathered her hair into a messy bun atop her head, and her cheeks still wore the flush of a night well spent. Effortlessly sexy. He had no idea how a woman like her was sitting there on his bed in front of him right now. Part of him kept expecting to wake up from an erotic dream.
She turned finally and caught him staring. An indulgent smile lit her face. “Hey there.”
“Hey.” He stepped inside the bedroom. “You’re dressed. I can lend you a T-shirt to sleep in if you need it.”
She set her phone on the side table and pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them. “I’m not going to sleep over. Since this is a just-friends thing, I thought we should maybe not blur lines.” She glanced at the bed with a little frown. “Plus, to be honest, I’m not sure I could fall asleep with a guy next to me.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, facing her. “Because you’re a bed hog or something else?”
She sighed and looked up. “The last time a guy slept next to me was that last night with Evan. He wrapped an arm over me, and I’ve never felt so scared or so trapped as I did those few hours. I’m afraid if I wake up in the middle of the night with your arm around me or something, I’ll freak out.”
The admission made Hill’s heart twist. This sweet, lovable woman couldn’t even be held without being reminded of the terror she went through. He reached out and squeezed her foot. “I’m sorry.”
She gave him a little nod, a humorless smile touching her lips. “Me too. You’d be fun to cuddle with. Maybe some other time, on the couch.”
“Deal,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “I can walk you back over to your side, make sure you get in safe.”
“I’d like that,” she said, taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet.
He walked her out of the bedroom, and she snagged her shoes from where she’d left them, the spell that had woven around them tonight already receding. Reality was a pushy sonofabitch. She leaned into him with easy affection, softening some of the unease moving through him. He had the overwhelming urge to say Don’t go, but he knew that wouldn’t be fair. He needed to give her the space she was asking for. And she was right, it probably was best not to blur boundaries. Sleeping over, waking up next to someone, could be more intimate than sex.
He unlocked the front door, the humid night air and the sound of crickets enveloping them, and walked Andi over to her side. She turned to him, shoes hanging from one hand, and smiled at him. She pushed up on her toes and kissed him—a soft, lingering kiss that had his blood heating again. When she pulled away, she gave his T-shirt a little tug. “I had a really great time tonight.”
“Me too,” he said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“We should do this again sometime soon,” she said, her smudged mascara making her blue eyes even brighter.
“We should.” He considered her, an earlier idea creeping back in. “You wouldn’t happen to be available Saturday night, would you?”
She gave him a flirty look. “I could be. Why? What’d you have in mind?”
He cringed. “A completely cheesy, embarrassing firehouse event that I somehow got roped into participating in. It’s going to be horrible.”
She laughed. “Well, with a sales pitch like that…”
“I know. Sorry.”
She leaned back against her front door, gaze curious. “What kind of cheesy event?”
“My best friend, Ramsey, is in charge of this year’s charity event for burn victims, and he got the brilliant idea to do a bachelor auction,” he said, dread in his voice. “And somehow he guilted me into agreeing to participate.”
Andi’s expression lit with interest. “A bachelor auction? Like people bid on firefighters to take on dates?”
“Well, to take to that night’s event, which apparently will involve food, booze, dancing, and karaoke.” Hill braced himself for a hell no. He would say hell no if he could.
But Andi bit her lip, her eyes smiling. “Tipsy firefighters and karaoke? This sounds amazing.”
He laughed at her enthusiasm. “It’s going to be a nightmare. But I was thinking if you wanted to go, maybe I could give you the money to bid on me? Save me from a night of awkward conversation with a stranger?”
She snorted. “You introverts are so adorable. Stranger danger means a whole different thing to y’all. And of course I’ll go and bid on you.” She tilted her chin up haughtily. “As if I’d let some other chick or dude get their hands on you. No way. I’m an only child. I don’t share.”
Relief moved through him, and he cupped her face to kiss her soundly. “Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen me with a few drinks in my system and a karaoke machine within reach. It can get ugly real fast.” She gave him a knowing nod. “I’m talking show tunes and power ballads.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take my chances.”
“Then I will happily agree to join you on Saturday.” She patted his chest and yawned. “But right now, I’m going to collapse face-first on my bed. Someone wore me the hell out.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Get some rest, neighbor.”
“Sweet dreams, Hill.”
She went inside, and he waited until he heard the lock click and her alarm activated. For the first time in a while, he didn’t dread the night. His body was sated, his sheets smelled like Andi, and he had a date Saturday night. Things were looking up.
***
Andi woke up early the next morning and edited the cooking video she’d made with Hill, grinning through the whole process. She knew they’d had fun together, but seeing it on-screen underlined how right she was. Hill would be great at teaching people to cook. He was so patient with her, gently guiding her through the process without making her feel inept when he had to step in and help. Plus, he looked fantastic on camera.
She posted the video to her readers and podcast followers and then went back to working on her manuscript. Over the last two weeks, she’d hit a bit of a stride with it and felt like if she kept it up, she’d have something sellable to present to her agent. Today, she’d decided to put in a love scene between the heroine and the guy who was helping her evade the killer. She hadn’t planned for a romance between the two, but somehow, there it was.
She blamed her neighbor.
An hour and a half into writing, she took a break to get a refill on coffee and opened up the video again. Comments had poured in.
shura_blaese:Whoa, who’s the hot chef?
HorrorBelle4Life:Omg, y’all are so cute together!
Dariaduzdetecting:What dis? More murder pls.
marvinasakitas00:Never trust a man who knows how to handle a knife that well.
Andi smirked at that one. Her followers were her people—always looking for the murderous potential in others.
Lizzy_Boredom:Get it, girl. I hope dragon noodles were followed by canoodling. Ha. See what I did there?
Andi snorted, recognizing the screen name Eliza used on her nonprofessional accounts.
TruCrymDiva:Where can I find his channel? And his number? :-p
Andi texted Hill the link.
Andi:You’re a star, dahling. Everyone wants a taste of what you’re cooking.
He didn’t immediately respond so she continued to scroll the comments, knowing she needed to get back to work but the pull of the internet was too strong to resist. It was too much fun reading what people thought of Hill.
Andi skimmed along a few more comments, smiling to herself, but then her gaze snagged on one.
KingXLeer:Ooh, Man-Hater let a guy near her. Don’t get 2 close, dude. She’ll cut ur dick off & serve it 4 breakfast.
Andi’s jaw clenched. “What the hell?”
A few of her followers had commented back to the guy with a few STFU’s and orders for him to run back to his troll cave. But supporters had also chimed in for him.
ShanetheReaper67:Inorite? All she does is whine about how horrible men are. A dude probably can’t hold dis bitch’s hand without being called a rapist. Prediction: this guy will be charged with something b4 she’s done with him. Run, man!
KingXLeer:I’d like 2 give Man-Hater something to cry rape about.
A sick feeling rolled through Andi. She was used to people being assholes on the internet. Being a woman online meant creepers and haters thought they had a right to come at you, especially when you were traipsing around in the male-dominated land of horror fiction. But the anger and threat behind these comments stirred a different kind of unease. This felt more personal than the garden-variety trolls who sometimes popped up.
Her phone rang in her hand, making her jump, and Hill’s name lit up the screen. She swallowed past the anxiety the comments had sparked and answered the phone, trying to sound upbeat. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, tone clipped. “I got your text. Those comments—”
“Yeah, I saw,” she said, cutting him off. “I didn’t see the bad ones until after I texted you the link. I’m about to flag them and delete them.”
“What the hell was that about?” Frustration filled his voice. “Who the fuck thinks it’s okay to say shit like that?”
“Idiots on the internet,” she said tiredly. “I’m mostly used to it. The Man-Hater guy has been in my comments before but never with a direct threat. He seems personally affronted that I try to help women learn how to protect themselves. I mean, how dare I tell women how to stay safe. The nerve of me.”
“I guess you’re really getting in the way of his date-rape plans,” Hill said grimly.
“God, I hope he’s not out there in the world dating actual women,” she said, leaning back in her desk chair and pinching the bridge of her nose, a headache forming. “I’m hoping he’s got all this anger because people sense what a disgusting human he is and no women come near him.”
“Yeah, but either way, that sounds like a time bomb,” Hill said, tone concerned. “He outright threatened you. Is there any way to report him?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ll flag the comment, but that just means he’ll pop up again with a new name or when he’s let back on the platform.” Her computer screen went dark, her book disappearing from the screen. “He probably lives in some dank basement far away. If I had to worry about every person who made a creepy comment to me on the internet, I’d literally never leave my house. And I use a pen name so people online can’t just look up the real me.”
Hill sighed. “I know you’re smart and watch out for yourself, but I still wish I could get some time alone in a room with this guy. Teach him some manners.”
“The best thing that I can do is continue my podcast,” she said, appreciating Hill’s protective instincts but knowing there was nothing to be done about it. “People like him want me to stop. That’s why they come for me. They want to shut me up.” She smirked. “But I won’t. Instead, I’ll probably put him in my next novel and have him murdered in a really humiliating way. Ooh, maybe I’ll write an internet-troll-hunting vigilante. That actually could fit in the book I’m currently working on.”
Hill laughed. “I like this evil, vindictive side. I’ll be sure to be on my best behavior so I don’t make it into one of your books.”
She smiled. “Well, I wrote a love scene this morning, so you’re already serving as great inspiration. But I promise, I won’t murder you in a book—or, you know, in person, man-hater that I am.”
“A love scene inspired by last night, huh? And how can I preorder this book?” he said in a mock-formal voice. “I need to write this down.”
She snorted. “No one’s going to be able to preorder it if I don’t get back to writing it, but I promise both characters were very satisfied. Now they have to outrun a crazed killer so they don’t get hacked into little pieces.”
“Well, at least they had some fun beforehand,” he said genially. “I’ll let you get back to writing. Thanks for sending me the video.”
“No problem. You got some great comments—and some flirty ones. I better not post where this firefighters’ auction is taking place. I think I’d have to get in line to make a bid on you,” she teased.
“Don’t even joke. I only want one karaoke partner Saturday night,” he said firmly. “But I didn’t hate watching the video like I thought I would, so thanks for making me do that. It’s given me some things to think about.”
“Really?” she asked, delighted.
“Don’t get too excited,” he warned, his voice a low rumble against her ear. “Thinking is different from doing, but it reminded me how much I like being in the kitchen.”
A warm, sunny feeling moved through her, but if she gushed too much, she’d scare Hill back into his shell. “Noted.”
She could almost hear him smiling patiently over the phone, like he sensed she was holding back. “Good luck with the writing. We’ll talk soon.”
She told him goodbye, still grinning, and went back to her book, completely forgetting about the internet threat still sitting on her account.